Ph2

Flyers - Revolver, Melbourne © 1999

Background

The working relationship between Philip Brophy and Philip Samartzis goes back many years. Both were involved in many of the projects released on the Present label and both lectured in Media Arts at RMIT University in Melbourne. Ph2 is their collaborative venture.

Ph2 projects arise from the opportunity to present or perform, at which point a project is developed. Surround-sound exploration is central to most of these works, combined with ways in which the two can conceptualize, score and improvize. Most works start off as pure experiments to see what outcomes will arise. Successive performances then gel the work into a form, which is then at some stage recorded in multi-speaker configuration. Some of these works eventually found their release through Sound Punch Records.

Credits

Samples, keyboards & synthesizers - Philip Brophy
Synthesizers & 808 drum machine - Philip Samartzis

1999

Revolver, Melbourne; Hi-Fi Bar, Melbourne; Laundry, Melbourne
Studio session @ Gelatin, Melbourne

Overview

Frail Plastic Animal developed after Bionic Blue Bubblegum Slurpee had been performed for about a year. The intention with Frail Plastic Animal was to not have any pre-sequenced passages, which in Bionic Blue Bubblegum Slurpee had across time developed into a score which both Philips 'read' as a series of cues to perform their parts. The new set featured Philip Samartzis performing Roland SH1 synths analogue-synched to an 808 drum machine; Philip Brophy performed drum pads triggering samples, as well as additional keyboards. Rehearsals determined a set of songs each with their own tempo, with the different patterns on the 808 being the temp-clock for each track. Unlike the atmospheric electronica soundscapes of Bionic Blue Bubblegum Slurpee, the Frail Plastic Animal tracks are minimalist techno pulsations.

Technical

Titles

1. Asphalt Gallery
2. Chinotto Express
3. Deep Heaven
4. Feral Aspirin
5. Fuzzy Tongue
6. Incredible Stomach
7. Marshmallow Telegraph
8. Osaka Curry
9. Pretty Suicide
10. Robo Breakfast
11. Tangerine Exhaust