Pivot (Australian band)
Encyclopedia
PVT is an experimental rock band based in London
and Sydney
.
and Sydney
. They are currently signed to Warp Records
. Band members are Richard Pike, Laurence Pike and Dave Miller. Brothers Richard and Laurence grew up in Sydney
, later meeting Dave Miller who originally comes from Perth, Australia
.
In 2010, the group decided to remove the vowels from their name Pivot after a legal claim was made from an American band of the same name. Although in print it is 'PVT', the band can legally be called Pivot in all territories outside USA.
About the name change, Richard Pike said “It was frustrating and kind of ridiculous, but it became quickly obvious that it was a legal battle in the US we may not even win, and one we just couldn’t afford to lose. So in the end, we weren't fazed by it. Altering the name just seemed to be another step in the process for the record to come out and be heard… At the end of the day it’s small change...”
and Laurence Pike. The band spent the subsequent four years developing their sound and working on their debut, with guitarist Richard Pike producing.
PVT, then going by the name Pivot, released their debut album, Make Me Love You
, in August 2005. It was well regarded, receiving widespread radio support on alternative radio and being nominated for a J Award
by national youth broadcaster Triple J
. The band added Perth (and now London) electronica
artist Dave Miller in late 2005, omitting the old members from their line up and becoming a three piece.
In 2008, PVT signed to legendary UK label Warp Records
.
Their first EP In the Blood was released (as Pivot) on 18 May in UK /Europe, and 24 May in Australia in 12" / Digital format. The music video was directed by Alexander Orlando Smith (Coldplay
, Futureheads).
PVT's first international release O Soundtrack My Heart
(also released under the name band name Pivot) came out 9 August in Australia, and 18 August in the UK / Europe. It was tracked at BJB Studios Sydney, Australia, with Scott Horscroft, and mixed with John McEntire
(Tortoise
/The Sea and Cake
), at Soma Electronic Music Studios
in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
O Soundtrack My Heart
was given the honour of 'Sydney Album of the Decade' for the 2000s, by FBi Radio
, Sydney.
2008 saw the band tour relentlessly across Europe and the UK. Notable shows included an appearance at 2008 Meltdown with Yellow Magic Orchestra, Glastonbury and invitations from The Arctic Monkeys, Sigur Rós
and Gary Numan
to support on Australian tours.
The band has been known to cover Talking Heads' "I Zimbra" live using live sampling to replicate up to 12 parts, and included a live version of the song on the B-side of their "O Soundtrack My Heart" tour-only 7".
PVT were invited to perform as part of the Brian Eno
curated Luminous Festival at the Sydney Opera House
in June 2009, and were then also working on the completion of their third studio release, Church With No Magic, with engineer Burke Reid in Sydney.
In 2009 they contributed a cover of the Grizzly Bear
song "Colorado" to the Warp20 (Recreated)
compilation, as well as having their song "Fool In Rain" covered by Scott Herren
's 'Diamond Watch Wrists'.
They released the album Church With No Magic under their new name 'PVT' worldwide in July/August 2010.
They appear on the Modeselektor album Monkeytown (2011).
Laurence Pike was also the founder of the now disbanded The Leaf Label
group Triosk
, and has recorded and performed with Savath and Savalas, Prefuse 73, Qua, Bill Callahan, Jack Ladder, Flanger and jazz veteran Mike Nock
, as well as a solo drum 10" release under the name Laurenz Pike for Berlin
's Monika Enterprise
label.
Richard Pike
recorded and toured with Flanger on vocals and guitar. He has also produced two records for Triosk
.
Dave Miller
and Laurence Pike have a side-project called Roam the Hello Clouds released on the ~scape
label. Dave Miller
has released solo records through German Background Records and others.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
About
PVT are a 3-piece band based in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. They are currently signed to Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
. Band members are Richard Pike, Laurence Pike and Dave Miller. Brothers Richard and Laurence grew up in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, later meeting Dave Miller who originally comes from Perth, Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
In 2010, the group decided to remove the vowels from their name Pivot after a legal claim was made from an American band of the same name. Although in print it is 'PVT', the band can legally be called Pivot in all territories outside USA.
About the name change, Richard Pike said “It was frustrating and kind of ridiculous, but it became quickly obvious that it was a legal battle in the US we may not even win, and one we just couldn’t afford to lose. So in the end, we weren't fazed by it. Altering the name just seemed to be another step in the process for the record to come out and be heard… At the end of the day it’s small change...”
History
PVT formed as Pivot, a purely improvisational 5-piece band, in Sydney 1999 by brothers Richard PikeRichard Pike
Richard Andrew Pike was the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2006 - 2011.-Education:He attended Gosport County Grammar School . From Downing College, Cambridge he gained a 1st Class BA in Engineering in 1971, and later in 1977 gained a PhD...
and Laurence Pike. The band spent the subsequent four years developing their sound and working on their debut, with guitarist Richard Pike producing.
PVT, then going by the name Pivot, released their debut album, Make Me Love You
Make Me Love You
Make Me Love You is the debut album by Australian instrumental band PVT, released under the name Pivot. It was released in August 2005 through Sensory Projects, distributed by Inertia Distribution, and received strong radio support and a nomination for the J Award.The album was produced by Richard...
, in August 2005. It was well regarded, receiving widespread radio support on alternative radio and being nominated for a J Award
J Award
The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...
by national youth broadcaster Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. The band added Perth (and now London) electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
artist Dave Miller in late 2005, omitting the old members from their line up and becoming a three piece.
In 2008, PVT signed to legendary UK label Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
.
Their first EP In the Blood was released (as Pivot) on 18 May in UK /Europe, and 24 May in Australia in 12" / Digital format. The music video was directed by Alexander Orlando Smith (Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Futureheads).
PVT's first international release O Soundtrack My Heart
O Soundtrack My Heart
O Soundtrack My Heart is the second album by PVT . It was released on 9 August 2008 in Australia, and 18 August in the UK / Europe through Warp Records, under the band name Pivot....
(also released under the name band name Pivot) came out 9 August in Australia, and 18 August in the UK / Europe. It was tracked at BJB Studios Sydney, Australia, with Scott Horscroft, and mixed with John McEntire
John McEntire
John McEntire is an American recording engineer, drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known for being in Tortoise and The Sea and Cake, as well as being a highly in-demand producer and engineer....
(Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
/The Sea and Cake
The Sea and Cake
The Sea and Cake is an indie rock band with a pronounced jazz influence, which formed in the mid-1990s in Chicago out of the ashes of local bands The Coctails and Shrimp Boat. The group's name came from a willful reinterpretation of "The C in Cake", a song by Gastr del Sol...
), at Soma Electronic Music Studios
Soma (studio)
Soma Electronic Music Studios is a recording studio owned and operated by John McEntire in Chicago, Illinois.Artists who have recorded there include:Bundy K...
in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
O Soundtrack My Heart
O Soundtrack My Heart
O Soundtrack My Heart is the second album by PVT . It was released on 9 August 2008 in Australia, and 18 August in the UK / Europe through Warp Records, under the band name Pivot....
was given the honour of 'Sydney Album of the Decade' for the 2000s, by FBi Radio
FBi Radio
FBi is an independent, not-for-profit community radio station in Sydney, Australia. FBi places a heavy emphasis on local alternative music: it has a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, of which at least half comes from Sydney musicians.FBi began 'test...
, Sydney.
2008 saw the band tour relentlessly across Europe and the UK. Notable shows included an appearance at 2008 Meltdown with Yellow Magic Orchestra, Glastonbury and invitations from The Arctic Monkeys, Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
and Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
to support on Australian tours.
The band has been known to cover Talking Heads' "I Zimbra" live using live sampling to replicate up to 12 parts, and included a live version of the song on the B-side of their "O Soundtrack My Heart" tour-only 7".
PVT were invited to perform as part of the Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
curated Luminous Festival at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
in June 2009, and were then also working on the completion of their third studio release, Church With No Magic, with engineer Burke Reid in Sydney.
In 2009 they contributed a cover of the Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear (band)
Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band, composed of Edward Droste , Daniel Rossen , Chris Taylor and Christopher Bear . The band employs traditional and electronic instruments...
song "Colorado" to the Warp20 (Recreated)
Warp20 (Recreated)
Warp20 is a compilation album released by Warp Records in 2009. It contains covers of Warp artists, such as Aphex Twin, LFO, Boards of Canada and Grizzly Bear by other Warp artists, such as Plaid, Autechre and Mira Calix.-Track listing:...
compilation, as well as having their song "Fool In Rain" covered by Scott Herren
Scott Herren
Guillermo Scott Herren is a music producer, who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups Savath y Savalas, Risil, and Diamond Watch Wrists.- Biography :Guillermo Scott...
's 'Diamond Watch Wrists'.
They released the album Church With No Magic under their new name 'PVT' worldwide in July/August 2010.
They appear on the Modeselektor album Monkeytown (2011).
Members
- Richard Pike - vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Laurence Pike - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Dave Miller - laptopLaptopA laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Laurence Pike was also the founder of the now disbanded The Leaf Label
The Leaf Label
The Leaf Label is an independent record label based in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Initially known as an electronic music label, releasing mainly instrumental music, the company's approach has broadened over the last few years and now features an eclectic range of artists, with a focus on strong...
group Triosk
Triosk
Triosk were an experimental jazz band from Sydney, Australia, who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2007. Though coming from a jazz foundation, their sound has very strong electronica elements as well as influences from the textures of musique concrète, with their use of loops of hisses and...
, and has recorded and performed with Savath and Savalas, Prefuse 73, Qua, Bill Callahan, Jack Ladder, Flanger and jazz veteran Mike Nock
Mike Nock
Mike Nock is a jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. He began studying piano at 11 and by 18 was performing in Australia. He headed a trio that toured England in 1961 and then attended Berklee College of Music...
, as well as a solo drum 10" release under the name Laurenz Pike for Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
's Monika Enterprise
Monika Enterprise
Monika Enterprise is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany, founded in 1997 by Gudrun Gut.In 2001, Wallpaper magazine described the label's musical style as "[o]ccupying a twilight zone between electronic pop, easy listening and bedsit angst" and "[s]pearheading a new generation of,...
label.
Richard Pike
Richard Pike
Richard Andrew Pike was the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2006 - 2011.-Education:He attended Gosport County Grammar School . From Downing College, Cambridge he gained a 1st Class BA in Engineering in 1971, and later in 1977 gained a PhD...
recorded and toured with Flanger on vocals and guitar. He has also produced two records for Triosk
Triosk
Triosk were an experimental jazz band from Sydney, Australia, who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2007. Though coming from a jazz foundation, their sound has very strong electronica elements as well as influences from the textures of musique concrète, with their use of loops of hisses and...
.
Dave Miller
Dave Miller
Dave Miller may refer to:* Dave Miller , United States baseball player and coach* Dave Miller , South African athlete in cricket* Dave Miller , British athlete in football...
and Laurence Pike have a side-project called Roam the Hello Clouds released on the ~scape
~scape
~scape is a Berlin-based record label focusing on various subgenres of electronica and experimental music.Since the label was founded in 1999, label owners Stefan Betke and Barbara Preisinger have signed numerous artists, such as Jan Jelinek, Deadbeat, and John Tejada....
label. Dave Miller
Dave Miller
Dave Miller may refer to:* Dave Miller , United States baseball player and coach* Dave Miller , South African athlete in cricket* Dave Miller , British athlete in football...
has released solo records through German Background Records and others.
Discography
- Make Me Love YouMake Me Love YouMake Me Love You is the debut album by Australian instrumental band PVT, released under the name Pivot. It was released in August 2005 through Sensory Projects, distributed by Inertia Distribution, and received strong radio support and a nomination for the J Award.The album was produced by Richard...
album (2005) - In the Blood 12" single / EP (2008)
- O Soundtrack My HeartO Soundtrack My HeartO Soundtrack My Heart is the second album by PVT . It was released on 9 August 2008 in Australia, and 18 August in the UK / Europe through Warp Records, under the band name Pivot....
album (2008) - O Soundtrack My Heart 7" Tour only single (2008)
- Church With No Magic album (2010)
- Window digital only EP with Remixes (2010)
- Light Up Bright Fires digital only EP with Remixes (2010)
External links
- Official website
- My Space
- In The Blood official video
- O Soundtrack My Heart official video
- Window official video
- Light Up Bright Fires official video
- The Quick Mile live session for PBS Radio
- Crimson Swan live session for PBS Radio
- Church With No Magic live session for PBS Radio
Articles
- The Guardian
- Interview with Pivot about their album, O Soundtrack My Heart
- Exclusive interview with Pivot on Australian Edge
- Album review: BBC music
- Interview with Pivot about album O Soundtrack My Heart and concerts on czech Radio Wave (czech + english audio file)
- FBi Radio Sydney's #1 Album Of The Decade
- Interview with Richard Pike, July 2010
- Rough Trade Shops Top 100 Albums of 2010
- KCRW Radio blog review of Church With No Magic