by PBK = page 61 =

...How did Vidna Obmana come around from earlier works like HOPE AND DIE, with its obscene edge of Whitehouse/SPK-derived hardcore electronics to this music of quiet beauty and gentle spirit? I hoped to find out when he came to America in the Summer of 1989 to play a live show in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we would meet, and he would stay with me in San Bernardino the week following...

VIDNA OBMANA -- AMERICAN TOUR

I met Vidna Obmana (Dirk Serries) in Santa Cruz, Friday, June 16th, after driving up about seven hours from Southern California where I live. That night he was to play live at the Cafe Chameleon along with Eric Muhs and IAO Core (and later, a designated "special guest," namely myself). This was also an opportunity to meet many of the Bay Area luminaries, who turned out in force on Saturday night in San Francisco. Das and Robo of Big City Orchestra, AMK of BANNED PRODUCTIONS, Brook Hinton of SUBELECTRICK fame, Elden M. (aka Allegory Chapel) were all there, as well as some local disc jockeys of alternative radio.

Many performances: IAO Core were especially intriguing as a duo, playing slender feedback music as accompaniment to a self-produced (?) video (screened on a monitor at the opposite side of the stage). The elusive D.D. Downer showed up in S.F. to play a set utilizing several home-made vocal chambers to maximize his chilling rant-and-rave, set against a backdrop of pre-recorded tape. Eric Muhs is a real crowd-pleaser with his tape loop music, but his "affected" passion seemed phony to me. I played my noisy set with the assistance of Elden and Vidna, a visceral but sloppy performance.

Vidna played a beautiful set in Santa Cruz, a nearly psychedelic sound, set off by a poetic reading initiated by Das which fit in beautifully. The highlight, for me, was to have been my collaborative set on Saturday night with Vidna, recreating a track from our MONUMENT recording. However, technical difficulties corrupted our performance, and, a little more than midway through, we faded out. The audience didn't realize it though and gave us a great response.

Typed by Cheryl Vega 5-6-95