UNSIGNED

Apr 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Chris Gill

P:i:f — psychedelic trance for the mind, body, and soul.

No matter how hard most musicians try to break down the barriers between the performers and the audience, there usually remains a schism. P:i:f, however, have overcome this obstacle by making the audience part of their performance. As soon as a p:i:f performance begins, the three members — dAv, shAmii, and schlAut — are surrounded by dancers, fire jugglers, and other visual performers who spill from the stage and into the audience, encouraging the crowd to join in with their own creative expressions.

“P:i:f exists and was created for live performance,” says schlAut. “Our shows are a multimedia psychedelic extravaganza, put together with the help of many talented artists and stage designers who provide the eye candy.”

“We provide a full audiovisual performance with psychedelic faerie flare,” adds dAv. “We want to create a portal for people that will take them away from their daily stress.”

P:i:f, which stands for psytrip:inner:face, formed in September 2000 when the three like-minded members discovered they shared a dream: to create psychedelic trance music with an industrial edge. All three were accomplished musicians with extensive sampling, sequencing, and electronic-music composition experience. “Our goal is to create music to keep the body moving and the mind questioning,” explains dAv. “Our music has a squishy, warm, and playful trance vibe. However, it can also be gritty and hard. It takes multiple paths, like a moody cartoon character.”

P:i:f's live setup includes a mix of new and old technology that combines computers with vintage analog synths. “We're using a 400 MHz Apple G4 to run Pro Tools LE with a number of Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS) and AudioSuite plug-ins,” says shAmii. “We have a variety of virtual synths as well as just about every imaginable hardware synth technology — modular, analog, digital, and analog modeling, from makers such as Korg, Clavia, Kawai, and Yamaha.”

Despite the band's short history, they have already performed at several raves and opened for Juno Reactor. To broaden their audience, they plan on playing as many performances as possible across the United States, and thanks to their theatrical stage show, they've landed gigs at venues that don't normally welcome dance music acts. The group has recorded a four-track EP called Peyote Trance, which they are currently submitting to labels, remix artists, and DJs.

For more information, contact p:i:f; e-mail schlaut@pif-elater.com; Web www.pif-elater.com.

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