Turn on your stereo, close your eyes and just follow the music to wherever it leads you. That’s how Pontus H.W. Gunve wants you to listen to his music. If music has to be ‘about’ something, then Pontus’ is about movement. It’s hard to categorize his work: instrumental—yes. Electronic—yes. But its tempo is not repetitive like trance, nor is it tranquil like ambience. Pontus likes motion and energy and it is evident in his work. His compositions are dynamic, complex and multifaceted—with different textures and layers; different ideas evolving from a central theme. It may start with a simple melody but it rarely adheres to a formula. It is always changing its course and there’s always development. It takes a turn, moves forward, and then suddenly, takes another. He wants a lot of things going on; he has a lot of impressions. He draws them from everything around him—the street noises, the cars, the voices and even Pink Floyd or Steve Vai. Pontus’ life is his music.
He was born and raised in Sweden where he attended a rock high school; he has a Masters degree in Music Technology from NYU and even took sitar lessons in India. Pontus’ worldliness is reflected in his compositions which are influenced as much by his love for old school rock and heavy metal as they are by complicated sound software and funky synthesizers. And then sometimes, just sometimes, if you listen carefully to the many intricate layers, you can hear the streets of Calcutta, or the scales of a sitar, being played on the guitar. He maybe breaking all the rules of the traditional Indian instrument but in the end, his experiments work. And through them, he challenges himself as an artist and also demands much from the listener, who becomes a part of his adventure.
Pontus’ vitality resonates in his entire resume. His first album ‘Great Wall of Sound’ can be found on CD Baby and iTunes while his second solo album was released in November 2008. He has produced Rachel George’s (independent New York singer/song writer) new CD “Drawing Down the Sunâ€, done compositions and sound design for movies including Wake, Behind Forgotten Eyes, Sonnets in the City, Racewalker and is working with his brother in Sweden on “Future of Art Project.†Oh, and did I mention, in his free time, he teaches at a ‘rock school’ in New Jersey?
Pontus performs live shows in venues all around the New York City area. His shows involve a complete multimedia experience with visuals ranging from digital, sometimes trippy graphics to realistic images that are synched to his music while he performs on the ever faithful guitar—the instrument that started it all for him. He is playing a movie while performing on his guitar, that’s what makes his shows so unusual. But he has many ideas. One is to eventually evolve his shows into full multimedia events with live elements, involving an orchestra of instruments, visuals and artists. He too is on a journey and doesn’t really know where it will end. But, one thing is for sure, he and his music, together, are never static. They are vivacious and always on the move: exploring new grounds and playing with new ideas.
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BRAND NEW VIDEO -
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Forward Motion
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RACE ACROSS INDIA - MOVEMENTS
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MOVEMENT I - MOVEMENTS
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PHWG LIVE in SWEDEN - GREAT WALL OF SOUND - Karlskrona, 08/25/07*
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LIVE VIDEO - GREAT WALL OF SOUND - Sputnik Bar, Brooklyn 05/13/07 *
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O to "GREAT WALL OF MUSIC"******************************************************
*VIDEO to "24 Hours of Magic"
