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Dweller At The ThresholdandSynthetic BlockLive atThe Gatherings Concert Series23 September 2000St. Mary's Hamilton Village3916 Locust Walk in Philadelphia, PA |
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The icy slabs and arid waves of ermine-lined electro sound created by Dweller at The Threshold and Synthetic Block are perfect for the autumn introduction to Chuck van Zyl's Gatherings series. Now relocated in the sanctuary of St. Mary's Hamilton Village, van Zyl's space music scenarios will usher a requiem of echoes and shadows. Portland's DATT (Dave Fulton and John Duval, synths; Lon Cudy, guitars) resemble its Pacific Northwest surroundings: dark, forest-like and moist. No Boundary Condition and Generation Transmission Illumination, along with Fulton's solo epic Hard Particles (all on the Eurock label) reveal Tangerine Dream-esque spark with arch Eurodrama at their heart. Jonathan "Synthetic" Block takes the same oozing theatrical space sensibility and applies it to soft, rubbery rhythms. This chilled techno-lite, laced with pre-sampling era sounds, makes The Opposite Of Staring Into Space (Ironing Board) a bitter pill to chill to. And that's meant as a compliment. a d amorosi - The Philadelphia City Paper 21 September 2000 |  Dweller At The Threshold |
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Review (another fine Gathering)
Each event seems to create a world unto itself. The City of Brotherly Love, representing proudly the ever-nourishing pulse of our electronic soundworld, tonight enshrouds itself in the mist of a waning tropical storm. St. Mary's embraces us all like a long lost friend. Yes, it feels good to be back home. Preshow, sitting, remembering her past events; Steve's delicate dripping of water before taking us on a brilliantly juxtaposed musical journey; Chris and Paul's regimented ascension; Tim and Hans creating an audience full of tears, Jeff's revealing his heavenly "Shores" the list is endless and forever expanding. Tonight was no different, friends. A guy nicknamed "The Boss" once wrote some lyrics suggesting 'poets down here writing nothing at all" simply "sitting back and letting it all be". I have to admit that describing a set such as "Dweller at the Threshold's" in any words imaginable would fail to do the boys justice. What can I offer? Brilliantly unhurried, disciplined, leading to power levels of musical ascension that removed me from myself and passed me into the world of DaTT's music and into a world of vivid visual impressions. The light show, markedly improving with each event, enhanced all effects. The misty world outside was transferred to within St Mary's by periodic wisps of released smoke. Guitarist Lon Cudy seemed to provide the focal point of my observations; his interplay with synthesists Dave Fulton and John Duval being simply grand. Oh, words are useless here... Synthetic Block (Jonathan Block solo) kicked off the evening. His electronically percussive rhythms immediately brought to my mind a comparison to those of David Van Tiegham. Though heavily sequenced, Block produced overlaying keyboard riffs that the likes of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman would be proud of. Halfway through the set Block recited a poem over a fine sequence of music. This poem, for my lack of hearing all cited and therefore a proper interpretation, seemed to focus on nature, the future and possibly offering a warning. Even so, host Chuck van Zyl appropriately deemed Block's performance a "happy" one. With that, I'll add that Block's set was definitely most refreshing and uplifting. My only regret of the evening was that time limitations would not permit a planned finale combining the talents DaTT and Block. Guess I'll leave that loss to the imagination of the poets that were there. To Chuck, Jeff and all else involved, many, many heartfelt thanks. by soma611 - As Posted to The Space List: 24 September 2000
Review (Re: DATT?) >Was anybody able to make it to Dave Fulton's MOTM gig in Philly? Yeah Man, I was there. Awesome! DATT put on a really great show for the people here in Philly. Got to meet Dave after the show. The concert was in this very cool, old church, complete with a massive pipe organ in one corner. (nice setting). Dweller was able to take the audience on a unique electronic journey of fantastic soundscapes they painted. It was pretty damn cool to hear Dave's MOTM doing filter sweeps while shaking the house with a subliminally pounding sequence. They were doing some really nice stuff. The guitarist had this interesting MIDI guitar setup. He was triggering chords, then fading in the synth with a foot pedal. He was getting these unbelievable sounds. (you had to be there). A great night in Philly. Outside, the foggy warm night and tall lit buildings, looked like something out of a Batman movie. A big thanks to Dave and the rest of the crew for making the long trip here to Philly, to play for The Gatherings. Thanks guys! Everybody there appreciated the effort and great music you brought us. by Terry - As Posted to The MOTM List: 25 September 2000
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Synthetic Block
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Synthetic Block
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Dweller At The Threshold
Dweller At The Threshold
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In late-2000, a CD of the 23 September 2000 Synthetic Block concert at The Gatherings was released. | |
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Gatherings Concert Photos by Bill Forcier
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