Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Pragmatist is Ed Mendelson. A classically trained cellist and pianist who was distracted from classical music in order to dissect his classical instruments, plug in, and turn them into perverse and unique digital tools.
Pragmatist is an amalgam of live jazz, innovative synths, drum and bass break beats and crawling with live recordings using some kinky use of computer voodoo. Pragmatist evolves in sounds and textures from one track to the next: these transformations and revolutions hint of broad influences, classical training and an experimental approach..
Edward draws from influences as wide as Bonobo, Amon Tobin, Cinematic Orchestra, Portishead, Avalanches, Radiohead, Sibelius, Bartok, the chilled vibes of Kieth Jarrett and Brad Mehldau and the wired sounds of Esbjorn Svensson Trio.
Pragmatist is the manipulation of classical instruments, the innovation of unique textures and the groove of kick-arse beats.
It's Electronica, it's Jazz, it’s Trip Hop Lounge Music.
Edward lives in the cross-genre wonderland of break-beats, jazz, classical, and traditional trip-hop downbeats. This is the type of music you'll need to sit back and listen to... don't just play it in the background whilst doing something else. Trip-hop may have begun the chill-out lounge music scene, the 'cafe/muzak' establishment and the whole Cafe Del Mar record label, however the best of it is a showcase in electronic wizardry and nuance in soundscapes. So do its just deserves, and sit back, concentrate and appreciate the layers of awesomeness, the spirals of groove, and the wickedness of syncopated-percussive sampling. Sometimes it can all sound a bit overwhelming, but enjoy the aural textures and sink in.
FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PRAGMATIST:
"I've been playing and mixing live orchestral instruments with electronic samples for a few years now. At 25 years old, I’ve been playing the cello and piano for over 20 years.”
“Whilst practicing Bach, studying composition, and filling my mind with the fundamentals of musical theory, my tastes began to wander to the experimental. I began a lifetime exploration into the innovative sounds of the electric cello, as well as the versatility of the humble USB.”
“For the ability to share those sounds with others, I thank my trusty MacBook, which saved me the countless thousands of dollars of mixing equipment, and bridged the gap between classical musician, and acoustic engineer/producer.”
“Years of scribbling down fragments of harmonies, melodies and textures as incomplete scores were salvaged as all that loose sheet music began to find its way into digital format, taking their shape on the grid. I hoped they would once grow into symphonies, however the flotsam and riffs now fill hard-drives that are like ammunition to be fed into the machine. “
“Those strange timbres from digital synthesis met my love of improvised jazz piano. I use a great variety of equipment and instrumentation, yet it is reliant on a MIDI/USB keyboard, a killer laptop, and a massive collection of loops that I’ve stored up over years of recording.”
“I don’t think my creations sit neatly into any one genre. I use jazz grooves, break beats, drum and bass rhythms and chilled lounge loops. I’m influenced by classical music, piano jazz as well as trip-hop artists like Portishead and Lamb: my tastes are whimsical and diverse, be it the Avalanches, Forss, Radiohead, Sibelius, Bartok, the chilled vibes of Kieth Jarrett, The Bad Plus and Brad Mehldau, or the wired sounds of Esbjorn Svensson Trio. I think they combine to produce a sound like no other. It's Electronica, Jazz, Trip Hop Lounge music."
You've not heard anything quite like this before.
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