review: pita/schmickler/jirku/clepper/asyncdrone live in montréal

[david turgeon <david.t@xxxxxxxx>]

a good 2 weeks late, but since that was the topic not so long ago, i
figured i'd chime in.  this is definitely one of the great shows i've
seen.  the place (hotel2tango) is always great, though this time the
audience was somewhat cold.  my band (asyncdrone) opened in what was the
only "instrumental" (violin + saxophone + computer) setting of the
night.  we were exhausted from having recorded stuff the entire day, so
from what i recall it was a short, confusing set.

chris clepper & some other guy then came on to start the "laptop" part
of the evening; quite nice sounds, fairly noisy, not too overwhelming. 
nothing i wasn't expecting however, but it made for an enjoyable set.

the first true surprise was marcus schmickler.  his set was longer & he
actually played separate "pieces".  the first one was extraordinary, a
slow, poignant buildup; very hard to get your ears off that one.  a very
precise sound, dynamic yet controlled shrills & grinds, subtle melodic
undertones, not at all ear-shattering.  the rest of the set wasn't as
immediately compelling but successful nonetheless.

tomas jirku played a lengthy set of old material (the "immaterial" cdr
mostly) which he had reworked recently.  it went for what seemed like
40-50 minutes of deep basslines & simple thumps, not to mention all
sorts of sound mulching.  once again, it started with a bang but didn't
manage to sustain my absolute interest throughout; however, the set was
still excellent, & the first half contained some of the most entrancing
lines i've heard from tomas.

none of this could have prepared me for the pita set.  from the
beginning, it's obvious that this is different: a multidimensional
sound, bursting with sheer beautiful _detail_; bulbous bass, glossy
faults & other sonic massages.  extremely physical noise, yet not
assaulting, despite the completely abstracted quality of it.  & as for
schmickler, the sound was sharp, scientifically precise, & yet quite
dramatic: there's a moment where the noise just stops & you start
hearing this at-first inaudible crackle which sort of rips open, & you
just figure you've been holding your breath, closing your eyes &, god
damn it, SEEING the sound!

i've talked to pita & marcus quickly afterwards to congratulate them & i
must have sounded like a complete idiot (as i said, i was pretty tired
to begin with) but this show did thrill me to no end.  far from being
strictly cerebral or clinical, pita & marcus' sound had some serious
guts in it.  i certainly hope to see them again in the future & can only
recommend seeing them live.

~ david