A story contains but few words.
Born. Walked. Kept walking…

Vangel’s first musical steps began with his formal music studies as a member of his grade school band and strings ensemble. “I remember hitting all the wrong notes, playing through rests, and resting during section solos”. His thrist for musical experience continued into high school where he rehearsed with his city’s symphony orchestra as a member of the viola section while spending his summers at Scarborough Music Camp.

As Vangel’s exposure to various genres of music grew, so did the scope of his musical interests. “I hated playing. I wanted to put it together”. His fascination with putting together eventually led to an obsession with dissecting songs and time signatures. Needing a more contextual knowledge base, Vangel spent his days digging through flea markets and garage sales in search of diverse vinyl records with new sounds and ideas.

Eventually, vinyl led to djing. “I bought my first turntables and mixer from this guy’s trunk at a local gas station; they were definetly stolen”. Working with 2 records opened Vangel’s eyes to the possibilities of manipulating and creating new sound relationships. “I wanted to make beats so bad. I had so many ideas I wanted to try out. I bought a computer, quit my job, and moved home”.

The Toronto-based producer first turned heads with his production work in the Canadian hip hop scene, with his work being described as “beats so gloriously fucked, they make EL-P sound like a more accesible Moby” (Now Magazine). In 2005, his solo production efforts under the alias: peterdeadpan, drew comparisons to Amon Tobin, Squarepusher, and Luke Vibert, while earning the debut instrumental record Album of the Month praises from KlubLife Magazine. The 2006 offering, PostModern Eros, a fusion of live instrumentation and fluid sequencing, established Vangel as a serious instrumental composer with the unique ability to meld themes and emotions into sound and depth. Its movement and eclectic use of progressive indy rock and psychedelic funk with meanderings in jazz and electronic drew listeners across all genres and cultures.

Vangel has taken his live improvisational PA across Canada, the US, and Europe, having shared stages with RJD2, Omid, EL-P, Mr.Quibble, and many more. “The best of many good sets.” (Exclaim! Magazine). His talents eventually caught the interest of Germany’s premier instrumental hip hop and electronic label: Equinox Records. In early 2008, Equinox featured Vangel on their release “One Year & A Day: The 5inch Files”, a limited edition 5inch vinyl collector’s edition boxset, as well as their newest vinyl compilation: “One Year & A Day: A Sound Exposure Vol.2″.

The newest release, “Biblio”, exemplifies Vangel’s most polished and musical work to date. A jazz inspired ep, it can only be described as: “Cheesy, but serious like hipster scarfs and coffee”.

With a multitude of diverse theme-based instrumental projects on deck, Vangel is taking humble steps towards a unique synthesis of sound.