Pan Sonic
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2008) |
Pan Sonic | |
|---|---|
 Pan Sonic in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Turku, Finland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1993–2009 |
| Labels | Blast First |
| Past members |
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Pan Sonic, previously known as Panasonic, was a Finnish electronic music duo which was founded in Turku in 1993 and which dissolved in 2009.[1] They consisted throughout the duo's run of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen, with Sami Salo as an initial member and Jari Lehtinen as a later member.
History
[edit]In 1988, as part of a sound art performance, the initial duo of Vainio and Väisänen spent 10 hours in a garage, exposed to low-frequency (13 Hz) noise at 125 decibels. They also performed a gig in London's East End from an armoured car, using a 5000 watt sound system allegedly of the type used by the police to disorient rioters. Panasonic subsequently formed in 1993 as a techno group with Salo (previously known under the alias Hertsi), who would later depart in 1998. They moved to operate from a base in Barcelona to escape the long Finnish winters. Vainio moved to Berlin, while Väisänen returned to Kuopio. Their first 12" was released on Finland's Sähkö Recordings, and they eventually went on to sign to Blast First, which they released music on until they dissolved. The corporation of the same name, Panasonic, threatened legal action unless it was changed. The conflict was resolved, and the duo removed the "a" from their name to become "Pan Sonic". This change was alluded to in the title of their 1999 album A. They also collaborated with Alan Vega and Bruce Gilbert on separate projects.
In the 2000s the music of the duo became far more aggressive and atmospheric, with the help of the mutual producer and audio engineer Jari Lehtinen; following a tumultuous makeshift world tour initiated by Vainio, this culminated in the 2004 release of their quadruple album Kesto (234.48:4), which was radically eclectic and featured several tributes to their influences. In addition, they released several collaborations.
In December 2009, news of the duo splitting was announced on PhinnWeb, with Vainio and Väisänen continuing with their own solo projects.[1] Their final album, Gravitoni, was released by Blast First Petite in May 2010.[2] In October 2013, a new Pan Sonic recording titled Oksastus was announced,[3] a live album which was recorded at a concert in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 6, 2009. It was released on February 20, 2014.[4] Pan Sonic also created a soundtrack for the 2015 documentary called Return of the Atom directed by Mika Taanila and Jussi Eerola. The film examines the construction of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant in Finland. The documentary premiered in Toronto International Film Festival in 2015.
Mika Vainio died on April 13, 2017, at the age of 53.[5]
Music
[edit]Pan Sonic's music focused, in a manner similar to mutual musicians like Alva Noto, on pure synthesizer tones with distortion and reverb, emphasizing minimal frequency ranges. They cited their main influences as industrial acts like Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Suicide to reggae, hip-hop and dub. Vainio often remarked that their music is a merger of these two schools of music, taking the harsh and pure sounds typical of industrial techno and spacing them out into longer, subdued soundscapes derived from instrumental reggae and dub, which he had been familiar with in Berlin.
Some of their equipment was made by Lehtinen. These and other custom made instruments were responsible for creating the sounds typical to Pan Sonic's music. They also used samplers and an MPC2000 sequencer, although unconventionally. Pan Sonic contributed music on several occasions to Rei Kawakubo's fashion shows.
Discography
[edit]| Pan Sonic discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 12 |
| EPs | 8 |
| Live albums | 8 |
| Compilation albums | 1 |
| Video albums | 1 |
Studio albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Label | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Vakio | Blast First | (lit. "constant") |
| 1997 | Kulma | Blast First | (lit. "angle" or "corner") |
| 1998 | Endless | Blast First | with Alan Vega as Vainio Väisänen Vega |
| 1999 | A | Blast First | #24 CMJ Radio Top 200[6] |
| 2001 | Aaltopiiri | Blast First | (lit. "wave circuit") #9 CMJ RPM[7] |
| 2001 | The Oval Recording | Mego | with Bruce Gilbert as IBM |
| 2004 | Kesto (234.48:4) | Blast First | (lit. "length" or "endurance") |
| 2005 | Resurrection River | Mego | with Alan Vega as VVV |
| 2005 | Nine Suggestions | Allquestions | with John Duncan as Duncan/Vainio/Väisänen |
| 2007 | Katodivaihe | Blast First Petite | (lit. "cathode phase") |
| 2010 | Gravitoni | Blast First Petite | (lit. "graviton") |
| 2010 | Synergy between mercy and self-annihilation overturned | Blast First Petite | with Keiji Haino |
| 2016 | Atomin paluu | Blast First Petite | soundtrack |
Live albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Label | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mort aux vaches | Mort Aux Vaches | with Charlemagne Palestine |
| 2000 | Frost 79° 40' | FM 4.5.1 | with Andreas Ammer and F.M. Einheit |
| 2001 | 05/10/995 | Jenny Divers | |
| 2001 | 19/01/995 20/01/995 | Jenny Divers | |
| 2003 | V | Les Disques Victo | with Merzbow |
| 2004 | Finnexport 2003 | Spirals of Involution | |
| 2009 | Shall I download a blackhole and offer it to you | Blast First Petite | with Keiji Haino |
| 2014 | Oksastus | Kvitnu |
Compilation albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | X | Blast First |
EPs
[edit]| Year | Title | Label | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Panasonic EP | Sähkö | |
| 1996 | Osasto EP | Blast First | (lit. "department" or "unit") |
| 1998 | Arctic Rangers | Blast First | |
| 1998 | Medal | Blast First | with Alan Vega |
| 1998 | "Kolminpeli (Live)" | Evolurbain | split with Vodershow |
| 1999 | B | Blast First | |
| 2001 | Motorlab #3 | Kitchen Motors | with Barry Adamson |
| 2009 | Che | Blast First Petite | with Sunn O))) |
Video albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Label | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Kuvaputki | Blast First Petite | directed by Edward Quist |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Pan Sonic News". pHinnWeb. December 1, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ "PANSONIC GRAVITONI". Blast First Petite. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ "Legendary Finnish duo Pan Sonic announce new album Oksastus". FACT. October 1, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ "Pan Sonic "Oksastus"". Kvitnu. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ Flanagan, Andrew (13 April 2017). "Mika Vainio, Founder Of Pan Sonic And Electronic Auteur, Dies At 53". NPR. NPR.
- ^ Helms, Colin (15 March 1999). "CMJ Radio Top 200" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 57 (609). Great Neck, NY: College Media, Inc.: 15–17. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Comer, M. Tye (16 April 2001). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 67 (710). New York, NY: College Media, Inc.: 19. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
External links
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| National | |
| Artists | |