|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CD
|
|
MTS 006CD
|
2015 release. Mathias Delplanque is an artist from Nantes, France (born in Burkina Faso), who has close links with the ambient, electronic, electroacoustic, and concrète musical spheres as well as dub and field recordings. His approach is therefore intimately intertwined with the creation of sound; sound in the physical sense of the term -- sound that goes through one's body, modifying one's perception without ever giving into the academic distance sometimes found in the field of musical sound research. This work is not theoretical; it explores every possibility that might push the artistic vision to its pinnacle. Delplanque has been perfecting this approach to music since 2000 under his own name and various pseudonyms, including Bidlo and Lena. But Drachen is much more direct and incisive than Delplanque's other productions, incorporating sonic impurities rather than focusing on deliberate, finely sculpted details. Delplanque goes so far as to create actual interference with his cell phone to disturb the rhythm and harmony of his compositions, and works urgently to induce mistakes and accidents with which to liberate himself from his own automatic reflexes. Drachen is therefore a dangerous album both for its author and its listeners. Yet there remains intact an emotional sensibility. All sorts of instruments (guitar, bass, melodica, kora, synths, etc.) are run through live electronic processing, and Delplanque manages to bring a beautiful melancholy -- even a certain tenderness -- out of this sonic mass, despite the roughness of the overall sound. The work is made up of seven highly distinct pieces that nevertheless fit together as a coherent whole. Although instrumental, Drachen is a largely narrative album that recounts its own story; a necessary reminder that just sound and silence are fantastic vectors for communication. The album closes with an eighth track created with 2008 field recordings from Gandefabou, Burkina Faso.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
MTS 006LP
|
2015 release. LP version. Mathias Delplanque is an artist from Nantes, France (born in Burkina Faso), who has close links with the ambient, electronic, electroacoustic, and concrète musical spheres as well as dub and field recordings. His approach is therefore intimately intertwined with the creation of sound; sound in the physical sense of the term -- sound that goes through one's body, modifying one's perception without ever giving into the academic distance sometimes found in the field of musical sound research. This work is not theoretical; it explores every possibility that might push the artistic vision to its pinnacle. Delplanque has been perfecting this approach to music since 2000 under his own name and various pseudonyms, including Bidlo and Lena. But Drachen is much more direct and incisive than Delplanque's other productions, incorporating sonic impurities rather than focusing on deliberate, finely sculpted details. Delplanque goes so far as to create actual interference with his cell phone to disturb the rhythm and harmony of his compositions, and works urgently to induce mistakes and accidents with which to liberate himself from his own automatic reflexes. Drachen is therefore a dangerous album both for its author and its listeners. Yet there remains intact an emotional sensibility. All sorts of instruments (guitar, bass, melodica, kora, synths, etc.) are run through live electronic processing, and Delplanque manages to bring a beautiful melancholy -- even a certain tenderness -- out of this sonic mass, despite the roughness of the overall sound. The work is made up of seven highly distinct pieces that nevertheless fit together as a coherent whole. Although instrumental, Drachen is a largely narrative album that recounts its own story; a necessary reminder that just sound and silence are fantastic vectors for communication. The album closes with an eighth track created with 2008 field recordings from Gandefabou, Burkina Faso.
|