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MIR
MIR's new album MIR – S/T
Released in Switzerland by A Tree in a Field Records, in Italy by Wallace Records and in France by Savage Land-Records. Seven intense tracks recorded live at Dachstock Bern, produced by Alex Buess (16-17, God, Cortex) and mastered by Weasel Walter (Flying Lutenbachers), available as CD version, or limited edition double 12" Maxi with handmade screenprint covers.
DANIEL BUESS hits skin and metal resonances
MICHI ZAUGG pulls triggers and red buttons
PAPIRO touches sensitive strings
Mir was born in 2005, created by a group of young musicians who had always refused
to behave and couldn’t feel comfortable in predefined genres. Though through
different backgrounds, by the time they met they were all well experienced in
the field of experimental music and were looking for a way to use the expression
and intensity of this music within the context of a basic rock trio, which later
turned out to be restricted to drums, bassguitar/guitar and organ/synthesizer. Sometimes running to 10 minutes apiece, most of their music roars from beginning
to end while spiralling electronics float over a heavy hypnotic rhythm section, evoking astronomical disasters and
encounters with pandimensional beings. Both musically and conceptually there are influences from the german «Kosmische
Musik», but without directly referencing it – or anything else,
since typical rock-elements are deliberately avoided, as they are regarded as
interferences between the music and the listener. Instruments are used in a
primitive form, or brut if you prefer, and the players concentrate more on sounds
and their rhythmic significance for the composition, spraying dissonance everywhere, leaving harmonies to play only a secondary role. Should be listened
loud and possibly at zero gravity. Or at concerts.
After his percussion studies at the Music Academy in Basel and Karlsruhe, Daniel
Buess (dr) intensified his exploration of unusual soundsources. Besides Mir he was and is still involved in various
Groups and Ensembles in the realm of experimental and improvised music, like
Ensemble Phoenix Basel, Cortex, 16-17, How2 or Katarakt, with which he was admitted
to some of the most important festivals for contemporary music in Europe, Asia
and Australia. His own projects include percussion shows in carworkshops, frequently
involving self-designed electronic percussion devices. Daniel occasionally gives masterclasses for electronic coffee
cans. and is also known for his collaborations with composers like Alex Buess,
Michael Werthmüller, Volker Heyn, Iancu Dumitrescu and Tim Hodgkinson amongst
others.
Former violin player in second-class orchestras, as a teenager Papiro (bg/g)
decided to leave the academic path to join a garage-band, because it sounded
«similar to the contemporary classical music» he had recently discovered. He later went on to various formations playing every instrument within his reach,
had appearances with Yann Keller, Luigi Archetti, Mani Neumeier and worked with
composer Ruth Glatt and breakcore artist Rachael Kozak. A mystical experience
in 2003 led him to perform music based on playing only one chord at high volume
for an extended period.
Michael Zaugg (org/electronics) has played guitar in different bands of the
local underground scene, until he discovered that he was more interested in soundeffects rather than virtuosity. Soon he
developed new techniques for guitar, and started to play around with synthesizers
and their modifications, which ended up in concerts built of dense feedbackclouds
and low-high-frequency oubursts beyond pain treshold. In 2003 he joined Papiro
for his drone performances.
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