* En anglais uniquement
Aerial M was the alias of multi-instrumentalist David Pajo, a seminal figure in the development of the post-rock aesthetic whose tenures in bands including
Slint and
Tortoise set the stage for some of the most innovative and influential music of recent decades. He first surfaced in 1985 playing guitar in the legendary Louisville, KY, teen thrash band
Squirrel Bait; following their 1987 breakup, Pajo joined
Slint, a band whose revolutionary instrumental sound continues to resonate throughout the American underground scene.
Slint proved short-lived as well, however, and after their 1991 dissolution, he joined
the Palace Brothers, appearing on their early recordings; from there Pajo relocated to England, where he spent over a year studying at Norwich Arts College. Upon his return to the U.S. he rejoined
the Palace Brothers, additionally playing guitar in
the For Carnation and drumming in
King Kong. Most important, however, was his tenure as one of two bassists in
Tortoise, which began in 1996 with the landmark Millions Now Living Will Never Die; Pajo soon left the group, however, to focus on
Aerial M, a solo project that he debuted with the single "Safeless." "Vol de Nuit," one half of a split single recorded with
Monade, followed in late 1996, trailed a year later by
Aerial M's self-titled debut LP, issued on the Drag City label.
Post Global Music followed in 1999. Pajo also recorded and performed under the
Papa M alias in the late '90s and early 2000s; performed as a member of
Zwan; and used the Pajo moniker in the mid-2000s. ~ Jason Ankeny