Kangding Ray @ Centre Pompidou, Paris 02-04-06

Pompidou Museum

This past Saturday I was invited by some new friends, Christophe and Cécile to go to a concert of Ambient Trance music at the George Pompidou museum. If you've been to the museum you know what I mean when i say the building is a work of art in and of itself. The concert was surreal. I have never heard music quite like that before with such a calm and quiet audience.

2 Dj's performed for 1.5 hours a blend of electronic ambient trance and synthesized sounds all to the backdrop of hypnotic B/W visual graphics on the cinema size screen in the background. The DJ's were Kangding Ray and Alva Noto, both German going by these pseudonyms which I haven't the foggiest idea how they picked them. I definitely prefered the music of Kangding Ray. The music was quite odd cause for the entire concert you're watching these Atari style graphics going on in the background at what seemed like warp speed. Your mind races to a million different places all at once.

If you want to visit the artists' websites they are:

Kangding Ray

Alva Noto

Afterwards we went out to a pub near the museum and threw back some drinks in a sea of thick cigarette smoke that you can only find in Paris. It reminded me of a typical Parisen bar with 80's American music blaring in the background and people sitting around small tables eating food and having a good time. All things considered, I had a good time...