Jean-Michael Jarre –
Equinoxe Infinity (Sony Music) LP / CD / Deluxe
Versions 16 November 2018 Forty years (to the
day) after the release of the landmark Equinoxe album, The Godfather of
Electronic Music releases the sequel. Jean-Michael Jarre
is a tease.A tease with the album
title.A tease with the album
artwork.A tease with the sounds that he
uses (repeats?) on Equinoxe Infinity.The
recent surprise announcement of this new album, hot on the heels of the
forty-one track Best Of Planet Jarre, has had fans positively frothing at the
mouth. Fans will need to introduction
to the 1978 original, Jarre’s fourth album has seen him develop a sound that
was unique to him – dynamic, rhythmic and employing bassline sequences it
initially received a harsh critical response but has since become one of the
most instantly recognisable pieces of electronic work ever via the likes of
Equinoxe Parts 4 and 5. With Equinoxe
Infinity comes ten brand new tracks (or movements) which cleverly follow the
path of the original album.Breaks of
thunder and lightning with bubbling and running water are repeated with synths
sounding ‘vintage’ but with a modern twist.Jarre often teases with lead-ups which could break into versions from
the original album at any one time and this, is perhaps when his genius shines
through. Equinoxe Infinity
may not hold much appeal to the newcomer unless they are of a particularly inquisitive
nature but it is worth remembering perhaps that the likes of Vince Clarke et
all owe a massive amount to the work of Jarre. Without him, the bouncy pop of
Erasure, Pet Shops Boys, and many others may simply not have existed with huge
chunks of 80s pop non-existent. The opening track,
The Watchers induces a sense of wonder, inquisitiveness, fear even as the characters
from the original album artwork move from cartoon to monolithic oppressors and
track two Flying Totems introduces the gurgling bassline of Jarre that has
become synonymous with his sound. Treated voices on
tracks like All The You Leave Behind and If The Wind Could Speak offer more
than a passing resemblance to years gone by and the title track Infinity is
nothing short of a master at work creating a track that could quite easily sit beside
its original contemporaries. At just less than
forty minutes, Jarre has transformed what many would consign to disaster into a
clever work which is both as tender and sympathetic to the original as one would
wish it to be.A dream come true for Jean-Michel
Jarre diehards and maybe an insight into an electro mastermind for others.
Website Twitter Facebook Published on Louder Than War 11/11/18 - here. If you enjoyed this article please follow hiapop on Twitter here, and like on Facebook here.
This is one of the most progressive and
innovative albums of this year.
As soon as the needle hits Nyari Garong we
are transported to the outskirts of what we were led to believe was the real
World. Say goodbye to your old self, you are never going to be the same again.
Electronica glitches through frightening
and beautiful shamanic chants, quickfire sabar beats punch holes in your daily
lives and fill them with futuristic melodies and Wolof tales.
Everything shifts
with such fluidity and shockingly raw power that any other music that you might
care to listen to afterwards will seem limp and bland.
They explore many avenues of what is to be
human. With deft and dynamic drumbeats pulsing through their music, there is no
time to settle back in an easy chair. Seye (Marriage) is a shapeshifting and
hypnotic track. The title track, Daega Rek, is subtle and smooth, focusing on
reality and the truth.
The combined talents of Kaw Secka
(Sabar/vocals), Tom Challenger (Sax/synths), Batch Gueye (Vocals/dance), Phil
Stevenson (Guitar), John Brierley (Bass) and Dave Smith (Drums) creates a
fusion that is mesmerising and intricate. Hip-hop dances with wild West African
trance, jazz trips with electro lightning strikes and they come together in a
sweeping embrace of different cultures. They are creating Worlds within Worlds.
The band are set and ready, not just for
the release of Daega Rek, but also for a tour of the U.K. which will unleash
this fierce and stunning collective on audiences from the South West to
Glasgow, with two Danish gigs in between. Are the people of The World ready for
the genre busting Fofoulah and their astonishing Afro-Dub explosions? Maybe
not. But they will definitely leave those venues with their minds firmly blown
and their hands clutching treasured new albums.
Website Twitter Facebook Published on Louder Than War 10/11/18 - here. If you enjoyed this article please follow hiapop on Twitter here, and like on Facebook here.
Gaye Su Akyol –
Istikrarli Hayal Hakikattir (Glitterbeat Records) LP / CD / DL Out Now Turkish singer, songwriter
and producer releases her third album. Two years in the making
since her last album Hologram Imparatorlugu, Gaye Su Akyol finally follows up
with and album well worth the wait.Istikrarli Hayal Hakikattir (Consistent Fantasy Is Reality) aims to present
itself as an album supporting feminism and revolution in an industry still
seemingly dominated and controlled by masculinity. With influences ranging
from Anatolian pop/rock to surf to Kurt Cobain, the title track heads off this
ten piece collection with effects that maybe wouldn’t go amiss in a 70s sci-fi
tv show soon to be joined by a more traditional sounding Turkish riff.Gaye’s voice is entrancing, working like an additional
instrument it peaks and falls against some wonderful guitar work and addictive play.It ventures into the dark with the occasional
nod perhaps to The Doors and is jam-packed with twists and turns along a much
varied route.Male voices appear in
choral form in a slightly ironic way and the album begins its journey. And, what a journey
it is.A conventional grounding of
guitar, drums and bass is accompanied by violin, oud and baglama making for an
interesting sound combination which continues through the album.Written about the people, pain and dreams of
the countries she has visited, Akyol presents a very varied work.Laziko takes us to a surf sound and Golgenle
Bir Basima is a slow, emotionally charged piece almost sounding like a faster
track has been slowed down.It’s
wonderful. For a brief moment, the
brass intro to Meftunum Sana could be from 2001 A Space Odyssey as once again, the
breathy, enigmatic vocals take centre stage.The brass section takes the track on a new route adding life and feeling
as vocals echo and percussion makes a perfect entrance and, an electro
interlude precedes a wild and eclectic finale. What Gaye Su Akyol
has achieved with this album has to be applauded, a recent appearance at the WOMAD
festival in July of this year will have added to her credentials and no doubt increased her ever growing
fanbase.The inclusion of Hemserim
Memleket Nire, a cover version of a song made famous by psychedelic composer
Baris Manco blends in well and is a good choice to run a parallel with the
other tracks. Halimiz Itten Beter
closes an album of impressive quality and further enhances the talent available
from Akyol.Well worth checking out.
Website Twitter Facebook Published on Louder Than War 02/11/18 - here If you enjoyed this article please follow hiapop on Twitter here, and like on Facebook here.