At a place in between post, kraut, psychedelic and punk rock; nestled in the hills and valleys of electronic, experimental and drone, is a space that is Off The International Radar. Formed by Henry Sansom, Don Kennedy and Aaron Dawson in the basement of the Toronto house they shared, OTIR has grown from parties crammed with projected images and sweaty minds to sharing stages with Holy Fuck, A Place to Bury Strangers, Polmo Polpo, Mahogany and Quintron. A vast record collection and a deep love of music combined to bring them together, taking their different influences and honing them down into a sound variously described as epic, hypnotic and throbbing.
Combined with stunning original visuals that juxtapose and enhance the weaving of signals and noise, Off The International Radar tailor the live sound for the show, whether it be aggressive low-fi in a basement, atmospheric for an art gallery, or epic clashes at an outdoor stadium.
Off The International Radar's HOT LIPS EP was recorded and produced at Brooklyn's Civil Defense by Andrew Prinz (Mahogany), mastered by Harris Newman and also features an epic collaboration with Holy Fuck entitled "Holy Radar".
Holy Radar (side B1.) is a remix/reworking of OTIR's "E bowl Of Iris" by Holy Fuck. Having sped up the original OTIR song on a record player in studio, Holy Fuck played along and added their own layers. As a result the vinyl record plays as 2 versions. Play at 45 RPM in the spirit of the remix and play it at 33 1/3 RPM in the spirit of the original recording.
Press
"OTIR's music is hypnogogic; it exists in that brief space of semi-cognizance between sleep and wakefulness - Their heady sonic experimentalism is more Fuck Buttons than it is Holy Fuck. But where Fuck Buttons' twisting demonic landscapes fill you with immediate terror, OTIR's songs slowly creep you out with their incessant hum." (Soundproof)
"Ignore the name, Off the International Radar is definitely on the must-hear map. And this is music you can also see: OTIR's audiovisual live shows loop projected imagery over their Krautrock/punk/psychedelic cocktail." (eye Weekly)
"Performing in the dark, except for a backdrop projecting some abstract surfing images, Off The International Radar pieced together an elegant and often beautiful set. Given their ambient electronic experimentation, just close your eyes and enter a dream-like state of mind listening to their hypnotic score." (exclaim! Magazine)
