Peaches and Pan Sonic Live at Sonar

Peaches and Pan Sonic, Live at Sonar June 14, 2002 (unlimited downloads)

Here is the first surprise, an awesome one-off collaboration between Peaches and experimental electronic unit Pan Sonic. I will have a review up tomorrow of the show Sunday night, Peaches at the TLA in Philly. This seemed like a nice appetizer for that, a crazy, avant-garde appetizer.

I don't have a lot of details about this show or why it came about. It was a part of the infamous SONAR Festival in Barcelona on Friday June 14, 2002, what I believe to be a one-time only collaboration. For those that don't know, Pan Sonic are a pivotal figures in the more experimental side of electronic music. Originally named Panasonic, which they changed after being sued by the company, the Finnish duo, Mika Vanio and Ilpo Vaisanen, has always explored the noiser terrain that one associates with Einsturzende Neubaten and Throbbing Gristle. This ain't gonna be bringing down the house at Emerald City or Crobar, if you catch my drift.

On this particular set, Pan Sonic (not sure how involved Peaches is with the instrumental stuff) blasts lots of noise, cracks and pops, drawing on the clicks and cuts movement of Germany and Austria (Mille Plateaux people) and the noise/silent music of Japan (Merzbow, Otomo Yoshide, etc.). It's quite powerful at times, not for the melody-obsessed amongst us. Peaches delivers raps at a few intervals, when the music has calmed down, a sort of intermission until things go in another direction.

It's really interesting stuff, a document of three creative artists doing their thing. It should put Peaches in a whole new light, as she is often unfairly attacked as a novelty or joke. She plays here with the most serious of the serious at a highly respected festival and holds her own. I'd love to hear what people think of this, curious if this sort of experimental electronica has much of an audience. You can get more Pan Sonic at Insound, lots of good choices. I may take a look at their music again if people want me to.