Bruno Pronsato

Former heavy metal drummer Steven Ford began experimenting with electronic music at the turn of the millennium. After a few releases as Bobby Karate, the Seattle artist chose to head down minimal avenue, adopting the Bruno Pronsato alias to reflect this switch in musical direction.

"Read Me", his first single as Pronsato, was released on Seattle's Orac label in 2003 and followed by the well-received full-length Silver Cities in 2004.


Silver Cities is, really, a soundtrack to losing your mind. In fact, it could easily be used as a substitute score to Richard Linklater's recent cinematographic adaptation of PK Dick's "A Scanner Darkly". This album remains Pronsato's most approachable release to date, putting forward a savant mix of tech-and glitch-house, where driving electronic percussions are layered with dissonant abstractions of orchestral sounds and distant vocals echo enigmatically thru the intricate blend proposed by the artist. Think of a dark, funk-less Alex Under gone mad on acid and you'd get a very good idea of how this non-stop futuristic rollercoaster of a record sounds.

Since then, Pronsato has somewhat altered his approach. His recent tracks have been focused on percussion, filled with weird otherworldly sounds and layered with mesmerizing vocal samples. Hypnotic and addictive, Pronsato's brand of discordant night music has become the perfect audio complement to creeping around in the dark.

Bruno Pronsato has already left an indelible mark on the minimal scene, as indicated by the ever-growing list of quality labels that have published his music, including Montréal's own Musique Risquée. Upcoming projects include the completion of "The Lime Works" series for Paris' Telegraph imprint, further collaborative work with Franco Cinelli and an intriguing foray into darker realms called "No More Vampires" (as Osvaldo) for Underl_ne.

The future looks promising for the Seattle musician, but hopefully it won't look too bright, 'cause the guy definitely has a talent in crafting nocturnal grooves.

Bruno Pronsato will be swinging by Montréal this week, dropping by Academy on Tuesday for August's first Dizzy night. This Musique Risquée event will see Pronsato perform a live set alongside Dizzy resident DJ Vincent Lemieux.