1963
Mika Vainio & Ilpo Vaisanen are born in Finland
1989
Mika & Ilpo meet at one of Mika’s illegal raves in Turku
1994
Form as Panasonic in Turku, Finland, 100 miles west
of Helsinki, originally as a trio (with Sami Salo, who leaves in 1996
to fulfil his army service duty and subsequently takes up photography)
Release initial 12” single on local label Sahko, which they help
create
play first shows outside of Finland at Vox Club, Brixton, London, as a
Sahko Collective (inc Jimi Tenor)
1995
First Album “Vakio” released on
Blast First/Mute Records
Video for “Urania” by Brian Griffin is nominated for Dadd
(Design & Art Directors) Award for Excellence--other Nominees: The
Rolling Stones
Video tours major art institutions world-wide as part of Dadd show
Mtv show video repeatedly
Play New York Disobey Club at the Knitting Factory with Aphex Twin / F.M.
Einheit (Neubauten) / Bruce Gilbert (Wire)
Angela Bulloch (Turner Prize Nominee) selects their sound work for her
show at Museum Of Modern Art, New York
Klf loan them their armoured car fitted with 40k P.A. system for a performance
off Brick Lane in London
New Musical Express devotes two & half pages to band
Sound installation @ Moma Helsinki
1996
Mini Album “Osasto” released
Eight-hour performance at the Beaconsfield Gallery in South London with
performance artists Hayley Newman & David Crawford as part of their
“Rude Mechanic” season (which also features Scanner &
Bruce Gilbert)
Play live session for Kiss FM & record John Peel session
1997
Mika moves studio to London
Release second full album, “Kulma”
Cover of “The Wire” magazine
Tour Japan – perform with Yamatsuke Eye of the Boredoms
Remixes for Bjork “Headphones” & 2K (KLF) “Fuck
The Millennium”
Six-week tour of Europe as guests of “The Swans” final tour
Receive grant from Finnish Cultural Institute for “Aesthetics”
Accept an invitation from Comme Des Garcons to perform live at Paris Homme
fashion show
Sound installations at Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
(“Migrateurs” project) & Moma Paris
Re-invited to perform at Comme Des Garcons Paris & Tokyo Femme Shows
The Independent (UK daily paper) writer Nicholas Barber describes them
as “Either the future of music or the worst art joke ever”
Japanese electronic giant requests name change from Panasonic to Pan Sonic
after first Usa records released
1998
Record the Pan Sonic “A” album (see
above name change!!)
Mika relocates the studio to Barcelona, Spain
Suicide invites them to open for their one-off reformation concert, declaring
them “The only band taking our idea further”
Play Sonar electronic music festival in Barcelona
Record with Alan Vega of Suicide As V.v.v. (The album “Endless”
their first record to feature any vocals!)
Brian Griffin makes a video for the title track, shown on national tv
in Finland
Second sound installation at Moma Paris
Sound installation at the Walker Art Gallery, Minneapolis
Meg Andrews (1998 Young Designer of the Year) commissions music for Bbc
2 eight-week documentary on her life this year
Bjork interviews them for her “Future Sounds” documentary
for Ch4
For his degree show, Royal College of Art design student Robert Green
makes “Artic Rangers” model kit based on Pan Sonic & featuring
their music as a limited edition of 500
Remix Riuchi Sakamoto (released on Ninja Tune)
Supply test tone for London-based experimental radio station “Resonance
Fm” 107.3
1999
“A” album
released + “B” E.P.
Four-week national tour of Usa with American “Krautrock” band
Trans Am
Riuchi Sakamoto visits their studio in Barcelona but believes they are
trying to fool him as there is so little equipment in their studio
Sound installations at the Pompidou Centre, Paris,
Perform sell-out concert at Cartier Foundation Gallery, Paris.
Official “mascots” of Sonar Music festival in Barcelona with
Jamaican-themed “Wood Men” beach party
2000
Pan Sonic support Suicide at their New York “homecoming
gigs” at two sold out nights at the Knitting Factory
Record again with Alan Vega in New York (V.v.v.) & F.M. Einheit in
southern Germany (V.v.e.)
Hayward Gallery sound installation as part of David Toop’s curation
of the “Sonic Boom” exhibition
Play sold out show at South Bank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall with
F.M. Einheit & guitarist Caspar Brotzmann – 30% of audience
leave
V.v.e. play Sonar Electronic Music festival to capacity audience –
so crowded no one can leave!
Record sound for an advert for Nissan Micra cars
2001
“Aaltopiiri” released
Round the World tour (see bio)
Record with 40-voice Icelandic choir orchestrated by film soundtrack composer
Barry Adamson
Play to over 1000 people at Finland’s Avanto festival
2002
Month-long sound installation at Triskel Art Gallery,
Cork, Republic of Ireland
HZ Group sound show at Frankfurt Gallery of Contemporary Art
Sonar festival duet with Peaches
Perform in Helsinki with the early electronic instruments of Erkki Kurenniemi
Play sold out show in Moscow
2003
Mika moves studio to Berlin
Record “Kesto”
2004
May - Kesto released as a four cd boxed set
2005
Win Finnish artists of the year (much to chagrin
of elderly finnish painters!!)
Tour Europe extensively.
2006
Tour Europe extensively with Italian contemporary
music group “Alter Ego”
Play prestigious Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK)
Perform in Europe with Icelandic cello player Hildur Gudnardottir
Short tour of Usa
2007
Short tour of Japan
Change Record Labels From Blast First/Mute Records To Blastfirstpetite.
Katodivaihe (Cathodephase) released
Ilpo moves from Barcelona to Berlin.
