Fly Pan Am’s viscerally sculpted and starkly evocative music for the acclaimed multi-media contemporary dance opus FRONTERA was originally created and performed live in collaboration with choreographer Dana Gingras and the Animals Of Distinction dance company, with scenography by United Visual Artists.
The Montréal quartet's sound design and musical score juxtaposes foreboding electronics with minimalist motorik avant-rock—now captured in a superb studio recording by producer Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and released on Deluxe 180gram vinyl, CD and Digital on 21 May 2021.
“Grid / Wall” is the album’s opening track is set to a kinetic non-linear supercut of footage from the original dance performance, by Montréal design duo Huot & Valentin.
"When I heard that Fly Pan Am were back together I knew immediately that this is who I wanted for the music for Frontera. The balance they strike between complexity, dynamics and driving rhythm made them one of my favourite bands of the 0s. Plus the always-present tension of self-conscious intellectualism and raw physical power of their project made them ideal partners for scoring for dance. Working with FPA and the dancers together in the studio was never dull. And through this we forged a soundtrack that expands upon FPA’s complex arrangements and infuses the choreography with texture and urgency."
Dana Gingras, Choreographer
"The music for Grid / Wall, like the rest of the record, was created in reaction to the choreography and the moving light structures that make up the space in which Frontera exists. Our main goal was to support the various physical, mental and emotional states experienced and portrayed by the dancers in reaction to these ever changing borders."
Fly Pan Am
Fly Pan Am
Frontera
180gLP / CD / CD Out 21 May 2021
FULL ALBUM INFO
“FRONTERA is a dance of truly distinctive bravery and pioneering intersections of stagecraft, storytelling, sound and movement. Equally impactful is the score, performed live by Fly Pan Am. Their minimalistic muscular brand of electro-rock is sensed viscerally, in your organs, in your bone marrow.”
Time Out Sydney
“The synchronicity of this collaborative piece is remarkable. A visual spectacle, a rock music engagement and a dance feast. Fly Pan Am’s live experimental rock is the perfect choice; sublimely crafted notes entangled into the essence of the moment. Not a show to watch but a performance to experience.”
Broadway World