KTU (band)
KTU (pronounced K2) is a progressive/experimental musical supergroup. In 2004 Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto started collaborating with Kimmo Pohjonen and Samuli Kosminen, forming KTU out of their respective duos TU and Kluster.
History
Kimmo and Samuli formed Kluster in 2001. Both award-winning musicians are known as adventurers in their respective fields and their partnership takes accordion music to new and unexplored territory. On stage, Kosminen reproduces samples of Pohjonen's accordion and voice percussively by way of electronic drum pads. Samuli also drums with Icelandic band MUM, and other recent Kluster collaborations include Uniko and the Kronos Quartet.
Percussionist Pat Mastelotto and touch guitarist Trey Gunn have enjoyed successful careers with the band King Crimson, one of the world's most dynamic, skillful and innovative bands. The two met at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios before touring with David Sylvian & Robert Fripp and separately they have worked with John Paul Jones, XTC, Toni Childs, The Rembrandts, Cock Robin, Robyn Hitchcock, Trail of the Dead, Julia Fordham, Vernon Reid, Hall & Oats, The Sugarcubes, Mathew Sweet, Jude Cole, Steve Hackett and countless others. Their new duo known as TU explores and highlights the well-known Gunn and Mastelotto edge, energy, humor, imagination, phenomenal playing skills and dynamism in an improvisational setting. The first TU album was released in early 2004 followed by April appearances in Moscow.
Seeds for KTU took root at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March 1999, when Kimmo Pohjonen shared a billing with Mastelotto/Gunn/Robert Fripp's ProjeKct Three at the Electric Lounge. Plans for the quartet took shape over the next five years. KTU's aim is to combine the creative energies, edge, imagination and other elements of the four players to make something new, different and musically explosive. Surround sound design and effects are handled by Heikki Iso-Ahola.
KTU rehearsals and the World Premiere concert took place in Helsinki at the venue Nosturi in April 2004, followed by four concerts in Tokyo at Eggman; recordings from these shows comprise the debut record 8 Armed Monkey released in 2005. Live concerts continued in 2005 with headlining festival appearances in Germany at the Moers festival, Kulturzelt an der Drahtbracke Kassel, Kulturarena in Jena, as well as FMM festival in Sines, Portugal. More recent shows include Moscow, Tallinn, Estonia and the Tampere Jazz Happening festival in Finland. In 2007 KTU debuted its live show in the US and Mexico as a trio (missing Kosminen; he still contributes when schedules permit, but could not continue committing to being a full-time member).
The group's second album Quiver was released in February/March 2009. [1]
Line-up
Current line-up
- Trey Gunn (Warr guitar)
- Pat Mastelotto (rhythmic devices, beats, noises, percussion)
- Kimmo Pohjonen (Chromatic button accordion, voice)
Former members
Discography
- 8 Armed Monkey (2005)
- Quiver (2009)