The sound of exploding snow

>> David Kristian isn't afraid of the dark--or the mainstream

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Two terms that really give me the willies are "sound designer" and "experimental musician." Instantly my imagination starts dancing with disturbing images of people clad in leotards and sumo wrestling wear, Kleenex boxes in place of shoes, Swedish-speaking aesthetes in kabuki makeup groovin' to the sounds of a broken air conditioner. Maybe Yoko Ono's sound design work left a bad taste in my mouth, vis-à-vis the genre, but local artist David Kristian's dark, ambient opus Room Tone, on the Alien 8 label, is another thing all together.

The pretension is tucked away in favour of well-thought-out composition that never becomes an unintentional stumble through the dark. Manipulated beeps and blips punctuate stark soundscapes that are anchored with ominous low end while steering clear of familiar pop trappings throughout.

Talking to the down-to-earth Kristian, I quickly realize that he has never worn kabuki makeup and even admits being a fan of Black Sabbath. In fact, Kristian is uncomfortable being connected with the art gallery élite. "As a sound designer, I'm of course attracted to doing things in the mainstream," he says. "I would find it very challenging doing soundscapes for a horror film or even doing a TV commercial. If people are a bit put off over something more commercial I've done, then that's their problem. I like to keep an open mind about music."

Kristian is not your typical experimental artist. He boasts a manager as well as having formed his own company focusing on his soundtrack work. Hell, why not. William S. Burroughs did a Nike commercial before his death with great success, and the same can be said about Tortoise's Jim O'Rourke's soundtrack work for Merrill Lynch. "It's very exciting for me," continues Kristian, "when someone wants me to come up with a sound for exploding snow. The confines of having a limited time to come up with something specific for another person makes me work in a different way than I would on one of my records--and I really enjoy that."

He may have started with outré soundscapes, but Kristian first earned his name in drum & bass. After having said all he could with breaks, he once again delved back into his soundtrack work. Now he has further confused things with his return to beats on his current full-length Sawdust, Sinedust, Squaredust.

"Some times I'll feel introspective and create a drone and see where that takes me, or I'll feel fired up and start off with a rhythm. I really like to vary my work. Live, I really like to play stuff that stems from beats, electro and tech house, because there is just an energy I get from beats. It's just way more physical." :

Kristian plays Saturday, May 20, the first of Alien 8's two evenings of experimental music, with Kevin Drumm, Annihilist and Pierre-Marc Tremblay's Ames Sanglantes. Sunday's lineup is Molasses, Pillow, Hanged Up and Duoloz. Both shows are at Hotel 2 Tango, 173A Van Horne, 9pm, $8 each