Phantasticus – fiffdimension

Phantasticus is a 5 piece high-energy gypsy-flavours ensemble hailing from Wellington, the Gypsy-Balkan capital of New Zealand.

The lineup combines the fearless fiddling skills of Ana Christie and Alex Hills, matched by the awesome forces of Michael Kingston* and Rick Shaw on guitar, all wrapped up in the powerful bass boutique of Jacqui Nyman.

With an album of delicious original tunes under their belt, Phantasticus are taking the world by storm. These musicians are so well-seasoned they will leave you asking for ‘Kiwi-hot please’.

*Mike Kingston is a key member of The Winter. He plays guitar or cello on several fiffdimension tracks

is a Wellington NZ multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser.

From 2003-2015 he was a key member of The Winter. He also played on:

Loose Autumn Moans (2003) and
After Maths & Sciences (2005),
and in the early lineups of Ascension Band.

This page is a look back at that chapter of Mike’s musical story.

The Winter

An improvised music trio, with Dave Edwards and Simon Sweetman, which began in Wellington on winter solstice day, June 2003. Their first album, on CDR, was Parataxes (2003).

Mike contributed cello, electric guitar, slide whistle, and electronic interludes. The album builds from intimate acoustic pieces towards the electric climax of “Parataxes 9”.

Mike also played cello on Dave Edwards‘ cassette

Loose Autumn Moans (2003),

Acoustic songs with a mini string section, recorded and mixed on analogue equipment. Dave Edwards was joined by Sam Prebble (violin) , Mike Kingston (cello) and Simon Sweetman (percussion).

Mike next played electric guitar (under the alias San Shimla) in the 2003-2004 lineups of

Ascension Band

The 2004 lineup also included other semi-regular fiffdimension collaborators Antony Milton (The Troubled Times) and Simon O’Rorke (various free improvisation groups).

At the tail end of 2004, the Winter recorded their second album

Swansong (for the Huia),

dedicated to the extinct NZ bird. It was the band’s last session until 2009, while Dave and Mike each went overseas. The 19-minute last track was an epic finale and a (temporary) farewell to Wellington.

After Maths & Sciences (2005)

In 2005, Mike and Dave both relocated across the Tasman. After Maths & Sciences is an Australian double album recorded in Melbourne, 2005 and Sydney and Gosford in 2006.

It’s a very different record from Loose Autumn Moans or Parataxes – part field recordings, part improvised music, part electronic experiment and part documentary. Mike played acoustic guitar on the Melbourne half.

Another thread connects the records, as two different versions of “O Henry Ending” were recorded:

in Wellington 2003, with Mike on cello, Dave Edwards on guitar, and Simon Sweetman on percussion;

and in Melbourne 2005, with Mike on acoustic guitar, Dave Black on banjo, Cylvi M on percussion, and Francesca Mountfort on cello.

The Winter continued

on-and-off over the next twelve years (when all three were in Wellington). Mike played guitar, bass, clarinet, and charango. For highlights from their later recordings, see the

Shortest Days 2003–2015 compilation.

The trio’s only known video footage is from a gig at the Wellington venue Fred’s, in 2010:

Their last appearance to date was at the Pyramid Club in 2015.

Legacy

The recordings above are Mike’s contribution to the fiffdimension catalogue to date. He added jazz-trained harmonic and rhythmic sophistication, multi-instrumental capability, and a wealth of ideas to Dave’s untutored conceptual approach.

Other projects

Mike Kingston is a multi-instrumentalist front-man and composer in bands including Cumbia Blazera, ‘Bella Cajon‘ , ‘The Wagtails‘, and Phantasticus. He continues to perform regularly throughout Wellington and New Zealand, and has toured Australia and Colombia.