Recording: Nifty Trio

Artist: Nifty Trio

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Pamenar Café, July 19, 2018.

Nifty Trio - unknown

This instalment of Colin Fisher's back patio summer series at Kensington's Pamanar Café saw him invite Matt Smith — Prince Nifty himself! — to stretch out some sounds. Sitting behind his table of precariously-balanced gear (laptop, keyb, mixer) he was joined by Fisher (on guit and pedals this time out) and Thom Gill (midi keyb, synth, laptop, kaoss pad, etc.). There were some "songs" in the first set, but the pieces were loosely structured enough that more than hanging together from any kind of melodic or lyrical sense they seemed webbed together by the hazy, half-hidden throughline more typical of dream logic. Coming off like extended selections from an ambient electronic pop opera, Smith sometimes seemed barely in control of the processing wrapped around his unparseable lyrics. Even the vocals disappeared by the time of the second set, which had this piece at its heart, sounding like something off a private press new age cassette produced by a mystic obsessed with Terry Riley-esque minimalism.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!