BPM&M: XtraKcts & ArtifaKcts

All artwork imagery ©️ Denis Rodier

By Roman Sokal

Published Jul 01, 2001

Patrons of raves will dance on walls within a world where Jurassic Park is playing on a drive-in screen contained in the sci-fi world of Blade Runner. King Crimson percussionist Pat Mastelotto and engineering sorcerer Bill Munyon keep things cinematically moving, remixing an assortment of audio nuggets by Crimson and associates (including David Byrne). Their modified laptop computers become mutated electrocardiogram machines, outputting nuclear heartbeats of techno and jungles of drone in measures of distorted time. Haunting the affair is Crimson founder Robert Fripp. Mastelotto explains, "I bought one of his Soundscapes CDs and by the time I got home I had listened to it several times and went right into my garage studio and put a track under it, which continued until I let Robert hear some of my scribbles. He was excited, and gave me more soundscapes." Sifting through piles of sticky, rusty tapes of live performances and scholastic guitar lessons, the two must have been clicking computer mice like mad scientists, but with self-imposed limitations. "I limited my central figure to Robert, Tony Levin's wonderful bass was a no-brainer and having access to [ProjeKct] three and four multi-tracks made it hard to resist using Trey Gunn," replies Mastelotto. "I was just following my bliss. I did this, like most music I am involved with, for fun. I enjoy drumming and making electronic racket. So, this was just a little sonic pinata party - knock out a sound, shake it and see what else it becomes. Almost every note, sound and vibration carries a message, and I just organised and chunked them into a form that I got quicker satisfaction from. Bill and I are always at this, so we do plan to do more, so next time it might be Adrian [Belew], or some other band!" (Papa Bear)