http://hour.ca/music/lallaland.aspx?iIDArticle=14537

May 1st, 2008
Lalla Land

Vienna-tronic
Steve Lalla

Baroquetechtician John Kameel Farah runnin' his harpsichord, piano, laptop and synth rig

Whether it was Mozart's introduction of Baroque influences into his treatment of then-current genres of classical music, Brian Wilson's fusing of trendy surf music with Phil Spector's "wall of sound" studio techniques or Steely Dan's heavenly marriage of jazz and '70s-era rock'n'roll, great moments in musical history often result from novel combinations of existing styles.
Lalla Land today takes a look at two visiting artists who find themselves between genres, combining their own rich musical perspectives on contemporary genres such as breakbeat, in the case of Vancouver's Myagi, or for Toronto keyboard whiz John Kameel Farah, with IDM and breakcore.

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"There are always going to be some who resist when exposed to something they're not used to," tells Kameel Farah, "but it always evokes a strong response. Using beats may be perceived as lowbrow by some conservative musicians, but I don't care about the tools - you can use anything as material to arouse emotion through music."

Farah says he's been quite blessed with interest from classical composers, accomplished musicians and various electronic producers on the path that he's taken. "More are prepared to 'go there' than you'd think. And it's inevitable that these worlds come together. But really I don't have much of a choice in how I create. I have to satisfy the pianist, improviser, composer and producer within myself, and reassembling those worlds into these 'electro-piano concertos' is my way of integrating

them into a cohesive, meaningful experience."

"Believe it or not," Kameel Farah points out somewhat reluctantly, "I actually think the criticisms come less from the classical or jazz world but more from the indie scene, where sometimes a high level of skill on your instrument is held against you."

John Kameel Farah brings his stunning sonic, compositional and manual dexterity to a Saturday, May 3, show at McAuslan Brewery's St-Ambroise Centre alongside "trippy turntable duo" InsideAmind and breakcore/dubstep/yachtstep/Intelligent Tiki Music/drill'n'bass malcontent Blake Market (9 p.m. at 5080 St-Ambroise St.).