Bruno C. and
Yan T. started playing music together in Ottawa in 2001. Along with
bass player Nicolas L., they formed a short-lived three-piece band,
whose biggest achievement consisted of a few improvised jam sessions
in Yan's living room, with synths and whatever instruments they
could get their hands on. The band never reached its full potential
and the project was aborted when life got in the way.
Fast-forward
to May 2004. Bruno and Yan find themselves both living in Montreal
and still searching for a creative outlet for their musical urges.
They decide to resume their collaboration and Pax Nipponica is reborn
as a duo. This time, computers are involved, which leads to a slower,
more meticulous approach to songwriting than what they had tried
in the band's previous incarnation.
Since the early
90s, Bruno had been spending most of his time making electronic
music, primarily computer-based but often incorporating guitars
or various sampled sounds. Meanwhile, Yan had been experimenting
with lo-fi 4-track recording, trying to overcome the limitations
imposed by a lack of proper equipment with as much creativity as
possible.
Combining their
different approaches to music-making was not immediately obvious,
but the two introverted musicians found common ground in a number
of musical influences (from Gang of Four, to My Bloody Valentine,
to Boards of Canada, to...). With a shared obsession in tweaking
sounds through layers of effects and processing, they found a method
in their madness and defined a sound that is all their own.
In 2005, Pax
Nipponica joined forces with three other recording artists - NAVEL4EVE,
THE SCROLL and PANICK AND THE SILENT FOLK - to form the Montreal-based
independent label AKACHIC
RECORDS. The label is releasing Pax Nipponica's debut six-song
EP, NOT TONIGHT, in April 2006.
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