Kannazuki, Eye and The New Self

Chicks Hotel again hosts an evening showcasing the talents of Christchurch-based and local sound innovators, including favourite artists from 2009’s Lines of Flight festival and other visits to Port Chalmers.

Kannazuki is the current label of convenience for the Christchurch-based improv project featuring experimental music veterans Antony Milton, David Khan and Peter Wright. Kannazuki preaches no philosophy and follows no manifesto - except, perhaps, the end of its nose. Their method is simplicity itself: Peter and Antony create sounds with a motley assortment of strings and effectors – some crumbling with age, others still bearing factory shine – then David captures these sounds with a vintage sampling keyboard and, suitably mangled, feeds them back into the mix. What proceeds is a music disclosing its improv dynamic with especial clarity, and presenting extra dimensions of intensified aural reflexivity.

Eye are a Dunedin-based improvisational rock/electronic group featuring Peter Porteous on guitar, thumb piano and Tibetan bowl, Nathan Thompson on guitar, laptop and occasional vocals, Jon Chapman on electronics, and Peter Stapleton on drums, tapes and shortwave radio. Eye combine traditional rock instruments with analogue and digital electronics, creating music that juxtaposes quiet and loud noise, driving trance-rock and free-floating sound fields. Their latest LP Winterwork is due for release on US label Last Visible Dog.

The New Self is an expressive acoustic collaboration between Laurence Smith (vocals/guitar) and Ed Wilson (mandolin). Laurence and Ed use the minimalism of their approach like a scalpel to selectively dissect conventions of rhythm, harmony and structure. Themes of love, greed, faith and addiction weave through the vocal melodies. At times the elements work together respectfully and complementarily, reinforcing a common feeling and purpose; at other times they are in opposition, creating syncopated rhythms and discordance. The resulting songs are unique, engaging and harness real emotion and intensity.