(idm) Pole and Scion live last night in Windsor

From pHlow
Sent Fri, Nov 6th 1998, 13:07

3 loonies (my canadian change left over after last night) says i'm up
before lance, therefore hopefully qualified to post the first review of an
outstanding performance last night.

the cleveland contingent (both of us) made the 180 mile jaunt to windsor to
catch this show.  thanks to a stack of good CD's, advanced radar detection
technology and ample coffee and mountain dew, this was a totally painless
drive and we arrived at the venue shortly before doors opened.

once inside the cozy thirteen below, we found an underground venue perfect
for m-nus's weekly ambient outings and even better for a show from our
berlin guests.  solid brick and stone walls , low ceilings and tight
bassbins gave indication that the dub would flow mighty.  and it did.

clark warner warmed up the slowly arriving audience with a smooth and
functional set that gradually transitioned from eno and namlook to
aufenhalt (sp?) dynamo and burial mix.  our faction was getting
increasingly amped.

stefan, pete and rene then arrived and began final gear preparations.  i
beleive it was scion's first ever live performance together and pole's
first live PA around a flight caseable gear setup.  pole's equipment
appeared to consist of a powerbook, a large sampler and mixing board and
maybe some additional delay and reverb effects boxes invisible to my
untrained eye.  stefan began to create, and the output was wave upon wave
of deep subsonic bass.  sounds appeared to be echo folded back upon
themselves two , three and even four times; creating pulsing ripples of
sound.  he triggered sampled cellar doors of powerful low frequencies that
shook the cones mightily.  sampled simple synth and harmonica melodies
added meloncholy beauty to the rush of sound. the trademark clicks and pops
flowed in the background with coursing analog warmth.  only minor powerbook
technical difficulties plagued him during his first track, but after that
it was flawless and awe inspiring sonics all the way.  most of the tracks
appeared to be new, and if the PA was any indication, the new EP will be
one to jump on.

pete and rene then activated their setup, which appeared to consist
primarily of a laptop, an R8, and e-mu sampler and mixing deck. Rene manned
the e-mu, Peter the R8 and the mixer was community property.  they spewed
out a powerful set which, if they were the CR01 tracks, were radically
reshaped versions.  the music seemed to be a mosaic of all our favorite
sounds and effects from the BC/CR/MS/BM/R&S back catalogue all incorporated
into one performance.  confounding stereo panning interwoven with filtered
sweeps and clickity drum programming  built a very rich groove.  i was eyes
closed mojo groovin' through most of their set.  they would take chords and
strings and compress, extrude and pinch them gradually until they became
percussion.  amazing.  it was a lot of fun to watch them collaborate /
negotiate realtime over proper board settings for desired sound shaping.
for a first ever live PA, it appeared very well thought out and was
received heartily.   

afterwards, we had a chance to speak briefly with stefan and peter, both
very down to earth guys.  peter seemed not quite satisfied with the quality
of the set, but we assured him that it was excellent and he seemed to
appreciate the feedback.

big props to the local 313/idm posse who were in effect.  it's always great
to convert xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx which you've respected for several years
into warm smiles and handshakes.  we received great local hospitality from
bill vanloo, brian bickel, steve lammers, ian malbon & katy?, dale
lawrence, jeff?, mike geiger and probably others which i'm sorry i forgot.

all in all a great show to kick off what should be an impressive mini-tour.
if you are within driving distance of any of the upcoming performances --
BE THERE!!!!

i would kill for a copy of the DAT which they made last night.....


peeeeeeeeeeece,