Category: Initial Shock IV

Rhoda at Initial Shock

Rhoda is Chris Gibson. A sound and visual artist living in Halifax, NS who works with field recordings, found sounds, tape machines and various electronics. He started recording from home in 2007, and progressed to live sets in 2017. He runs Buried in slag and debris, and is the editor/designer for Untitled zine, as well as an active member in Bleep in the Dark, an experimental collective who organize shows in Halifax.

Rhoda performs during Day 3 of Initial Shock IV, Sunday July 5 2026 at P’Tit Ours. Tickets are on sale!

The latest issue of Untitled is out now, and Initial Shock is pleased to have the magazine as one of our sponsors since day one!

Nimmie Amee at Initial Shock

Patient and incidental noise from Toronto. Dynamic sound collage mustered through field recordings, carefully plotted melodies, and slow-swelling intensity. Deeply personal and spirited audiographic experimentation.

Nimmie Amee performs on Day 2 of Initial Shock IV – Saturday July 4 at Casa del Popolo. Tickets are on sale!

Knifedoutofexistence at Initial Shock

Founded in 2013 on the south coast of England by Dean Lloyd Robinson, Knifedoutofexistence makes emotionally charged soundscapes using a mixture of cassette tapes, guitars, synths, vocals, microphones and feedback, with themes mostly recently focusing on grief, hauntology and the physical and mental spaces occupied by these ideas. Firmly committed to the live performance, the project has played across the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States.

Knifedoutofexistence plays the first night of Initial Shock IV – Friday, July 3, 2026 at Casa del Popolo. Tickets are on sale!

Catholic Stare at Initial Shock

Catholic Stare ruminates upon the inextricable relationship between sound and place; how an individual’s meaningful perceptual experience with place is contextualized by the sounds created and heard within it.
Catholic Stare plays the Sunday matinee of Initial Shock IV at P’Tit Ours, July 5, 2026. Tickets are on sale!

Black Corolla at Initial Shock

Black Corolla is the collaborative harsh noise project of Lauryn Jones and Zach Collins from Cincinnati, OH. Active since 2024, their work focuses on amplified glass, feedback, and distortion.
Black Corolla plays Initial Shock IV Day 2 at Casa del Popolo, Saturday July 4, 2026.
Tickets are on sale!

Kazumoto Endo and Killer Bug at Initial Shock

Kazumoto Endo is a legendary figure in the Japanese harsh noise scene, renowned globally as a master of the “cut-up” technique. Since his emergence in the mid-1990s, he has redefined the boundaries of experimental music, transitioning from his early moniker Killer Bug to releasing definitive works under his birth name. His 1999 landmark album, While You Were Out, remains a cornerstone of the genre, celebrated for its frantic editing, extreme density, and unparalleled sense of sensory overload. What sets Endo apart is his surgical precision. His sound is a volatile explosion of abrasive textures, characterized by sudden, razor-sharp shifts and rhythmic bursts of silence that keep the listener in a state of constant tension. This unique approach to “controlled chaos” has influenced generations of noise artists and secured his status as a pioneer of the Japanoise movement. With a prolific career spanning over three decades, Endo has toured internationally and collaborated with various icons of the underground. His 2024 album, At The Controls, demonstrates that he remains at the forefront of the scene, continuing to evolve his meticulously structured soundscapes. Witness the raw intensity of a true noise visionary whose work is as much about silence as it is about total distortion.
Killer Bug is a legendary solo project by Tokyo-based noise artist Kazumoto Endo. Since its formation in 1994, Killer Bug has established a firm position in the “Japanoise” scene, known for a unique style that blends intense noise with “dead-stop” cut-up editing. This high-speed approach, characterized by sudden shifts and explosions of sonic violence, has influenced experimental musicians worldwide. Throughout the 1990s, the project released influential works on pioneering labels such as Self Abuse and Troniks. In 2024, a “best of” compilation CD was reissued by Total Black, proving the project’s enduring acclaim. Although Endo transitioned to performing under his own name after 1997 and has rarely performed as Killer Bug since, he will play a special Killer Bug set for this festival.
Kazumoto Endo headlines Day 1 and Killer Bug headlines Day 2. Tickets are on sale!

High Grove at Initial Shock

High Grove is a cassette experiment between heather ross (SKIN) and sara delecore (SD/desolatum) based out of montreal. High Grove embraces the possibilities of tape manipulation and the gift of failure through deterioration. In a live capacity, they use that failure as a performance tool and as a means for improvisation. Progress through process since 2018.
Artist photo by Durell Smith.

High Grove plays Day 1 of Initial Shock IV at Casa del Popolo on July 3, 2026. Tickets are on sale!

Moss Harvest at Initial Shock

Moss Harvest is a recording project that has been active since 2014 and is currently based out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Recent releases on Total Black and Life Of Sensation have seen the project move in a less ambient direction, while live performances have leaned away from the lo-fi tape sound and towards a more dynamic stereo output intended for high volume environments. Artist photo taken by Alex Clancy.

Moss Harvest plays the Day 3 matinee of Initial Shock IV on Sunday July 5, 2026. Tickets are on sale!

Pholde at Initial Shock

Pholde is the ambient sound project by Alan Bloor. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Bloor began experimenting with sounds in the mid-’80’s in Detroit with various poets and sound experimenters. In 1994, he began a harsh noise project called Knurl (the debut album became the namesake of this festival!) and in 2002 began Pholde, which is a more ambient sound project. Alan currently resides in Quebec.

Pholde plays Day 1 of Initial Shock IV, Friday, July 3, 2026.

Tickets on sale now!

Xodkaar at Initial Shock

Xodkaar is a project based on circular conversations between man and machine wherein percussive sounds are toyed with using a telescopic actuator.

Shima is an Iranian noise enthusiast and toronto based artist and organizer whos work often revolves around impermanence and community based values.

Xodkaar plays the Day 3 matinee of Initial Shock IV, Sunday July 5, 2026. Tickets are on sale now!