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2LP
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TRAUM 233LP
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Philippe Cam is the Thomas Pynchon of the electronic music world. Little is known about him and only a couple of pictures have been put online since he emerged on this planet to write his first and only album in 2001 (TRAUM 003CD). All that's known is that he worked as a sailor and that's it. If you dig deeper you might find out that he worked as a DJ in the beginning of the '90s in Brussels and began to study electronic music there and also began to write music for theaters and ballets. So what's new with his music? Basically, the art of filtering is still his passion. Maybe he can be less associated with techno and the themes of his new tracks emerge in a more distinctive pattern? The energy of his early techno days in Brussels have returned here in a fierce way with some of the tracks. The rhythmic movements are classy and stick with you. Whereas other tracks look for a distinctive relaxation of some kind. The album kicks off with the mellow and soothing "Cocoa Beach". A gentle beat that moves like bodies swaying in the hot summer sun. "Manga" feels like an acceleration to the moon, the contemplative moments come in spurts and hide in the intervals of the chords which are on the loose. "Short Summer" is heavy and violent. As intensive as it is, it knows when to stop and disappear. Be prepared for "Vermillions Sands", some Terry Riley might lure around the corner to offer you some oranges on a silver plate, but don't eat them. Maybe the best ambient track ever written. Rotterdam was home for Philippe Cam for a long time but not anymore. "Rotterdam" seems mechanical and rusty and spooky and divided. "Bis" is a short episode of a track, and before you can comment on it, it is already over. "The Game" is a mule of a track. It has a quiet stubborn sequence that bites and kicks you in the back without any change in near sight. "Ultimate Fly For Halloway" somehow orchestrates how you might feel after you climbed a 8000 meter high mountain and reached the top. "Last Track" is a true minimalistic piece of music that manages to make contact with other genres and does this with elegance, determination and a lot of soul. Cover art by Yvette Klein.
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12"
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KARAT 036EP
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"Once again a great release on Karat. This time Philippe Cam is coming strong with massive tunes. We know this guy for his first releases on Traum records a few years ago; he reached at this time the point where electronic music can be groovy without a bass drum. Last year he released an EP on Musique Risquée, a bit more functional; now he joins Karat and delivers a great EP with an astonishing quality of production. The first track is a house tune, quite stompin', with a nice guitar riff and great atmospheric effects. The track goes crazy when it comes to the half, introducing wild synth notes. Some real vibe! The second track is a beatless tune in a particular Cam's way, something laid-back but still intense, a real melodic thing, between dub, electronica and house! Then it goes with 'Bass Star,' a real strong techno burner, which can be compared to Brinkmann's 'Tanks A Lot' stuff, even harder and more fine; the sounds combine perfectly, the structure is great. Techno music at its best!"
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12"
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TRAUM 017EP
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The 5th 12" for Traum by this French artist from Le Havre. "The master of techno without kickdrum is back for more funky sequences. One of the main pillars of Traum, his music is very strong, creating an almost quanrophonic experience."
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CD
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TRAUM 003CD
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"Philipe Cam is a star in his own field. He is among the few people that have succeeded to write hypnotic dance music without a conventional beat still conveying a thrilling, dramatic feel. Cam has developed an accurate, intense and complex formula of modulation-techno. Starting with music similar to Pan Sonic in 1996, his music turned towards a more elegant form of minimal music. He worked as a DJ in Brussels beginning of the 90s. Then chose to become a sailor and cruised the oceans. Mid of the 90ies he started to study electronic music in Brussels and began to write music for theatre, ballet and French movies. Abstract soundtracks lead to an organic form of music, which was equally influenced by modern techno as Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas or Basic Channel/Maurizio. His demo received by the Cologne based label Traum in 1999 led to a series of three fantastic 12"s. Since then journalists have made links also to Manuel Göttsching's classical masterpiece E2-E4 referring to his low evolving modular wave scapes and strong repetitiveness. Cam's latest compilation CD Balance on Traum is a fine selection of tracks previously released as Traum 12" s. This CD contains tracks in full length, plus a video of 'Mixte' by Cologne artist Yvette Klein, who thickly textured the music with a minimal aesthetic. Cam's music corresponds heavily to the Cologne scene, where his music is appreciated and played throughout the clubs by the likes of Michael Mayer, Tobias Thomas and various other DJs as well as experimental djs from the A-musik corner."
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12"
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TRAUM 004EP
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Second single on this label by this new French producer, described as "Manuel Göttsching's reincarnation, very beautiful! This is ambient!" Long E2-E4 style guitar-loop workouts that escalate continually; a bit hard to get past the Göttsching link perhaps, but so gorgeously performed.
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