ARC's sound is centred on the melodic loops, textures, & samples provided by heavily-effected guitar. This is overlaid with tribal-esque rhythms provided by various percussive instruments; drum kit, djembe, tabla, wood blocks. With this combination, we create a roiling tapestry of both rhythmic & ambient sound, a sound simulataneously prim(ev)al & avant-garde.
Ashfordaisyak Provides Cut up sound, harsh soundscapes, and odd field recordings, blended with new wave rythms and vocals, and Reminescent of early Residents, subgenious radio, etc.
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REVIEWS:
BBC radio
"The aim of Ashfordaisyak in his work is to "gently disturb" the listener, or so he told me. His unorthodox distribution policy (by taping copies of his sound creations to train windows and public toilets) sets the tone for falling off the left field anarchy that would follow.
The first thing of note is that I think 19 year old Dan Wilson (aka Ashfordaisyak) has an obsession with supermarkets. They get a mention by name on more than one occasion on this 7-track demo. I can understand that. Supermarkets try to be light friendly places, in reality they are scary. They are suffocating by their sheer size. This demo reeks of suffocation and claustrophobia. The claustrophobia of the penguin who was fenced in by the trolley park as Sainsburys. The suffocation of the vocals that finish the telling of a story about a loner girl who wobbles named Bridget, in a strangled crescendo. The deeply dark track about the boy whose parents keep in a cupboard under the stairs and his attempts to escape.
Musically the demo ranges from looped electronica and spoken-word ambient to an almost drum n bass backing of track five, "Doug's Piss Up (With Uncle Nester)." I think maybe that Christopher Morris's Blue Jam radio shows are of important influence to Wilson. These shows were musical pieces as much as they were comical sketches and this what Wilson seems to create here."
It begins with a quiet hum. The tremulous sound grows until conflicting wave forms shake your innards loose. At the same time, nomadic percussion lines fill the space torn loose in your chest, creating a percolating headspace ready for meditation. This is the world of Arc, a trio of musical shamans who have captured live improvisations and cut them down to size for this presentation. The rolling feel of the rhythm reminds me of Martin Atkins' An Industrial Christmas Carol without the samples. As such, this is not something most people will thrive on. Furthermore, the band places the burden of interpretation on the listener, as they do not provide titles for its instrumental constructs. However, if you are willing to undertake the effort necessary to inhabit the space of groups like Crash Worship or Not Breathing, there is plenty here to engage you. At turns pensive and manic, Two is a very interesting hour of sound.
Splendid Ezine Oct 2001
The follow up to their last self-titled album, simply entitled Two. Never much for nomenclature, the tracks are simply numbered. This time around the band seems more aggressive and the pieces more satisfying, perhaps simply because there are more tracks. The album is based on two all-improvised live shows, yet the members have jammed together for so long that there seems to be structure surfacing on these pieces. Two is comprised of guitar, djembe and drums emulating a traditional percussive African sound harnessed by dark guitar loops. For those who tend to the darker atmospheres rendered with skill that inspire epic daydreams, this is your album.
I. Khider - Exclaim Oct 2001
This release by the Toronto based ambient trio ARC is the follow up to their debut disc released last year on CDR. Comprised of Aidan Baker (guitar), Richard Baker (drum kit, percussion) and Christopher Kukiel (djembe, tabla, percussion), ARC works as an improvisational group, creating open-ended jams that cite space rock as much as ethno-ambient as influences on their style and sound. The strengths of the group lie with Aidan Baker's guitar textures, creating thick walls of sound, sometimes harsh and sometimes ethereal, which act as the "glue" keeping the music together. The ebb and flow of percussions remain simple; rather than exploring percussive textures (which I'm convinced would make things a little more interesting and dynamic), they are content to simply pound away, rising occasionally to assist in creating a climax or two in any given piece. The disc features two live recordings which took place at two different venues in the spring of 2001. Clearly influenced by the respective venues, the first session is louder, more aggressive and rock-oriented in style, where the second is a little more ambient. Both sets, however, are characterised by a similar, sinister atmosphere; the moods are strong and they have a way of encroaching on the listening space. ARC is first and foremost a live band; having seen them in concert, I can say that these pieces are best heard live in a performance space, so the transition to a CD release isn't without its sacrifices (not least of which is the quality of the recordings, often coming across as a bit "heavy" and lacking in clarity). Perhaps we'll see a more fully realised studio recording in the future?
Richard di Santo - Incursion Music Review Aug 2001
Kate Smith - New Metal
This first CD documents the early days of Arc. Formed spontaneously in Fall 1999, the trio immediately started to record its live performances. Their eponymous album features one untouched live track (---) and two more that are collages of several performances. Each piece runs for 15 minutes or more. Aidan Baker already had released an album of experimental electric guitar soundscapes Element and the musical directon of this project follows the same path, adding two percussionists Richard Baker and Christopher Kukiel. These are long, slow-evolving jams mainly featuring multi-layered guitar loops and djembe or tablas. Very ambient, the music recalls early Ash Ra Temple, National Health, the Shalabi Effect: keyboard-less space rock. Beautiful, Great Person includes samples, turntable work, and some raunchy distorted guitar passages, giving the closing moments of the CD a more experimental taste. Some segments have less-than-average sound quality, with the audience even getting disruptive at one point.
François Couture - All-Music Guide Feb 2001
You would think that we would have more of a bustling scene in Toronto with the amazing amount of talent that we produce. Arc are another local band that is breaking barriers in conventional music. And it has become a welcome addition to my cd collection.
Arc are a improvisational experimental/ambient band....that is quite a mouthful. The complexness of the genre suits the band though as their music can conjure up complex imagery through their art. What Arc produces is the ultimate music for others artist to derive inspiration from, whether they be painters, sculptors, musicians, etc...
Personally though since most of my life is spent sitting in front of a computer writing or on the phone hounding record label execs...I get a clearly different effect from it. Arc's self-titled debut has actually become a standard in my cd player as when I need to get away from everything I can back off for a few minutes and the music relaxes me with it's obviously tribal influenced style. That is one of the best characteristics of Arc and similar artists...everyone responds to the music differently.
Suggestion: Since this is an improvisational band...you should strive to see them live. As every show is guaranteed to be a total new experience for everyone involved. I highly recommend it.
Seventh Circle Nov 2000
This self-titled, self-produced and self-distributed debut from the improvisational ambient outfit ARC is a document of live recordings made in 1999 through 2000. ARC is (A) Aidan Baker on guitars, flutes and voices, (R) Richard Baker on drumset and percussion, and (C) Christopher Kukiel on djembe, percussion and decks. The music is what they call 'experimental- dark-ambient- neo-tribal', which I would say sums things up rather nicely. Ambient textures from Aidan's guitar interact with the sometimes driving, though often uneven rhythms from the two percussionists, creating impressive atmospheres that are at times calm and serene, at others dark and threatening. The pieces are free-flowing improvisations, the musicians interact naturally with each other and seem to feed off of one another intuitively and with great ease. Probably the darkest track here is the third one; rough guitar and percussion textures accompanied by a bizarre narrative using an eerie voice from some computer speech program. Although a little rough in places (which I suppose is part of its charm as spontaneous improvisational ambient music), this is an intriguing debut, recommended for fans of more percussion-based ambient music, or for those who enjoy ambient guitar textures.