MAGNETOPHONE (4AD, UK) feat. SONIC BOOM(ex-spacemen 3, spectrum)

DOPE AVIATORS (11 Fingers, SK)+ SONIC BOOM special dj set

Monday 10 April 2006 8pm NablÌzko – Male Nosticovo Divadlo Nosticova 2a, Prague 1

MagnÈtophone are Birmingham natives Matt Huish Saunders and John Hanson. Friends since childhood, as boys they would often be found under water, weighed down by bricks and playing Stylophones.   They play an airy fusion of electronics and acoustic instruments under the mandates of ambient pop.

 

The duo is signed to 4AD, with such notable bands as The Pixies and Cocteau Twins.   They recorded a Peel studio session in spring 2000 and later that year played as the opening act of the BBC's Music Live 2000 festival, appearing alongside Plone and Broadcast. Matt and John then completed work on their debut album, I Guess Sometimes I Need To Be Reminded Of How Much You Love Me, the titles for which were conjured with a bag of scrabble tiles and a ouija board.

Magnetophone among the wireroots

Sonic's history has been rightly venerated over the years, from the drones of Spacemen 3's early works, through the beautiful and the weird, the warped and the breathtaking, he has always been on the cutting edge of contemporary music. That all looks set to continue apace, with both Spectrum and EAR currently hitting such a rich vein of inspiration. The current work harks back to his roots in simple, soulfull visions and journeys through the highs, lows and heavenly blows of life. Member of Spacemen 3 formed in 1982 in the town of Rugby by Pete Kember (Sonic Boom) and Jason Pierce (now Spiritualized). Spacemen 3 were to become one of the most important bands of the eighties, with their offshoots destined to spread out and become equally as vital in the nineties.

After the final split of Spacemen 3, Sonic decided to continue with his music under the Spectrum name, and soon recorded and released 1991's sublime and highly lauded Soul Kiss (glide divine) through Silvertone. His  main ethos, embodied in their acronymous name, is one of necessary experimentation. They create a space where any sound or texture, technique or emotion is treated as a possible contribution to the piece(s) in hand. The same applies to the interaction of the performers improvisation and integration are left open, until what feels like the right moment, all the while keeping an eye on the whole, and avoiding a forum where concept overtakes content.  

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