Stephanie Pan’s The Art of Doing Nothing: a feminist manifesto is about listening to yourself and the world around you. About saving power to explode with power. It is not about doing nothing. It is a proposal for navigating choice in a chaotic world. Celebrating qualities like intuition, vulnerability and emotionality, it is a vision on how to embrace the magical space of not knowing. Stephanie Pan and Ensemble Klang lure you onto a sonic roller-coaster that dives and soars through lush dramatic song, delicate soundscapes, post-punk noise, and pounding tekno beats.
Release Date: 26 apr 2024
Available as physical CD or digital album via Bandcamp, and on all streaming platforms
Physical release: triple-fold ecopack CD including fold-out booklet, with live photos of the work and all the texts, plus digital release.
Digital release: streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more, plus the complete album.
Credits:
Recorded live 11 January 2024, Musical Utopias festival, Korzo (The Hague, The Netherlands)
Concept, text and music by Stephanie Pan
performed with Ensemble Klang
Stephanie Pan – vox, synth, drum machine, effects
Erik-Jan de With – saxes
Michiel van Dijk – saxes
Anton van Houten – trombone
Joey Marijs – percussion
Saskia Lankhoorn – keys, backing vox
Pete Harden – guitars, backing vox
Recorded and edited by Micha de Kanter
Mixed and produced by Stelios Manousakis and Stephanie Pan
Mastered by Martin Siewert
Live sound by Tom Giles
Light and video design by Pavla Beranová
Conceptual advice Snejanka Mihaylova
Artwork and album design Chaja Hertog
Live photos by Tessa Veldhorst
Ensemble Klang Records #17
Ensemble Klang Records is a production of Stichting Ensemble Klang which is financially supported by the City of The Hague and the Performing Arts Fund NL. With further financial support for the album from the Sena Muziekproductiefonds.
“’Loving being still. Knowing when to pounce.’ The Art of Doing Nothing embodies the notion perfectly.” A Closer Listen (Maya Merberg)
“Sometimes serene and peaceful, despite a constant underlying anxiety, it lets energy build up before erupting musically and emotionally, such that its peaks are evermore impressive.”A Closer Listen (Maya Merberg)
“a rollercoaster embracing soundscapes through to post-punk. A conceptual performative piece… extremely impressive… an early highlight [at Rewire]…” 3voor12 (live at Rewire)
“an impressive album… Pan’s passionate vocals soar effortlessly” Gonzo Circus (Rene van Peer)
…puts into her score her empathic and compositional skills but above all her expressive vitalism. Iridescent music featuring electronics, sound poetry, modern opera, blues psycho-futurism, epic minimalism and the art-pop of the future-present.’ Blow Up
‘(…) an exquisite mix of theatrics (Pan has a powerful voice with which she can do anything) and a bed of music on which she can do anything.’ Vital Weekly
‘(…) deliberate, slow, meandering, yet restless (…) It then explodes, screaming, yelling!, (…) Stephanie’s wails, cries, yelps that physically hurt you. Live autopsy!’ Uni