P P P
Founded - Kabul
After years of using the excuse that they simply didn’t practice so therefore they had no demo’s to present, PPP – the improvisational trio originally formed in Kabul – has finally taken their time to record a catalogue of music. On tape!
The one thing they did not want to do was sit in a fancy studio, drool over logic-timelines, editing and polishing. Instead, in spring 2015 PPP rented a cottage in the tiny village of Ghazouz in the Lebanese mountains. The house, which provided the most magnificent views down the valley and over the Mediterranean Sea, had not been used for more than a decade and was infested with mould, lizards and the carcass of a big fat rat. Most importantly, the house had a cellar. Constructed in stone bricks arched into a medieval style underground vault, it offered not only soundproof space but also unique acoustic dynamics.
PPP brought in an entire studio, of which the most integral was an 8-track tape recorder bought in Beirut. It was functioning, but had two particular faults that made the recording experience all the more special. Firstly, the stop button didn’t work so once you hit record the tape had to be completed to make it stop. Secondly, the rewind button didn’t work so there was no way of tracking back and re-doing a recording. There was only one-way: forward.
As cassettes are harder to come by these days, PPP ended up with a mix of tape lengths found in Lebanese bazaars. The beautiful haphazard reality with an 8-track recorder is that your recording goes one-way and double the speed of normal tape-recorders, hence the 90, 60 and 46 min tapes they found ended up becoming 22.5, 15 and 11.5 min recordings. Over the next three weeks, PPP recorded 27 such tapes.
The catalogue will consist of three volumes. Volume 1 is off-the-top recordings where everything seemed to fit on to that magnetic tape just right. Volume 2 will be edited version of tapes that had moments of clarity. And Volume 3, possibly most interesting for certain ears, a compilation of the bits, bobs and fluff in the pockets from tapes that were truly eclectic in their creation.
What was the result of this analogue marathon? What genre was the music? [Every musician hates this question.] First of all, it is all improvisations, don’t expect to hear verse and chorus structures. Genre-wise, in the 27 tapes listeners will hear Dub, Jazz, Rock, Metal, Punk, Experimental, Stoner, Electronic, Bohemian, Noise, Sludge, loads of Psychedelic and even some moments of Indie [but not for too long ;-]
So what's the purpose? PPP approaches this project with full acknowledgment of the situation in the music industry today. They are not trying to make money out of the recordings. They are not trying to break into the circuit and make some cash from touring. All they want to do is share their music, for free.
Lastly, PPP has a listening-approach they suggest goes best with their tapes. They call it Passive-Digestion, meaning letting go of attentive and analytical listening and instead digesting the music while doing something else, working on your laptop, watering the flowers, feeding the chicken, cleaning, travelling, meditating, fucking, sleeping… Do what ever you do on a normal day, but for a change let PPP be the soundtrack to your activities.
PPP’s presumes that you won't remember any particular part of a tape, but maybe, just maybe they might add a little spice to your day……
Explore PPP, but not B412.
Pit Panther Project’s tracks
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