For Immediate release – 6 October 2009 – San Francisco

Curated by Jeff Owens from Ghostly International, Overlap presents Chris McNamara. Echoes from the Windsor-Detroit techno scene modulate off Lake St. Clair and emerge into the sound forms of “Vague Cities”. McNamara’s muffled beats, gentle harmonies, and light-like shimmering textures envelope you wholly, while creating a space to breathe and be.

Chris McNamara is a Windsor ON. / Ann Arbor-based video artist, writer, DJ, new media instructor, and founding member of Thinkbox (http://thinkbox.ca), a label/collective that currently includes Christopher Bissonnette (Kranky), Steve Roy, Rob Theakston, Bill Van Loo and Mark Laliberte. Chris spent much of the last decade making sounds and moving images for both live performance and for museum and festival settings. He has shown his work in numerous festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Independent Film Festival of Boston. His multi-media installations have been exhibited in a number of settings including Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Zurich, Berlin and most recently in Plymouth, UK. Chris’ latest projects are nospectacle (a live pa/dj group with Walter Wasacz and Jennifer Paull) in Detroit and Noiseborder – a new music ensemble based in Windsor, ON.

This release marks Overlap and Ghostly International’s first release collaboration. Jeff Owens, Label Manager for Ghostly International, passed along Chris McNamara’s work to Overlap founder Christopher Willits and both agreed it needed to be heard. “Chris’ compositions are precise while patterns slowly emerge and build upon each other to create a rewarding listen to patient ears. It reminds me of snowy Detroit winters or watching a person’s daily experience with public transportation slowed down to a more manageable pace and that everything is going to be ok…,” said Jeff Owens. Overlap.org’s founder, Christopher Willits said, “Chris McNamara’s ‘Vague Cities’ is Overlap’s first curatorial collaboration with another label. A big beautiful welcome to our diverse catalog of media growing at Overlap, Chris McNamara creates the sound feeling of an early morning post-rave bliss.”

Chris McNamara, Vague Cities

Track List

* 01 Trimalchio
* 02 oooohdear
* 03 Sleeping Car/Shunting Yard (formerly titled For Markus)
* 04 et puis
* 05 Subsandtaxis (Markus Guentner rmx)

*Release: http://shop.overlap.org/album/chris-mcnamara-vague-cities
*Album Image: http://ur1.ca/behx
*Cover art by Christopher Willits: http://ur1.ca/bei6
*Chris McNamara Myspace Page: http://ur1.ca/bei4

Overlap Salon, San Francisco – Dia de los Maxos

On 28 October, Overlap.org’s series of Max/MSP/Jitter/Live Salons will continue in a collaborative event with the Bay Area Computer Music Technology Group, hosted by the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts. This will be an evening of informal lectures and performances: a brainwave system for the creation of music presented by Jef Stott; Edison making music with Max, Monomes, Live and low-bit samplers; Preshish Moments detailing and performing with his custom hardware controller and Max/MSP system for manipulating audio.

28 October, 7pm – 9pm
Overlap.org and BArCMuT hosted by Gray Area Foundation for the Arts: http://www.gaffta.org/
55 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

For more information: connect@overlap.org

About Overlap.org

Overlap.org is a platform for experimental media – releases, events and projects.

Overlap releases experimental music and videos, produces unique events, and provides users with a blog to share experimental media with others. Overlap.org is based in San Francisco and our mission is to grow and support experimental culture locally, and throughout the world. 18 exclusive Overlap releases have featured a vast diversity of audio and visual artists experimenting within the convergence of different genres. 14 different Overlap events, and 8 Overlap Salons have brought people and new ideas together in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and London.

Overlap was founded by musican/artist Christopher Willits and came to life with the help of Jon Phillips, Kenric McDowell, Louis Rawlins, Lucky BK, Barry Threw, Vlad Spears, Simon Hampson, Ryan Kleeman, and other devoted artists.

For more information, please visit: http://overlap.org

Press Contact

* Sponsoring Organization: Overlap.org
* Contact: Jon Phillips
* Contact email: info@overlap.org
* Phone (USA): +1 510-499-0894
* Website: http://overlap.org
* Press Kit: http://overlap.org/about
* Press Release: http://ur1.ca/d2mi

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 Oooohdear from Chris McNamara's : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (335)

SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 2009 – Today Overlap released Flossin “Serpents” EP on Overlap.org’s new online shop. Flossin is a cosmic rock/noise/jazz/free improv band with rotating members. CHRISTOPHER WILLITS, ZACH HILL (Hella) have been at the helm of the Flossin ship since 2004. Flossin “Serpents” sees Willits and Hill joined by their friends MATMOS, NATE BOYCE, and CARSON MCWHIRTER (The Advantage). Flossin bring their collective talents to bear creating a warm and spontaneous sonic wash of masterful free improvisation. “Serpents” showcases the diverse musical cross-pollination from the San Francisco Bay Area.

This album is released through Overlap’s new online shop, http://shop.overlap.org. Overlap is platform for experimental media, releases and events, emanating from San Francisco outward to other
global cities. The shop highlights new experimental media from around the world and is part of the larger Overlap.org website providing news and commentary on experimental media. Overlap invites all to visit the website and submit content for possible release through the new shop.

For more information about FLOSSIN “Serpents” EP:

http://overlap.org/2009/02/flossin-serpents-digital-ep-released/

Album Cover Image

http://overlap.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/flossin_serpents_cover_110308.png

Praise from DISQUIET

DISQUIET says its “…a heady psychedelic ride… of pulsing, pounding,
flailing post-melodic rock.”

http://disquiet.com/2009/02/20/willits-hill-guests-flossin-cosmic-mp3/

Pitchfork

Pitchfork states: “–Flossin– it’s not just for teeth and gums anymore! …pay attention to Flossin, the bonkers experimental band led by ambient maestro Christopher Willits and Hella drum nut Zach Hill.”

http://pitchfork.com/news/tag/Flossin/

Highlights

* In 2004 Ache Records released Flossin’s first exposure to the world with “LEAD SINGER”. The album received critical acclaim as being one of the strangest and most unexpected releases of 2004.

* Pitchfork review:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/17967-flssin-lead-singer

* Pitchfork was the 1st to spill the news of the new lineup: “A restless soul, Willits also joins forces on occasion with Hella’s Zach Hill and Miguel Depedro (aka Kid606) to form the improv entity known as Flossin. That trio is presently working on the follow-up to 2004’s Lead Singer with the gentlemen from Matmos and a posse of indie remixers.” – Matthew Solarski

* In 2005 Yacca Records in Tokyo licensed “Lead Singer” for distribution in Asia.

* Overlap.org rereleased Flossin’s “Lead Singer” in November 2008.

* “Serpents” is Flossin’s 1st release since “Lead Singer”.

* Overlap.org’s new online shop provides low-cost, high-quality, DRM free audio and video content.

About Overlap.org

OVERLAP.ORG supports the diverse community and culture surrounding experimental media releases, unique events and sharing. OVERLAP.ORG releases and shares new independent music, video, and experimental art, produces innovative special events, and provides anyone with a free blog to share their media with the world. Overlap was founded by musician and artist Christopher Willits (http://christopherwillits.com) and has been steadily growing with the help of Jon Phillips (http://rejon.org), Louis Rawlins (http://simple.sumat.org), Kenric McDowell (http://kenricmcdowell.com), Lucky Banks-Kenny, and other devoted artists.

For more information, http://overlap.org

Press Contact

* Sponsoring Organization: Overlap.org
* Contact: Lucky BK
* Contact email: info@overlap.org
* Phone (USA): +1 510-543-7374
* Website: http://overlap.org

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Heyla folks! Hope some of you can make it to this week’s LISTEN/VISION 01 event in San Francisco! Here’s our press release for the deets of the show:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OVERLAP.ORG AND VOLUME PROJECTS ANNOUNCE LISTEN/VISION 01

San Francisco, CA, February 14, 2008 — Overlap.org and Volume Projects announce LISTEN/VISION 01, an evening of immersive sound and video art at SF Camerawork on Thursday, February 21, 2008. Featuring exclusive sound and visual recordings by Nate Boyce, Carl Stone, Frank Bretschneider, and Richard Chartier, LISTEN/VISION 01 is part of a unique series focused on unreleased audiovisual works specifically commissioned from an international pool of contemporary artists.

LISTEN/VISION 01 – Featured Artists

RICHARD CHARTIER Chartier_pre_1_01 (2005), 17:29 min.

Richard Chartier is a sound/installation artist and graphic designer who has created critically acclaimed recordings for labels such as 12k/LINE, Raster-Noton, Die Stadt, Spekk, NonVisualObjects, Mutek_rec, DSP, ERS, and Trente Oiseaux. His work explores the inter-relationships between the spatial nature of sound, silence, focus, and the act of listening.

Chartier_pre_1_01 was originally developed during the process of creating the work Incidence released on Raster-Noton in 2007. Beginning with a low volume sparkle of static, the piece gradually morphs into low frequency territory. The monolithic drone of Incidence ebbs and flows over a bed of gentle crackle and fizz, only to end much as it began, with a wafer-thin line of static and hiss.

FRANK BRETSCHNEIDER RHYTHM EXP (2007), 8:09 min.

Frank Bretschneider works as a musician, composer and video artist in Berlin. After the fall of the wall, he co-founded the record label Rastermusic which merged with Carsten Nicolai’s Noton to form Raster-Noton in 1999.

RHYTHM EXP is an attempt to assimilate the qualities found in music – including movement, rhythm, tempo, mood, intensity and compositional structure – within visual phenomena. The music for the project is composed of waveforms, feedback, impulses, clicks, the sound of mechanics, electricity, magnetism, light and radiation. As the animation is driven by sound frequency and intensity, the images attain an unexpected beauty, from simple geometrical patterns to extraordinarily complex forms.

CARL STONE Shin Chon (2006), 34:48 min.

Carl Stone is one of the pioneers of live computer music, and has been hailed by the Village Voice as “the king of sampling” and “one of the best composers living in (the USA) today.” He studied composition at the California Institute of the Arts with Morton Subotnick and James Tenney and has composed electro-acoustic music almost exclusively since 1972; Stone has also used computers in live performance since 1986. In addition to his schedule of performance, composition and touring, he is on the

faculty of the Media Department at Chukyo University in Japan.

NATE BOYCE Plasma Wielder (2008), 10:00 min.

Nate Boyce is an artist and musician who creates perceptually disorienting and kinetically charged audiovisual works that take the shape of musical compositions. Influenced by the techniques early video art and the 1960’s structural film movement, Boyce employs a customized analog/digital hybrid processing and synthesis system based on modified consumer video gear.

Using control voltages from an analog synth to sequence analog video feedback, Plasma Wielder produces trance-inducing audiovisual polyrhythms which interpret the phenomenological reduction of the video signal as a temporally malleable material.

Previous events: http://overlap.org/tag/event

• Event Name: LISTEN/VISION 01
• Featured Artists: Nate Boyce, Carl Stone, Frank Bretschneider, and Richard Chartier
• Event Date: Thursday, February 21, 2008
• Event Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
• Location: Camerawork
• Address: 657 Mission Street, Second Floor San Francisco, CA 94105-4104
• Cover: $5 Public, $2 Students/Seniors, Free for Camerawork Members

More info: http://overlap.org or email press@overlap.org.

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