You knew the beating rhythm of a heart before you could breathe. We are flesh and bone, born to resonate and can feel sound. Your heart lives as the metronome for the rhythm inside you, and has evolved to synchronize with other living systems, and our earth as a whole. The intuitive creation of this abstract communication forms a flowing balance, creating a quiet, colossal symphony veiled by inexpressible colour and sound. The seemingly imperceptible mystery and intrigue of this connection can be felt and the vibrational interplay heard inside you, through music.

By random and intelligent design, music is a collective manifestation that echoes the wonder of all life. Through this resonance and within the audible space of stillness, rhythmic solidarity is born through sound. We are made in and of music.

It can be interpreted into sound by one being, and perceived as math by another. Likewise, music can be created mathematically, and relayed acoustically to others. It transcends and combines the disciplines of mathematics, astral and quantum physics to become a truly universal language. It expresses the wondrous relationships between the celestial bodies and our earth, the other planets, the sun, and solar systems. The shifting proportions, balances, distances, and vibrations can be measured both scientifically, and felt with the heart.

The perspective that music is a living, breathing organism is acutely felt in the band PULSE, the master project of Martin Johann Kloppers. An accomplished Canadian cellist/composer/artist, he merges his lifetime of musicianship and artistic visionary exploration with a perplexing array of creative skills, including TIG-welding. He began this musical journey at age five, making his own wooden instruments and by age seven, he began pursuing private cello studies. By fifteen he was composing his own music. Martin was also a founding member and the electric cellist of the enigmatic ARIA award-winning group, ‘Feeding like Butterflies’. He earned his technical chops with a Bachelor of Music (cello performance) and is a self-taught drummer/percussionist.

As a result, the visually stunning instrumentation and eclectically beautiful music is rich in depth and interest.

PULSE combines musical influences from all over the world, film score, alternative, pop, and dance genres, all blended by the masterful instrumentation, timeless mood, and precise orchestral layering. The result evokes scenery, images, and stories only limited by the imagination of the listener. It’s best described as a soundtrack, encompassing nearly every genre, making it a truly universal experience. It alludes to the inexplicable beauty of the universe, its creatures, and the great abstract of unexplored wonder and brilliance. It is the imaginative vision of PULSE that makes it a truly timeless innovation; combining the future and past, and the mystical beauty of accidental order.

The ‘Cellotaur’ & Global Drums
Martin has handcrafted PULSE’s exquisite showcase instruments, which embody complete originality in artistic endeavour, beginning with the ‘Cellotaur’. The inspiration for its distinctive shape is based on a symphony of scientific, archaeological, and fantasy-based thinking, asking the question, ‘If cellos were living musical creatures, and we discovered their remains on a distant planet, what would those remains look like?’ It is a world-class sculpture, painting, and living musical instrument, and unlike traditional cellos, is not dependent on the body for sound-resonance, but truly electric. Its final shape is visually-striking; a delicate balance of feminine lines with a deliciously dark, macabre undertone. Its very existence changes our perception and notion of possibility in music, and the universe.

In a similar fashion, the Global Drums symbolize the celestial bodies; planets, moons and suns, glowing orbs that all communicate through vibration in PULSE. They range in size, the largest being four feet in diameter and their unique lightweight TIG-welded design allows for overhead suspension, rotation, and movement. With built-in backlighting, the drums come alive with booming color and energy. They attune the vibrational connection of life, different times, and distant places.

Many of the musical compositions and pieces performed in PULSE have over a hundred recorded cello or instrumental ‘layers’, expressing the complex link between the physical world, the imagined, and the infinite composition of music and science. Martin’s piece ‘Kududance’ is one example, and it emulates the creatures of Africa, his birthplace. Through this immense symphony of sound, PULSE blends a cacophony of electronics, signals, and waves and integrates musical inspiration from even the smallest creatures on our planet. Add to that the haunting and expressive vocals of Kirtan artist Sparrow Grace, and PULSE’s ‘world-electric’ genre is alive with the energy of our earth.

PULSE is a masterful expression of the harmony and chaos of human experience becoming alive and present, and a communication with the universe.Every village has a drum. Every person has a voice. Every body has a PULSE.

PULSE is beating at:
pulseworld.ca