Parking Non-Stop
Psychogeographical collective exploring sonic geography through field recordings.
Parking Non-Stop, or PN-S, is a psychogeographical art and music collective from north Wales. Its core members are poet Zoë Skoulding and musicians Alan Holmes and Dewi Evans, who frequently work with other artists. They blend soundscape and field recordings with spoken word and music.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Anglesey, Wales
- Genre
- Experimental rock
- post-rock
- pop
- Years active
- 1999–present
- Label
- Klangbad, Pure Pop For Now People and Ochre Records
- Current members
- Zoë Skoulding
- Dewi Evans
- Alan Holmes.
Facts from the source article.
Biography
Since 1999, Zoë Skoulding, Alan Holmes, and Dewi Evans have been creating work that investigates the sonic geography of a broader Europe from their home base in north Wales. Their primary output is a collection of musical pieces that blend field recordings gathered across various European locations with material recorded in their home studios. These compositions merge an experimental soundscape style with influences from Europop and industrial minimalism. The group’s goal is to craft a distinct north Wales sound by uncovering new spatial and temporal resonances, engaging with the sonic potential of mines, quarries, and rusting machinery in the present-day landscape—a decaying rural-industrial environment full of unexpected noise. Though mainly a recording project, Parking Non-Stop have performed live on several occasions, frequently alongside fellow musicians, poets, and artists. Their shows have occurred in multiple European countries, including Wales, England, Ireland, Slovakia, Bosnia, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway, Romania, and France. Beyond music and sound collage, the trio produces films used as projections during live performances; these films are deliberately slow and uneventful to complement rather than distract from the audio. In 2004, Parking Non-Stop were personally asked to support German post-industrial group Einstürzende Neubauten at their first Dublin concert. Shortly after, Faust’s Hans Joachim Irmler noticed the group and invited them to perform at his Klangbad Festival in Scheer, southern Germany, in 2007. The following year, Irmler released their debut album, Species Corridor, on his Klangbad label. German interest continued with a short tour in 2009 and an invitation to record a split LP for the Frankfurt-based Pure Pop For Now People label, which came out in 2010. The group also contributed rare tracks to two compilation CDs on that same label.
Musical style
Parking Non-Stop's musical style covers a wide range, including melodic pop, harsh industrial noise, ethereal ambience, musique concrete, progressive rock, krautrock and rhythmic electronica. Skoulding plays bass guitar and provides vocals (sung, spoken and electronically treated), while Evans provides keyboard sounds, with Holmes playing electric guitar and sequencing and mixing rhythms and field recordings. All three members provide location recordings; many percussion sounds on Species Corridor derive from recordings of slate captured in local derelict quarries. This results in what the group call a rural industrial sound. They have been compared to artists such as Stereolab, Einstürzende Neubauten, Kraftwerk, Broadcast, Throbbing Gristle, The KLF, Matthew Herbert and Tatu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Parking Non-Stop from?
Parking Non-Stop originated in Anglesey, Wales.
Which record labels has Parking Non-Stop released music on?
Parking Non-Stop has released music on Klangbad and Pure Pop For Now People and Ochre Records.
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