prOphecy sun blurring the lines of consciousness SEX WITH STRANGERS a wham, bam, thank you ma’am of well established new wave debauchery Jamie Goyman Vancouver’s own prOphecy sun’s new album instantly grabs the attention of listeners and invites them into what comes across as a very intimate and personal body of work. With each track of Shelter over Shelter (Panospria) recorded in a single take, the undressed emotion and energy brought to the foreground is showcased in its purest recorded form. “I’m intrigued about time, how time passes, how dreams invade waking moments, what gathers and unfolds in moment-to-moment sequences, what exists in the in-between, in the crevices and fissures of memory, and how my perception and experience of these unconscious/conscious moments are blurred,” prophecy explains. “I record snippets of my life, daily activities, rituals, conversations, performance, using an iPhone. Shelter over Shelter is a patch quilt of my experiences of daily life as both an artist and new mother.” When you first hear the soundscapes designed and explored there is an almost patterned weaving of paralleled worlds we live in that can be seen/felt. Listeners are immediately met with the overall atmosphere prOphecy sun is known for creating. The introduction to the album with “Birthing Owl” transports the audience into the very first steps of one lifelong journey. The album disperses these raw and upfront memories of labour and pregnancy between the cathartic like ambient landscapes in “Pop Up” and “Thors Palace” that soothe the body and mind in almost hypnotic ways, and the ominous, fluidity of “Destroy Vancouver,” a hauntingly beautiful song with overlapping vocal whaling that comes across as duelling emotions giving an overlaying feeling of a euphoric emotional eruption. “My creative process begins by dreaming,” she says. “Listening to my environments, grasping at unknowns and whispers of daily rhythmus.” Shelter over Shelter is an album that reflects and explores the life of motherhood she has experienced; prOphecy sun is definitely an artist whose work is easy to lose yourself in. Her creative expression through music over the last few years has only seen her expand on where she is willing to take herself and the audience. “I am actively engaged with motion capturing and documenting my children’s developmental patterns, sounds and my relationship with them. I am attempting to synthesize these representations of myself, the subjective experiences and dimensions of motherhood into a single sense of place; creating a large scale, intimate performance.” prOphecy sun will release of Shelter over Shelter on <strong>October</strong> 15. She is also leading an experimental workshop for Big Draw Vancouver Oct. 8 at Pandora Park Fieldhouse then performing live with the Vancouver Electronic Ensemble at the VCC campus at 7 p.m. Colleen Rennison The new album Discourse from Vancouver’s new-wave post-punk-ish electro-pop band Sex with Strangers is a lot like their band name: bold, sexy, and dangerous. One learns the latter the hard way if one merely Googles the band and clicks video. But after six albums and nearly ten years since their inception they are, “Slowly moving [their] way to the top of Google, just followed very quickly by actual sex with strangers. The family loves it... they’re super pleased.” Started by three friends—Hatch Benedict on vocals, Cory Price on guitar, and Mike Gentile on bass—who spent the 1990s playing together in bands that Benedict describes as “wretched”, SWS was a step into a more refined sound, with a focus on incorporating electronic music with more band-based songwriting. The name however, was just an afterthought; “We recorded this stupid little single and started putting it on MySpace, and it was getting good reactions so we thought ‘Let’s turn this into a project, we need a name!’” says Benedict. One of them threw “Sex with Strangers” out there off-handedly and after a Google search, to their surprise, it wasn’t taken and their fate on the NSFW I M U R dark electronic catharsis with soul Myspace is dead but Sex With Strangers are still bumpin’ and grindin’ with Discourse. list was sealed. The fact that they got their start on the virtually extinct MySpace is not lost on them; “You go through all the Vancouver bands we were friends with at the time and there’s really nobody left.” It is a testament to the friendship and creative dynamic the key members have had together since they started playing nearly two decades ago. “It’s the only way we’re still doing it, I mean even just being friends for 20 years is something,” Benedict says. Joined this time by Shevaughn Ruley, who manages to fill the shoes of amicably departed Alexis Young (now of Youngblood) with her own distinct sound that is pop perfection. Her voice lends itself perfectly to Benedict’s brooding new-wave delivery. Discourse is a serious dance record that pulls at your hips and your head without being pretentious; which is largely in part to the fact that the band (along with their drummer Dan Walker) share a vision and all contribute to the process. “I don’t think it would be nearly as exciting if it was like ‘Here are my ten ideas. Do this, this and this.’ It’s the writing and recording aspect, just to prove it to each other and keep the fires burning.” Discourse is available now. Sex With Strangers are performing Nov. 26 at the Cobalt. Prachi Kamble Photo by Amanda Arcuri Atmosphere is a key ingredient in prOphecy sun’s latest creation, Shelter over Shelter. I M U R (I Am You Are) had a successful summer on the festival circuit. From grassroots stages such as Revival, Hiatus, Chapel Sound Electronic Music Festival to larger ones like Centre of Gravity, After Harvest and Rifflandia, the Vancouver based trio has been working hard to get their music out there. “We love performing live. We get to take our pieces and deconstruct them,” says vocalist Jenny Lea. “Mikey (J Blige) does live beat composition with electric guitar. Amine (Bouzaher), our new addition, plays bass and violin, and I do keys, looping and vocals. It’s fair to say that until you’ve heard us play live you won’t fully understand the music.” I M U R’s music is a sexy concoction of electronic, jazz, hip hop and neo soul. Mikey’s hip hop and production background paired with Jenny’s soulinspired vocals and deeply personal lyrics, blend seamlessly on their 2015 debut, Slow Dive. The album covers themes related to being young and hopeful in a ruthless city — sexuality, drugs, alcohol, self- I M U R invite you to see them live to truly understand their vibes. doubt and self-discovery. “It was written about a dark period in my life during which I went through some pretty big changes. But everything that came out of it was positive,” she explains. “To express myself and tell those stories was a cathartic experience. Every time I get to perform those songs I get to feel the same emotions again but from a different perspective.” I M U R are products of the vibrant East Van electronic music scene. The band has found support in the community’s crews and collectives, including the Chapel Sound Crew and Ground Work Collective. The group already have tracks lined up for their next album and bagged a host of cool shows around town for the remainder of the year. “The newer sound is a lot bouncier. Maybe because lyrically we’ve been able to be more positive!” confesses Jenny, “But we want to keep it as unique and true to ourselves as possible.” I M U R perform at the Biltmore Cabaret on <strong>October</strong> 14 and the Sunshine Coast Festival on Oct. 22. 6 MUSIC <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong>
Mangchi with Kid Koala <strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 7