Sound In Motion

Sound In Motion from You Are My Symphonic on Vimeo.

I've realized that my weekends have been following a two-day pattern involving exploration & creation.  

On a Saturday in July, I found my toes covered by the sands of the Sugar Beach party for the first annual Sound In Motion independent electronic music festival.  The city’s EDM community was yearning for a small crack to emerge in the concrete jungle of Toronto.  What they got was an enormous leap forward for the city.  

I felt a surge of ideas flowing through me as forceful & timed as the percussive elements that soundtracked the sun-soaked afternoon.  The intense inner-rises brought reminders of MUTEK’s edition of Piknic Electronik where I would stare back across the water to Montreal, realizing it was an emerald city.  Diving back into those same feelings with my close friends Davy, Dani & V gave that added touch.  Leaving the beach, we laid down at the top of the grassy knoll that overlooked the neon city with it’s millions of voices & stories.

Creation followed on Sunday with Davy & I raiding the film archives, finding visual pieces to patch together to accompany the new You Are My Symphonic live show.  The summer has been in full motion with rewarding musical expression.  The fall season feels strong with the promise of live shows and more.  It's an exciting time to be moving.

Dani & V surprised me with a unique billboard of cupcakes entitled “You Are My Symphonic” which we picked apart one by one.  Dani gave insight into the weekend saying that all the moments were random, but somehow, they fit together.  She said that as I recalled playing the Toronto Pan Am Games piano at Sugar Beach, outside the Sound In Motion festival, painted in the her country’s colours, the Dominican Republic.  

It's Happening Again (Sutton Sunset)

I remember thinking all through the week about how good it would be to get out of the city and to let the winding country roads be the guide. We spent a sun-filled day with smiling friends on the deck and time quietly flew past us in the fluttering trees above. My friend, Stewart, was at the wheel when he suddenly got excited to cross the top of the hill and to find the surreal sunset view waiting for us. I stuck my hand out the window into the rushing wind and felt the resonance from the orange glow being translated through the gentle pressure residing in my third eye.

My daily focus from the week, manifested itself into real moments, making my day with my friends an incredibly simple & powerful collection of scenes. I was propelled from my body by this sunset and I didn't return until very late into the night. We laughed about how easy and simple it was to reach that feeling. All we had to do was smile, laugh & drive.

Best,

Vish

(You Are My Symphonic)

AZ-CO-Communikey

View Driving directions to Phoenix, AZ, United States in a larger map

It was nearly a year ago, at a chance encounter in the ticket line for MUTEK in Montreal, when Vas & I met Kate & Laura and first heard about the Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts. The festival stickers they gave us revealed the opening date as April 25th, 2012. That, being my 30th birthday, planted a seed within me that has grown while leading up to this classic milestone that is usually mired in expectations of a constant slowing.

Not in this case. Momentum has been building with the most natural of flows, raising the symbolism of this journey to the saturation point. We will be dropped into the Arizona desert where our travels will carve a path through the red rocks of Sedona, Monument valley and their lush relatives who live in the dense landscapes of Colorado. The alternating nature of the swelter & the chills, the barren & the flourishing are both jarring and refreshing.

From April 25th to April 29th the "MicroTopias" of the Communikey Interdisciplinary Arts Festival will become our home. In another organic evolution, The Tea Arbor afternoon at which You Are My Symphonic will perform has been moved to the Naropa University venue, a place where the teachings of East and West truly meet.

There is something to say about the apparent alignment of this journey and it's newfound focus.

The Very Best,

Vish

(You Are My Symphonic)

Curious Montreal Releases "Exposant C: You Are My Symphonic"

It's not often that you cross paths with a collective that is equally focused on their own disciplines as they are united by their desire for collaborative creation. It was my immense pleasure to spend an entire Saturday with this rhythmic team who love stretching their curiosity muscles (Read The Earlier Post Here).

It's with surprising speed that the "Exposant C: You Are My Symphonic" by Curious Montreal is released.

Absolutely brilliant work by this talented collective. Beautiful Photo direction by Anthony Lapoire, flowing editing by Maxime Charron, visionary production by Isabella Gennaro & an eloquent forward by Ariane Perpignani.

Warmest thanks to my dear friends David, Ryan & Vasanth for being there on the rooftop and in the park. Familiar places were turned into something completely new.

The spring bloom continues.

Best,

Vish

(You Are My Symphonic)

You Are My Symphonic Performing at Communikey Festival

It's with great pleasure that I'm announcing that You Are My Symphonic will be performing at the Communikey Interdisciplinary Arts Festival in Boulder, Colorado. I will perform alongside several artists at "The Tea Arbor" event in the afternoon of Saturday, April 28th at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA). The event info and the complete website for this refreshing and motivating festival are available at the following link:

You Are My Symphonic at The Tea Arbor (CMKY Festival 2012)

The journey will begin for my good friend Vas & I in Arizona where we will explore the red desert and progress through the mountains & valleys of Colorado, towards Boulder & CMKY.

Best,

Vish

(You Are My Symphonic)

Communikey (CMKY) is a Boulder-based interdisciplinary organization dedicated to social, cultural and ecological innovation through creative process. We facilitate forward thinking cultural experiences that emphasize the intersection of sound, design and technology in artistic forms. Communikey forges a creative exchange across cultures, backgrounds, and mediums while fostering the development of the local arts community.

Curious Montreal Exposes You Are My Symphonic

The morning opened with an icy fog that obscured my view to no more than a half-block. The dampness carried a blast of fresh air and carried my walk to meet the creative team behind CURIOUS Montreal who selected You Are My Symphonic to be the subject of their ongoing "Exposant C" video series.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day that morphed into a sun-kissed Saturday as we moved from setting to setting, capturing moments in familiar places to the music of You Are My Symphonic, that will forever be re-invented in my memory. It was a great honour to take part in this day with CURIOUS Montreal, David, Ryan & Vas, who were so kind and enthusiastic to make appearances in the video - much love. The release of this video won't be until June, but it'll be worth the wait. Until then, enjoy exploring the new discoveries that CURIOUS Montreal has to offer.

Best,

Vish

(You Are My Symphonic)

CURIOUS Montreal (http://www.curiousmontreal.com/) gathers, promotes and propels the talent of emerging artists and designers of all fields, through a web platform and events. Artists are invited to collaborate and create unique pieces that match their talent through creative projects. CURIOUS Montreal wants to break down barriers and create a community where different talents of artists and designers can share their own knowledge based on their expertise and expand their network.

Springtime Blog Warmth

The first few warm breaths of spring have found their way into the streets and parks of Montreal. Helping to shake off the cobwebs and to usher in the season of growth are these two wonderful blog posts:

Teepoo (Tiana Feng) is the curator of the "Ride The Tempo" blog who has a created an extensive musical database which loves to support Canadian artists. Her support is what the Canadian music scene is yearning for. "Rooftop" has made her listening section of the site, check it out here. Many thanks Tiana.

"Rooftop" at Ride The Tempo

Stories of discover are the one's you often tell and re-tell to your friends or generally to anybody who will hear it. I have a few I like to tell, including when I first heard Dreamsploitation's "Death to the Chuck I Hate" on the radio. It was a surprising and extremely gratifying moment when I stumbled across Josh from Techcredible's post about his first funny encounter hearing You Are My Symphonic on the radio and trying to catch the lyrics of I Found Your Faces of Montreal to power his google search later in an effort to find it. He recaps the storied loss of the first version of IFYFOM which is a good reminder to always move forward to create and co-create. Check it out here. Many thanks Josh.

IFYFOM at Techredible

Warmest,

Vish

(You Are My Symphonic)