The Gathering with Vir Unis and James Johnson

[djfoxyfox]

Vir Unis and James Johnson

Last night, Saturday, April 12, 2003, ambient groove master Vir Unis and sonic explorer James Johnson played at the Gathering in the church sanctuary of St. Mary's Hamilton Village. Thank goodness that Chuck van Zyl provides eastern Pennsylvania with a steady diet of the best in electronic music. And last night certainly qualified.

Gatherings usually consist of two 45 minute sets separated by an intermission. But last night, Vir Unis and James Johnson were on fire. They transported the audience to the outer rim of existence for an extended trip far in excess of an hour, light-years away from our normal time-space experiences. Why not? Vir and James were just warming up for a five hour marathon concert on Star's End!

The evening consisted of experimental sound sculptures blended with luscious swells of melody and harmony and wrapped up in groovy beats and sequences. The sonic terrain varied from the rhythmic to the atmospheric. Both artists have individually played at previous Gatherings, but this time they teamed up to play as a single unit; one will controlling 20 fingers and seven synths... and a church full of happy and willing travelers.

When the main excursion came to an end, the artists treated us all to an exquisite side trip around the solar system. It was based around a lovely looping sequence that swung like Tarzan on jazz steroids. Although the loop was 16 beats long, in no way did it feel like it was in 4/4. It felt more like several phrases of varying lengths, each one related but different from the surrounding phrases.

Gathering concert goers are a nice lot. Willing, accepting, gracious, and most of all, appreciative. The release of Unis and Johnson's "Perimeter II" was sold out within minutes of the concert's conclusion. Several people will have to wait before the get a copy of their own. If you can find a venue that books Vir Unis and James Johnson, do yourself a favor and attend the event. You won't be sorry.

Related web sites:
http://www.virunis.com
http://www.zeromusic.net
http://thegatherings.org
http://www.atmoworks.com

Suggested photos:
http://thegatherings.org/graphics/44logo.jpg