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Kymatik

DE
Electronic and Spoken Word

Kymatik (from the original German spelling of Cymatics) was originally founded in Stoke Newington squat in the 1980s using the name of their studio space CNS, playing and engineering live P.A.s with several bands in North London, the only permanent members being McNaughton and Dave Mulligan. By the end of the 1980s CNS switched from mainly engineering other bands' music to small live gigs and studio work of their own, using microphones, a 16-channel mixing desk, effects processors, and found objects, treated guitars and anything that came to hand, with sets often governed by the length of the performers' psychedelic experiences. Cassette copies of the performances on their own label NonServiam Recordings were distributed free. CNS released a compilation "Nephesch" in 1991 including members of The Worry Dolls, The Johnsons, The Palookas, and other North London independent bands. A updated version of the track "Gaia Distress Call" also appeared around this time under the name CNS/Kymatik as part of a proposed release with engineer Ivor Maldek, who introduced McNaughton to Mark Tamea and Dan Reade, Reade departing the UK after only a few months. As Kymatik (McNaughton, Mark Tamea), they released the cassette compilation "The Ultimate - Kymatik 1991-93" in 1993 with Richard Baker at Von's Studio Islington. A collection of sequencer based tracks, it did not demonstrate the immediacy or invention of the live recordings, and by the end of 1993 the group was back down to one original member when Tamea left the UK for work abroad. ®Tisendi (McNaughton, Tamea), which saw a late return to hands-on improvisation, processing of found sounds, effects processors, and the mixing console, albeit in a 'Techno' style, remains "....the signal piece of that period. Mark had given Kymatik a crisp overall sound; but now to abandon the drum machine, sequencer and keyboards so we went downstairs and sampled the spin dryer with some kitchen utensils on top of it, using a Sony ECM-909 I think, went back upstairs and switched on the feedback!.. we were completely in harmony" (McNaughton). After the departure of Tamea, during the mid-nineties Kymatik appeared live at Keep 3 (London), the London South Bank Centre with Rolf Gehlhaar, and with Morphogenesis at the B.B.C. studios in Portland Place, London, also playing live surround sound sets for The Face Magazine and Channel 4, at The Tardis Clerkenwell, whilst McNaughton also made several ambisonic live recordings with a variety of musicians including Peter Sheppard Skærved's 'Kreutzer Quartet', sampling composer John Wall, and Keith Tippett's Tapestry.. Live works and collaborations have included musicians as far apart as the aforementioned Gehlhaar of Karlheinz Stockhausen's group, Devon folk musician Seth Lakeman, and Alabama 3 front-man Wayne D. Love. From the beginning Kymatik has seen members come and go with each new project, playing several live gigs in Europe over the last 2 decades, McNaughton being the only ever-present member. Some live performances of "Lorenz Attractor" from the CD Dar-As-Sulh Volume I took place with the audience floating on airbeds in a swimming pool. A good portion of the work is based heavily around the idea of inducing dissociation and altered states of consciousness in the audience, through complex atonal and/or aleatory processing of environmental recordings. Since 1996 Kymatik have used ambisonic processors and microphones for both live and studio work, and perform live in surround sound. English electronics wizard Chris Richards (Raipec Ltd), has been considered the invisible but indispensable member of Kymatik since 1997.

     
Genres
  • Electronic
  • Spoken Word
  • Hip-Hop/Rap
Popular Tracks   
Green Fields and Lemon Skies (Slow Mix) [Mixed] on Balance presents Sunsetstrip by Hernan Cattaneo
Green Fields and Lemon Skies (Slow Mix) on Balance presents Sunsetstrip by Hernan Cattaneo
Bloemen En Flinders - Original Mix on Green Fields and Lemon Skies by Kymatik
Orbit - Wellenrausch Pres. Kymatik 'Deep Matter' Remix on Orbit by Wellenrausch, Steve Sai & Hot Tuneik
What Makes You Wonder - Tripswitch Remix on What Makes You Wonder by Kymatik & Tripswitch
Green Fields and Lemon Skies - Original Mix on Green Fields and Lemon Skies by Kymatik
What Makes You Wonder on What Makes You Wonder by Kymatik & Tripswitch
Memories - Kymatik Remix on Memories by Can Durmus, Feemarx & Kymatik
Venom - Kymatik Remix on Venom by SpeakOf, Kamilo Sanclemente & Kymatik
Merciful Lord - Kymatik Remix on Merciful Lord by I Am Wolter

Track list and 30sec audio provided by

Discography


Title Artist Year Type
Anthropological ConstantsKymatik : Midwitch Cuckoos2017Album
Button Man For The City / Runswick Baywatch: Kate's Painless Gingerbread RemastersKymatik, Midwitch Cuckoos2017Album
Atmosphères Magnétiques V - CubelaKymatik2017Album
Early>IconostasisKymatik2011Album
Music For UsersKymatik2010Album
Atmosphères Magnétiques IVKymatik2010Album
Atmosphères Magnétiques IIIKymatik2009Single
The Paignton AnomalyKymatik2008Album
Pair BondingKymatik2005Album
Homegrown Meets BoxmanKymatik Featuring Richard George Vs Boomclick2003Album
Runswick Baywatch: Kate's Painless Gingerbread / Shunt E.W.S.2455Midwitch Cuckoos / Kymatik2001Album
Dar-As-Sulh Volume IKymatik2001Album
The Caithness Two-Body ProblemKymatik1999Album
Button Man For The CityKymatik1998Album
Dentists For MiceKymatik1997Album
External Links
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Acknowledgements
To all the music fans that are contributing on Discogs, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Thanks to Franz Flückiger for providing Storygram used to visualize band membership.
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