March 20th, 2009 | By marek in General | Comments Off
Via Versatile blog: Etienne Jaumet’s album “Night Music” will get a remix/re-interpretation by Carl Craig. It’s supposed to see release in September this year and will include 5 tracks, including a track of 22 minutes’ duration.
Both guys being regulars on this blog, this is definitely intriguing news. As for the 22 minute track, it sure sounds like a hangover from the “ReComposed” installment, a collaboration with Moritz von Oswald (of Maurizio fame) reworking the most famous works of 20th century classical composers Ravel and Mussorgsky.
Fabrice Lig is the first and most probably the last artist I’ve ever sent fanmail to. His debut LP called “Walking On a Little Cloud” (under Soul Designer alias, 2002) was, and still is, very much my taste in deep techno - mostly dreamy, Detroit-influenced beautiful soundscapes, with nicely programmed techy and very distinctive beats. So after listening to the album for the first time, I just felt the sudden urge to express my exaltation to him and give some casual respect. And he replied shortly - thanked me for my letter and, if I remember correctly, said some nice things he had heard about the Estonian underground community. Naturally, I was all excited about this kind of personal contact and was sure that it was a beginning of close relationship, musically.
In some point, we ‘grew apart’, musically. The next albums, “Roots of the Future” and “My 4 Stars”, did not make me feel like sending fanmail, it started to sound a bit.. eeeh… worn out to me, to be honest. And from there it got more and more… eeeh… cheesy. Although he maintained the characteristic and recognizable sound, the basslines got naive and a bit irritating. Of course we still ’shared’ some bright moments - like the “On Stage EP” he made with Jean Vanesse (the South Union project), that was catchy and sharp as ever. Nevertheless, as the time came by, I felt like seeing other people, musically.
But I hadn’t heard the last of mr Lig, it appears. Every single day, when I browse my RSS feed for new releases, I dream to come across such sick tunes as “The Track”. It starts with hypnotic carlcraigish stomping and hits the climax with huuuuge epic breakdown, growing and growing and growing, climbing up the octave with crazy synth stabs. If I know anything about the people going to the parties where we play, they will be knocked out by it. There are quite ecstatic comments on it on WAS already, by the most prominent DJs and producers. That one really heats up our relationship again, musically, and I feel like sending fanmail again. Definitely books a high place in my personal 2008 chart.
The below is a snip from the superb Offtrack radio show, so don’t be scared if you occasionally hear the soothing voice of Dirk Rumpff.
This one you already know from Chateau Flight’s Body Language. Or actually, you know both sides of the record. However, I insist on special attention! The damn record is so French you can smell the cheese, and it will grow on you before you can say “Daft Punk!”. Since I’ve always been a sucker for those dramatic types of tracks (the videos of which would usually feature eagles flying and huge fireworks and icebergs falling into water and men jumping off cliffs, all of that in slow motion, you know what I mean) my pick would be “Prophetization”. “Pazuzu” again is for walking down the street in a tuxedo and white shoes, wearing huge sunglasses and headphones – sophisticated funk, if you will. So anyway, if you still want to hear it after these stupid portrayals, here you go.