Mika Vainio, Charlemagne Palestine, Eric Thielemans

This release documents a meeting of titans that, tragically, can never be repeated. Mika Vainio, one half of the legendary Finnish duo Pan Sonic and a towering figure in electronic music, passed away in 2017, leaving behind a body of work that continues to influence and inspire. His presence here alongside Charlemagne Palestine and Eric Thielemans makes P V T a document of considerable historical importance, a record of three extraordinary musicians finding common ground in real-time improvisation. Vainio's contribution to electronic music cannot be overstated - Pan Sonic's brutal minimalism redefined what was possible with synthesizers and drum machines, stripping electronic music to its barest essentials while somehow making it more physical, more visceral, more alive than ever before. His solo work and collaborations extended this vision in countless directions, always maintaining a commitment to intensity and purity of expression. Palestine, of course, brings his own formidable presence to the encounter, his sustained keyboard work providing a harmonic foundation against which Vainio's electronics can spark and crackle.

Thielemans, the Belgian drummer whose touch we have already encountered on other Matière Mémoire releases, provides the rhythmic element that gives this music its sense of forward motion, however abstracted that motion might become. The result is a true meeting of equals, each artist contributing essentially to a whole that honors all three voices. A precious document of a collaboration that time has rendered unrepeatable.

Charlemagne Palestine: piano, voice and organ
Mika Vainio: electronics and live processing
Eric Thielemans: drums and percussion

Recorded by Etienne Foyer at Les Ateliers Claus, October 21st till 24th, 2013.
Mix, mastering and cut by Frederic Alstadt.
Pictures, graphics and layout by Cedric D'Hondt.