Search - Pan Sonic :: Kesto

Pan Sonic's masterpiece

Steward Willons | Illinois | 07/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A little sticker on the plastic wrapper announces something to the effect of "Kesto is Pan Sonic's new CD." It should actually read, "Kesto is Pan Sonic's masterpiece." This is the sort of perfect album few bands are able to create, but in the midst of a lengthy career, Mika and Ilpo have given us their supreme artistic statement - and it's in the form of a 234-minute, four disc set.



The length itself is staggering, as is the fact that it's all new music - no live concert recordings or any reissues here. Given the length, one might be intimidated, especially considering that Pan Sonic is anything but "easy listening." Fortunately, Kesto is designed in such a way that each disc can work nicely on its own, allowing the listener to move through the music at his or her own pace.



The music on each disc is arranged by intensity, starting with disc one's ear-splitting "Mayhem 1". The energy and aggression stay high through the first disc recalling the most intense moments from Vakio.



The second disc (my favorite) mellows a bit and contains some of Pan Sonic's best individual tracks. The sounds of "Distance" are ethereal, but with a powerful, 808 bass drum. The music is somewhat similar to "Aaltopiiri" or parts of "A".



The third disc contains long, ambient soundscapes. Many of the tracks are almost transparent with small sounds occasionally peaking out from a bed of silence. By the third disc, all grooves are gone and we're left with Pan Sonic's aural representation of their frozen homeland. The final track, "Lines" is a collection of very long sine waves and ranks up there with some of Pan Sonic's best material.



The fourth disc is the epic "Radiation" - a strange and beautiful drone track. There are small fluctuations, but they aren't always apparent unless you skip around with the fast forward button. When you're in the midst of the track, you're captivated and don't really notice moment-to-moment changes. Pan Sonic has attempt this sort of hour-long drone before on their "Mort Aux Vaches" collaboration with Charlemange Palestine, but I feel this is a superior effort. "Mort Aux Vaches" is more difficult to listen to in its entirety while "Radiation" gently washes over the listener, effortlessly.



Pan Sonic has never been better. The sounds are amazing, the grooves are strange, and the atmospheres are rich and colorful. The only reason I might recommend starting with a different CD to new listeners is just because the length can intimidate. Just as it's sometimes hard to buckle down and start an epic novel, a four disc set is going to require some dedication. If you're new to Pan Sonic, check out "Kulma" or "Aaltopiiri". But once you're hooked, pick up Kesto and dive right in.



Kesto is essential listening for any Pan Sonic fan - no, make that any electronic music fan. If anyone had doubts as to the artistic legitimacy of electronic music, this answers the question once and for all."

What is there to say really?

filterite | Dublin, Ireland | 02/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The amount of new music offered here is too much to get down here on this review. Pan Sonic provide excitement, aggrevation, thoughtfulness and chill-out in equal measures. Sometimes the sounds they come up with are like motorbikes racing along at ultra-high speed. Listening to these tracks you just wonder how they can consistently come up with so much stuff. It's a treat for fans either of the band or electro-noise. And with that, I really don't think I can wax lyrical about this album anymore. Not every track here is a winner but.....with the amount of stuff there is, you'll be sure to find something you like if not most of it. That's all I think I can say."

Interesting sound environment - not their best or worst mate

Steward Willons | 11/10/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I happen to like Panasonic/Pan Sonic's music a good deal, but with this album I often felt like I was "waiting for something cool to happen." (FYI: This is also how I feel when I listen to Farmersmanual or K.K. Null.) While it can make for interesting listening within a good sound environment (i.e. when you have good speakers and stereo and they're set up properly), this music tends to be more of background listening for me. That's not to say I totally knock it. I like their boldness of releasing 4 CDs at once (not as much as the Merzbox, but whatever...) and I appreciate that some tracks are dancy minimalist and some are sandpaper-sound-textures (and others....). They make a huge range of emotion within this sub-world of sound. Still, many times I wondered when a cool sound would pop up. To me, this album isn't groundbreaking, and I had high hopes that it would be. If you already dig Pan Sonic, this may be your cup of tea. If you're more of a beginner or intermediate noise/electroacoustic/glitch-tronica/etc listener or often find yourself hitting "next," you may want to try something else. Perhaps the Merzbow "Ikebana" comp on Important Records or the Aaltopiri CD by Pan Sonic or even a sweet disc by The Hafler Trio. And that's my two cents. voodooartist"