Mika Vainio

[ChicagoAnimal]

My favorite electronic musician. Is anyone else a fan here? I have been spending a lot of time with Black Telephone of Matter and, as referenced in the cut-up thread, I think it is one of the greatest examples of sound collage, cut-up, and sonic extremity (in all forms and frequencies) ever. Such an incredibly emotional album without once entering into a second of cliche melodrama.

Some of his work could be called noise, some by extension, others is techno-adjacent.

Anyone else a fan? I feel like his solo work, and to a degree Pan Sonic, has fallen out of common listening even though it is highly revered. Maybe because what they were doing became such a framework for what is fairly commonplace now?

[adult human]

I’ve never sat down to properly take in any of his solo work however the album ‘Endless’ pan sonic did with Alan Vega was one of my earliest, most directly head opening moments.

[moozz]

I am familiar with only a fraction of his works but I'd call myself a fan. Of course Pan(a)Sonic was/is great but he released several excellent solo albums as well. Kilo (2013) is the one I am most familiar with. Pleasant industrial percussion and rhythms mixed with material ranging from dark ambient to noisy drones. He also released material under the name Ø. I only have Oleva (2008) and Konstellaatio (2013), both fairly quiet, even beautifully "melodic". Konstellaatio is a bit TOO quiet at times. On Oleva there is a fantastic cover of Pink Floyd's Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun. If you like Pink Floyd and/or Mika Vainio I suggest you at least check that one out.

Mika Vainio was also a member of Gagarin Kombinaatti that existed in the first half of the '80s. Sort of experimental industrial with metallic percussion. My knowledge of such stuff is extremely limited but to my ears it has plenty of similar elements to early Einstürzende Neubauten. The 2xLP collecting their material from 1983-85 seems to be (according to Discogs) the only thing they ever released officially.

[troniks]

I saw Pan Sonic in 1999 open for Trans Am at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and it was one of the loudest shows I've ever been to. My ears are still ringing.

[ChicagoAnimal]

I am familiar with only a fraction of his works but I'd call myself a fan. Of course Pan(a)Sonic was/is great but he released several excellent solo albums as well. Kilo (2013) is the one I am most familiar with. Pleasant industrial percussion and rhythms mixed with material ranging from dark ambient to noisy drones. He also released material under the name Ø. I only have Oleva (2008) and Konstellaatio (2013), both fairly quiet, even beautifully "melodic". Konstellaatio is a bit TOO quiet at times. On Oleva there is a fantastic cover of Pink Floyd's Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun. If you like Pink Floyd and/or Mika Vainio I suggest you at least check that one out.

Mika Vainio was also a member of Gagarin Kombinaatti that existed in the first half of the '80s. Sort of experimental industrial with metallic percussion. My knowledge of such stuff is extremely limited but to my ears it has plenty of similar elements to early Einstürzende Neubauten. The 2xLP collecting their material from 1983-85 seems to be (according to Discogs) the only thing they ever released officially.

Konstellaatio is certainly awesome. I have always looked at that record as a grown adult's version of post-Tangerine Dream synthesizer music. Like, the total opposite of what groups like Emeralds or OPN were doing that style of music at that time and just before. Again, very emotional music.

If you like those releases, I highly suggest digging more into the more abstract solo releases. They are really truly very, very, very impressive. They do get extremely quiet at times, but that is the name of his game. He can be extremely fucking loud or church mouse quiet.

Much to Oskar's point in some recent episodes of the podcast, I think some of the framework for Future Noise could be extrapolated from these releases. Implied narrative development in sound without cliche, unique editing, field recordings totally transformed.

[n a a r a]

the most perfect music in a way. Makes me feel calm and focused. The best stuff on my opinion are the ø things

[D345]

https://youtu.be/Un5Nql1P6Pw?si=OHK7xgDv3cDc7P0U
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