GANGI

Originally posted at Hey Tube (German to English translations below) on February 22, 2012:

Ober-Lügner Matt Gangi hat sich Eric Chramosta als musikalischen Begleiter ausgesucht und mit ihm die neue EP “Gesture Is” eingespielt. Zwei amerikanische Ausnahmemusiker präsentieren ihre Vorstellung von zeitgenössischer Experimental-Musik, denn einmal mehr servieren Gangi nicht gerade leicht verdauliche Experimental-Klangbrocken, aber völlig überraschend auch immer wieder köstliche Delikatessen in Form von zarten und dem Pop zugeneigten Gourmetstücken, wobei es knackt und knistert, etwas klimpert gar heiter.

Gangi erzählen Geschichten. Erzählen sie zur Gitarre und Schlagzeug. Experimental-Pop halt. Nur eben mit Spieltrieb: Das Duo aus Los Angeles nutzt Geräusche und Elektronik, schafft Klangkulissen. Sehr skurril, sehr liebevoll – und weil die ursprünglichen Geschichten schon so verdammt gut sind, haben wir hier ein kleines Mini-Meisterwerk im CD-Player.

Gangi – Outside Ones

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+ Translation 1 (by Maria Rockstroh):

“Über-storyteller Matt Gangi picked Eric Chramosta as his musical companion and produced the new EP “Gesture Is”.

Two American exceptional musicians present what they think is contemporary experimental music – once again, Gangi is bringing you sound pieces, that are not too easy to digest, but also surprisingly delicious delicatessen in the shape of tender and more pop-likely gourmet pieces, which click and crackle, and jingle all happy.

Gangi tells stories. They are telling them with guitar and drums, like  experimental-pop does it. But they are doing it with play-instinct. The duo from Los Angeles uses sounds (noises) and electronics, creates a soundscape. Very bizarre, and very lovely – and because the previous stories were damn good, we are having a little mini masterpiece in our CD players.”

+ Translation 2 (by Nate Wagner):

“Master storyteller (literally: liar) Matt Gangi sought out Eric Chramosta, recording the new “Gesture Is EP” in tandem with him. These two exceptional American musicians have presented their interpretations of contemporary experimental music, as Gangi once again refuses to serve up accessible (literally: easy to digest) mish-mash/sampled music (here, the German word “Klangbrocken” can’t really be concisely translated, a matter of German semantics, but it’s not really a negative term. my German bros use to describe artsy music :D). They instead serve up surprises—and tasty ones, at that—in dainty and pop-loving form, gourmet pieces that snap and crackle, there’s a sort of cheerful jingle to it.

Gangi tells stories, stories told with guitar and drums. Experimental pop, if you will. But these guys possess a gamer’s instinct: using sounds and electronics, the LA duo create soundscapes—quite quirky, very endearing—and because the original stories are so damn awesome, they’ve managed to give us all a mini-masterpiece for our CD players.”

+ Translation 3, Summary (by Rachel Doyle):

“The duo from Los Angeles uses sounds and electronics, creating soundscapes. Very quirky, very affectionate – and because the original stories are so damn good, we have a little mini-masterpiece in the CD player.”

Originally posted at Spinner on January 13, 2012:

Artist: Gangi
Video: ‘Outside Ones’
Highlight: “The video was inspired in the way that the Critical Art Ensemble describes. ‘The rules of cultural and political resistance have dramatically changed. The revolution in technology brought about by the rapid development of the computer and video has created a new geography of power relations in the first world that could only be imagined as little as 20 years ago: People are reduced to data, surveillance occurs on a global scale, minds are melded to screenal reality and an authoritarian power emerges that thrives on absence,” Matt Gangi tells Spinner.

The new geography is a virtual geography, and the core of political and cultural resistance must assert itself in this electronic space.’ Viewed with this lens, the video is staring Samantha Jacober as the hacker, Peter Christian as the Pentagon faced man, directed by Montana Casey, produced by Patrick Sayre and Rhianon Jones, and shot by Vince Pham — all of whom are more than awesome to work with.”

Originally posted at Disco Naïveté on January 8, 2012:

This beautifully shot black & white, “mystery man chases young woman” clip is the official video for GANGI’s Outside Ones. The song is taken from the duo’s forthcoming album Gesture Is, off which you can stream some other tracks on their Bandcamp. If you combine the melancholy of Destroyer and NewVillager’s mythpop, you get something like this. Directed by Montana Casey.

Originally posted at My Old Kentucky Blog on January, 6 2012:

MOKB has been following Matt Gangi’s appropriately titled Gangi project since back in 2008. For the new album he has found a new collaborator in Eric Chramosta. They were nice enough to let us know about their video for the new tune Outside Ones. The song is set to appear on their new album Gesture Is this spring. You can listen to three other new tracks at their bandcamp, in addition to this one. Watch and listen below.

MP3 : Gangi – Outside Ones

Originally posted at Impose Magazine on January 6, 2012:

Gangi has been making some press waves this week with their dramatic video for “Outside Ones.” The short film style music video is directed by Montana Casey, shot in black and white with a woman being pursued by a malevolent looking mystery man with a pentagon shaped face in what looks like an updated version of Kafka’sThe Trial. Frontman Matt Gangi’s song depicts the current status quo of disdain for the disenchanted, dissenting outsider fringe marginalized by the one percenters that back the song’s refrain of “I gotcha” in a world where peaceful protest is met with nefarious bills like NDAA and SOPA. Matt and crew are finishing up their album Gesture Is that is coming to us soon this spring. In the meanwhile enjoy the video and check out Gangi’s Bandcamp for further listening.

Originally posted at Buzzbands on January 5, 2012:

Since he released his trippy debut album “A” in 2008, Matt Gangi — who does business as Gangi — has been painstakingly working on the next step. Did I say “painstakingly?” I meant .. agonizingly … slow. It’s OK, though. Gangi, who has a new collaborator in Eric Chramosta (replacing Lyle Nesse), has now put the finishing touches on “Gesture Is,” an album of cinematic, experimental electro that has the hooks to feed your pop beast and enough hallucinatory effects to make you wonder if there wasn’t some sort of satellite interference above his Glendale home base. Gangi doesn’t wield his samples as mere decoration; they’re pasted into the fabric of his neurosis-filled narratives. Four songs are streaming on Bandcamp, and Gangi says he’s “hoping to release the full record in the spring.” Of 2012, we assume.

||| Download: “Outside Ones” was featured on the recent FMLY Fest with a bunch of other great stuff.

||| Also: Gangi’s non-album track “Much More Effort” appears on Vol. 3 of the benefit compilation LA JPN LA, which was curated by Dublab DJ Hashim B. and is available here. mixtape

Originally posted at wotyougot on January 1, 2011:

It’s reached 40 degrees in Melb town today, me skin is turning red, there’s a game of cat and mouse between a heroine and her pursuers, with dazzling visual effects for LA duo the GANGI‘s newest OUTSIDE ONES video.

Originally posted at BuzzBands.LA on December 11, 2011

Originally posted at BlackBook Mag on November 1, 2011:

I am on the road in a decidedly non-Kerouac adventure. It’s way more karaoke than Kerouac, as Virginia and its mall culture has engulfed me. As a stranger in a strange land, I am doing as the Virginians do, which included brunch at Eggspectations, the local hot spot. A couple weeks ago, I was walking the puppy in the hood in the wee hours of the morning. Amanda and I were talking about the virtues of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I had just commented that it feels great that we could take this walk without fear of gangsters or hooligans. The words had just left my mouth when we met Matt and Eric.

Their car had been broken into, GPS and laptop stolen, and they were quite upset. We talked, and I said things like “This is usually such a safe neighborhood.” They are the band Gangi, and do this thing centered around the Office of Analogue and Digital, an LA suburban base. They had just done a CMJ gig and were all hyped and positive when crime reared its ugly head. Musically. they are compared “to Destroyer, Bob Trimble, Animal Collective, lo-fi RZA/Havoc hip-hop, and Neil Young on a more experimental beat.” I didn’t understand much of what they were saying about it, but Amanda knew their language. I’d catch something familiar from time to time, and say something insightful like “Oh yeah!”

All in all, they were great guys met under rough circumstances. We waited for the cops to arrive and vowed to keep in touch. I felt bad about their NY experience ending this way. So I was determined to at least give them some ink to ease the violation. Crime violates. Sure it takes something—a GPS, a laptop, a bag in the club—but those things can often be replaced. The thing it does that hurts the most is it makes us untrustworthy. I look a little bit more over my shoulder at 3am these days, and I am sure Matt and Eric have spread the news of the violation. We all suffer more than can be quantified. Thousands of tourists and bands and artists visit us and support our economy and culture. For Gangi, this visit was a big thing, part of their dream. Some asshole tried to make it a nightmare and this cannot happen.