Nic says:

I had played a few of Edward's solo shows around the USA and the UK over the years...guesting on a few songs...totally improv. People seemed to really dig the theremin on Suicide Pact! Then this European tour happened and it was magic. This show in Stuttgart was memorable as the stage was shaking...a lot...constantly...making it extremely difficult to play my instruments! When a theremin's antennae start moving you just have to rely on some magic (and hope the audience doesn't notice the off notes)...and the Lightning was moving too, making hitting invisible drums an interesting experience! Playing with these guys is always amazing. It's always different...and always magic.

Edward says:

It all began so informally. EK had fixed a few low key solo shows around Europe to simply try and limp by for another month or 2 while old friend Nicoletta Stephanz just happened to be in Europe and had brought her theremin and box of delights with her.
A collaboration seemed like a first class idea -even though rehearsals were out of the question. In fact EK and The Silverman had chalked up quite a few duo shows in the last years which turned out to be enormous fun if a tad unpredictable.
Nicoletta's presence added that extra element of chance - but hell, what a glorious element.
At one point it was if she was playing the air itself with a magic wand. EK and Silverman just stared …open-mouthed…Marvellous. Damn it was so special. Then there was her voice part …..a massive choir of her voice through a myriad of effects. Swathes of improvisation occurred.
In fact the concert represented here (at Stuttgart) for this cdr release was one of the first…..this trio went on to tour the US finishing with a bizarre climax in seattle where the whole audience joined in with the band in a song about a happy doughnut.
There were other faces onstage too. Ninah Pixie played a circuit bent flower with the trio in San Francisco, EK's all-time hero Daevid Allen joined the band for the encore section of the same show.
A most unlikely event and also unforgettable….Cover design by Ray.

A big thank you to Nicoletta and Lisa,
*****

Nicoletta Stephanz is a composer, musician, and recording artist. Nicoletta creates sensory environments with her voice, electronic and traditional instruments, and through treating found objects, combining sound with aromatherapy, live film, and fengshui. She has performed and recorded with a variety of musicians and artists including Gong, Daevid Allen, Edward Ka-spel/The Legendary Pink Dots, The Damned, Galactic, and members of Acid Mothers Temple. As a solo artist she usually performs as Coven of One.

Nicoletta has a profound love for voice and theremin.

She was invited to give demonstrations of her unique instrumentation at Moogfest in North Carolina and Leon Theremin's workshop in Moscow.

She has built some of her instruments, including her theremin, which is one of the world's first electronic instruments. Nicoletta has toured around the world, playing large music festivals, museums, intimate rooms, glass traffic islands, film festivals, and art festivals...with classical orchestras, funk groups, prog rock bands, electronic bands, experimental ensembles, and solo.

Nicoletta has performed with bands including:

The Legendary Pink Dots/Edward Ka-Spel solo
Gong
Daevid Allen
University of Errors
Galactic
The Damned
Nik Turner (Hawkwind)
Kangaroo Moon/Mark Robson
Cotton Casino of Acid Mothers Temple
Sacred Geometry
Dead Voices on Air
Not Breathing
Drummstick
Ego Likeness
Stroking the Tail of the Bird
Lana/Soriah
Lydia Kavina (Leon Theremin's grand-niece)
member of MidAtlantic Noise Fest and ArtBeat
invited to 1st International Theremin Festival in Portland, Maine
gave demo at 1st Moog Theremin Festival and at Leon Theremin's workshop in Moscow
Carlos Martins/Augustus
Pixound - John Lennon's drummer
Tussle
Turas

"Nic is one of the most creative people I know." - Bob Moog

"Thank god we had a REAL thereminist!" - Wendy Carlos

"Nic quite simply has a potent effect on everybody she encounters. My favourite thereminist Nicoletta Stephanz has performed with Gong & on the most recent UNIVERSITY OF ERRORS CD. She has a wide range of electronic talents & a magnificent voice & these qualities melt together effortlessly..." - Daevid Allen (Gong/Soft Machine)

"The North-American musician Nicoletta Stephanz, also known under the moniker of Coven of One, is considered one of the top 3 theremin players in the world and has toured supporting Edward Ka-Spel." - Intuitive Music

"..Stephanz' dark side, with wailing theremins, rumbling textures and gloomy vocals." - François Couture, All-Music Guide

"an amazing world class master thereminist" - The Old Library of Marshall, NC

"a space-age Amazon warrior on the Theremin" - Martin Hutchinson, The Bolton News

"She's the sexiest thereminist I've ever seen!" - Giorgio Gomelsky (first manager of the Rolling Stones who made them famous, and producer of many great musicians, including the Yardbirds, Clapton, Magma, Soft Machine, Gong, and Bill Laswell)

All life is Music. All life is Vibration.