Pleq & Philippe Lamy – Sans Titre
Recently we were alerted to yet more exquisite material from industrious artist Bartosz Dziadosz, as he teams up once again with French minimal/glitch artist Philippe Lamy. Pleq’s repertoire has spanned many genres from modern classical, ambient/drone and even downtempo depending on his collaborator. Now in a CDr release on the Pocket Fields label, he combines with Philippe Lamy for a short set of murky musique concrete explorations. The minimalist texture is what drives this record and for maximum effect, be sure to listen to this one late at night in the small hours with headphones.
What’s more, the overall package includes remixes by heavyweights Pjusk, Marcus Fjellstrom and Ben Lukas Boysen and these are certainly not just bonus remixes. If anything, these are integral part of the overall body of work with Pleq stating that these were the actual ‘starting point’ for the album. This gives a sense that the dense noise experiments that precede are building towards the remixes; the eventual focal point of the journey. One thing that gives great power to stripped back minimalism is the effect of melody and tone when it hits and as Sans Titre Trois creeps in with its aching drones and spoken word, this is achieved in part whilst not overdoing it. It is followed by subtlest use of a kick-drum that you’re likely to hear as a series of electronic beeps and tones ride atop this sort of shattered hint at Techno; Sans Titre Quatre.
Enter the remixes, and Pjusk’s version of the previous track follows on perfectly as a further adaptation of these foreboding sounds. Marcus Fjellstrom follows, remixing Sans Titre Deux with an ethereal, otherworldly approach. Suddenly the much longed-after melody creeps in at last – but somehow the haunting cacophony of strings blend into the rest of the material, as a blur. At this point it really does become apparent that the remixes are crucial to Sans Titre and by no means an afterthought
Finally, the warmth of melody returns in full as Ben Lukas Boysen weaves a sad tale of slow piano chords on a bed of drones. The dust is settling and the full extent of the power in Sans Titre is unleashed in its calmest moments. The magnitude of this power depends on how much of the album you have listened to. This final track is incredibly pleasant but it is all the more effective when allowed to follow its companions that set the stage
To listen to this release hit play above or HERE to buy
