Nova Scotia, Ben Spiers & Alex Mein Smith
17/01/09
Café Oto
18-22 Ashwin St, Dalston
London, London and South East E8 3DL
UK
Cost: £6/£4
Nova Scotia
Don't let the name fool you, this Nova Scotia hail from beyond the 40th parallel to the south of the equator – from Wellington, New Zealand, and this will be their first show in 3 years and their only show outside of New Zealand's borders. For almost 15 years the members of Nova Scotia have been creating music that attempts to be both challenging and majestic, taking part in a groundswell of abstract music in New Zealand including the likes of Peter Wright, Antony Milton and Sandoz Lab Technicians, and releasing their music on notable labels such as PseudoArcana, Metonymic, and Ikiusuus. Their music is not improvised music of reckless abandon, but carefully crafted abstract soundscapes of the most deliberate nature. Crystal glasses sing, distant pipes whistle, and beautiful acoustic guitar figures hang in the air. A piano interrupts the band's attempt to drill to the centre of the earth. Or as Bruce Russell of the Dead C was moved to quote, "There are new things in heaven and earth, Horatio". For fans of AMM, No Neck Blues Band, Sun City Girls, Alastair Galbraith, and Vibracathedral Orchestra. This is going to be your one chance to see them, and you're going to want to tell your grandkids about this one.
http://www.myspace.com/everythinghaspaused
Ben Spiers
Another alumni of the New Zealand school of abstract music, Spiers' CV reads like a "Who's Who" of New Zealand's noise glitterati, having performed as a member of Glory Fckn Sun (w/ Antony Milton), Birchville Cat Motel, and 1/3 Octave Band. No mere gun-for-hire, used to flesh out the already impressive sonic capabilities of the aforementioned acts, he is more than capable of creating a glacial racket of his own. Spiers' sound of a time-condensed recording of a guitar being decimated by age, tumbling out of tune, and finally breathing out it's lasts gasps of amplitude on the ground offers a nice counterpoint to the pastoral landscapes of Nova Scotia. His releases on labels such as Campbell Kneale's Celebrate Psi Phenomenon, PseudoArcana, and Last Visible Dog have all garnered extensive praise. This chap doffs his cap in the direction of guitarists Keiji Haino, Rudolph Grey, Matthew Bower, and Lou Reed (Metal Machine Music era, of course). So line up to have your brain fried, because rumour has it, he may be returning to NZ and you'll wake up feeling cheated if you miss him.
http://www.myspace.com/transientrecordings
Alex Mein Smith
is another ex-pat New Zealander, now based in London, where he has set about burning his silhouette into the local scene with his music's electronic scorch. While his music contains elements of the "soundtracks to the landscape" New Zealand music is known for, in reality, his music is entrenched fully in the stratosphere, keeping company with the likes of Rafael Toral, Fennesz, and Nurse With Wound. Smith lends a kind of weightless quality to his productions, the bright, near ambient qualities of the guitar set firmly against the harsh, volcanic rigours of distorted beats. Without a the steady pulse of a bassline tying it down, this is music where the potential directions are endless. You might want to leave off the caffeine, 'cause Smith is always prepared to rattle some nerves.
http://www.myspace.com/alexmeinsmith