Phh!k gathers the essence of all electronic music, from mid-20th century first attempts (like the theremin) to the German school, electro-acoustics, and experimental turn-of-the-century techniques. It could be described as an amazing synthesis of synthesized music. Not that
Phh!k was intended as a historical project of some sort, nor that it actually sounds like one. Simply, Peter Hannan and Henry Kucharzyk have integrated in their playing many influences, currents, and techniques both old and new. Their music has the soothing appeal of vintage
Klaus Schultze, the cutting edge of abstract experimentation, and the ever-disconcerting weirdness of motion-triggered electronic instruments like the theremin and the lightning. Both instruments are heavily featured on "Dexter Sinister," the most difficult piece on this CD. A few tracks use the human voice as part of the material: speech sampled and arranged as melody in "Weather," as rhythmic patterns in "Hiro," as Inuit throat singing in "Venus Ascending." A series of six "Intersection" pieces are scattered throughout the album, providing short moments of electronic/noise crossbreeding. The music on
Phh!k has a very organic feeling, and a sense of immediacy rarely found in electronic music, thanks to the fact that it was performed live in the studio. Overall, this album stands out as a discovery for fans of electronic or experimental music and a strong achievement for Hannan and Kucharzyk. ~ François Couture