That's all for this year folks, enjoy the holidays.
We'll be back in 2009 with monthly shows starting in January.
Details will be announced here soon, but in the meanwhile
click to download some free ping music.

THE AMBiENT PiNG NEWS

• The PING will be taking a short break for
the holidays, but we'll be back in the monthly ambient groove in the new year starting with
a show in late January. Check back here as
details about PiNGs in January, February,
March and April will be announced soon.

Have a safe and happy holiday everyone
and all the best for 2009.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

this month's net label release
from ping things:

Ensoulment by Remora

ping things is proud to present "Ensoulment" by Remora which is
the latest release from Silber Media founder Brian John Mitchell.
Brian has been experimenting with guitar atmospherics since 1995.
"Ensoulment" marks a return to long form ambient guitar drones
that have been absent from Remora’s recorded output since 1999’s
Ambient Drones for One Guitar. It was recorded with one guitar
(no overdubbing) split into three effect channels (loop and envelope
filter; distortion, loop, and reverb; distortion, sub-octave, and
reverb) and an acoustic guitar in front of an amplifier used as an
ambient room mic.

On "Ensoulment" Remora throws out the idea of using the guitar
as a melody instrument, approaching it instead as a sound source, as
six tuned wires mounted on wood. The idea of song and melody is
replaced by an increased importance on the tone and feeling of the
sound. A conveying of emotion without implementing any of the
common tricks of the guitarist’s trade. "Ensoulment" is one piece
clocking in at over seventy minutes filled with dynamics one might
feel in a restless sleep, a surrealistic soundscape full of monstrous
walls and serene calm moments. It is both claustrophobic and calm.
You can hear the influences to Brian’s ideas of tone and beauty
from Justin Broadrick to Gyorgy Ligeti to Mike VanPortfleet as he
occasionally coaxes sound out of the guitar, but more often
forcefully beats it out. This is ambient music for the tarmac
rather than inside the airport lobby.

"Ensoulment" by Remora is available here as a free download
as a 126Mb Zip file containing the full release in high quality 256kbps
mp3 format along with artwork suitable for printing. The music on
this release is copyright Brian John Mitchell 2008, and may not be
used or reproduced without the artist's express permission.

New releases will be added to the ping things site on the 22nd of
each month.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Check out the ALMOST LiVE SERiES on the AMBiENT PiNG RADiO
podcast. Currently posted are sets by Numina, MWVM, NAW, Panoramaroid, Remora, Resonant Drift, Salvagesound,
and URM.

Also on AMBiENT PiNG RADiO podcast are these releases
from the ping things net label: "Aqua" by Andrew Duke,
" The Perfect City" by Phil Ogison, "Les Landes" by
Spatial Correlation, "Land" by Nunc Stans, Where did
we come from defcon? by Ortiz, tactile by mara's torment
and October Sky by Building Castles Out of Matchsticks.

• More PiNG news and more PiNG
shows are coming soon.

Watch this space to stay tuned or
JOiN THE AMBiENT PiNG EMAiL LiST
(if the above link doesn't work for you, just send your name and email
to ping@theambientping.com with Subscribe in the subject line.)

• A BRiEF HiSTORY OF THE PiNG
• AMBiENT PiNG RADiO
• SADU LiVE @ THE PiNG with GENERAL CHAOS VISUALS - DVD
• PiNG AMBiENCE Volume 3
• PiNG AMBiENCE Volume 2
• PiNG AMBiENCE Volume 1
• THE PiNG REMEMBERS DAVID PRITCHARD
• PiNG SiTE UPDATE
• ABOUT THE PiNG
• JOiN THE PiNG LiST

A BRiEF HiSTORY OF THE PiNG!

THE AMBiENT PiNG is a Toronto based creative community of
audio artists, performers, musicians and visual artists. The PiNG
presents live multimedia performances featuring ambient, electronic,
soundscape, chillout, trip hop, dream pop, downtempo, space,
darkwave, drone and experimental artists from around the world.

As longtime PiNGers know, the PiNG has had 7 homes for its
regular series AMBiENT PiNG TUESDAYS. Beginning in 1999 with
3 spots on Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market: Garvey's, Cafe
Vernon and Po Boys Club. None of these places exist any more.

Some of you have fond memories of our shows at Po Boys in
2000, but our next residence from 2001 - 2004 was a favourite
spot for many - Club Nia at C'est What! A fabulous beer
selection, delicious food (many still miss their Shepherd's pie),
a quality stereo PA system and very cool staff, who
came to understand what we were about - especially
our fave bartender Andrea. What a shame that
they had to close that room.

Following a warm home at Nia was a very cold fall/winter
at the Gladstone Hotel (as they were still early in their
renovations and had not yet installed their heating system),
and then, for a year and a half (2005 - 2006), in the massive
mothership of a room, Tequila Lounge/Hacienda. Again
this last room no longer exists.

After 7 years of running AMBiENT PiNG TUESDAYS as a
weekly series, the PiNG switched the format in the summer
of 2006 and produced AMBiENT PiNG TUESDAYS as a
monthly event at the DRAKE UNDERGROUND until
early in 2008.

As local PiNGers know, the PiNG also presents random
shows in alternative spaces such as Tom Heasley and
THE AMBiENT PiNG ORCHESTRA at the Music Gallery
in 2001, Robert Rich at Art System Gallery in 2002 and
again in 2006 at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Also in
2006, Troum at Le Labo and SONiC TAPESTRiES featuring
many PiNG artists at The Textile Museum of Canada for
Nuit Blanche 2006 and most recently TEXTURE a special
Sunday afternoon concert featuring various PiNG artists
at The Textile Museum of Canada in September 2008.

Currently the PiNG is presenting special events in various spaces
across the city instead of just in a single barspace. Since June of
2008 the PiNG has been alternating between two very comfortable
arts friendly clubs, The Renaissance Café and The Central, for
our regular monthly in-club series.

Check back here for news or become a PiNG LiST subscriber
to be kept up-to-date with details of future PiNG presentations.
(if the above link doesn't work for you, just send your name and email
to ping@theambientping.com with Subscribe in the subject line.)

• AMBiENT PiNG RADiO PODCAST

Check out music from the PiNG • click here for more info
• click here to hear

• LiVE PiNG DVD • SADU LiVE @ THE PiNG
with GENERAL CHAOS VISUALS
(A PiNG THiNG DVD CONCERT RELEASE)

A multi-camera concert video
of SADU performing live with
General Chaos Visuals on June
13th 2006 at THE AMBiENT PiNG.

Experience the PiNG at home with
this spaced out psychedelic DVD
of eye and ear candy. Chill to the
ambient soundscapes and grooves
of SADU while basking in the visual
glory of GENERAL CHAOS VISUALS.

SADU is Eric Hopper (Sylken),
Terrence O'Brien (Anomalous
Disturbances) & Jamie Todd (URM, dreamSTATE & NOiNO.) GENERAL
CHAOS VISUALS is Stephen Lindsey
and Eric Siegerman.

Video produced and directed by David Sloma of Rockin' Films with audio
production by Jamie Todd. Presented in DVD (NTSC) widescreen format
complete with 5.1 Surround in dts and Dolby Digital.

Available online at ping things.

• PiNG AMBiENCE 3 • STRiNG THiNGS

Featuring music from:
Ambient­TV
Anomalous Disturbances
Aidan Baker • Matt Borghi
Cybertarist Paul E. Royes
Michael Diamond • Diatonis
dreamSTATE • Mark Mahoney
Phil Ogison • Matthew Poulakakis
Styrohead • Sylken

Available online at ping things.

 

PiNG AMBiENCE 3 is the third CD in an ongoing series sponsored by
THE AMBiENT PiNG. The compilation features tracks by thirteen unique
and talented guitar soundsculptors, most of whom have performed at
the PiNG.

PiNG AMBiENCE 3 began as STRiNG THiNGS, a personal project by Eric
Hopper of Sylken, to bring together onto one CD the ambient guitarists
he has come to know and admire in recent times. It became apparent that
releasing STRiNG THiNGS as PiNG AMBiENCE 3, a PiNG community project
would respond to the demand for more PiNG music and provide a venue for
these guitar artists to weave their sonic webs.

Thirteen diverse and intriguing soundscapes are offered by Toronto
guitarists Aidan Baker, Joe G (Styrohead), Eric Hopper (Sylken),
Scott M2 (dreamSTATE), Phil Ogison (TDITD), Matthew Poulakakis
(Solipsystem), Paul Royes (cybertarist), Arnold Sprogis (Ambient TV);
by Terry O'Brien (Anomalous Disturbances, Vancouver); and by our
friends from the USA, Matt Borghi (Portland OR), Michael Diamond
(San Rafael CA), Mark Mahoney (The Amaranth Signal, Knoxville TN)
and Stuart White (Diatonis, Los Angeles CA).

Various tracks were sculpted by using only guitar / looper / effect meldings,
while other tracks include synthesized sonics and effect treatments in
concert with guitar. A palette of moods and textures are created where
the ambient guitar performs as the lead voice, evoking some wonderfully
vibrant and emotive atmospheres where the listener's imagination
can wander.

The new PiNG AMBiENCE 3 • STRiNG THiNGS compilation CD of
spacious ambient guitar sound sculptures is available at ping things.

• PiNG AMBiENCE Volume 2

The second in an ongoing series, a compilation of music from
AMBiENT PiNG performing artists. Available at the PiNG from
PiNG THiNGS.

Featuring music from
dreamSTATE + Susanna Hood,
Alpha Wave Movement,
Sylken, Paul Royes,
Anomalous Disturbances,
earotica, Solipsystem,
karmafarm, Aidan Baker,
Styrohead, URM, Sara Ayers
and James Johnson.

Available online at ping things.

 

• PiNG AMBiENCE Volume 1

The first in an ongoing series, a compilation of music from
AMBiENT PiNG performing artists.

Featuring music from
Ambient-TV, cheryl o &
Andrew Aldridge, Wally Jericho,
dreamSTATE, Pholde, URM,
Mara's Torment, grain, Cymbl,
Styrohead and Sylken.

Click here for an extensive interview
with Scott M2, Jamie Todd and
Rich Baker

Available online at ping things.

• PiNG SiTE UPDATE

The PiNG SiTE has been updated with a few new pages
(events2006b, events2006c and events2006d)
added in the Events section featuring photos from the March
through May 2006 AMBiENT PiNG shows.

Featuring performance photos of:
• Aidan Baker (solo) and ARC
• Michael Keith and Friends
• Interweaver and NOT_digital
• Vessel = Menno Krant + The Devil in the Design and
dreamSTATE with The Devil in the Design + Lynn Harrigan
and General Chaos Visuals
• WHIPPOORWILL (Chris Gartner, & Great Bob Scott)
and POLMO POLPO (Sandro Perri)
• PHOLDE and Greg Lauzon
• Collapsible Frequency Flow (CFF) and
Nightingale (Jesse Baird & Dafydd Hughes)
• GEARS of SAND Mini-Tour featuring
Ben Fleury-Steiner with Mikronesia, William Fields and
Aidan Baker with PHOLDE
• Robert Rich Live at The Church of The Holy Trinity
• Arms Full of Sound - "Journey To Ambientia - Spring"
• RADiO iN AMBiENCE Part 1 - A special presentation for
Deep Wireless in collaboration with New Adventures in Sound Art
featuring Debashis Sinha with Ben Grossman and Kathy Kennedy
plus JOUST - John Oswald and Scott Thompson
• RADiO iN AMBiENCE Part 2 - A special presentation for
Deep Wireless in collaboration with New Adventures in Sound Art
featuring NOiNO (Jim Bailey, Matthew Poulakakis & Jamie Todd)
• URM
•Gnostic Rocket (Steve Barber) and Morgan Doctor

• THE AMBiENT PiNG is a Toronto based creative community
of audio artists, performers, musicians and visual artists.

THE AMBiENT PiNG presents live multimedia performances featuring
ambient, electronic, soundscape, space, drone, psychedelic, chillout, downtempo, darkwave and experimental artists from around the world.

• Click HERE to join THE AMBiENT PiNG e-mail list and
get news and updates on upcoming shows plus special
announcements. (if the above link doesn't work
for you, just send your name and email to
ping@theambientping.com
with Subscribe in the subject line.)
Your e-mail address will never be sold or traded and will be used
only for updates from THE AMBiENT PiNG, dreamSTATE and URM.

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