Circuit D’Actes 2

Released in April 2011, this compilation with a beautiful DIY cover is the latest great release from La Forme Lente, a  label from the shouth of France really worth keeping an eye on.

The selection contains 10 titles from  : codes  (Belgium), Nihiltronix (France), Former Airline (UK), Makina Girgir (France) and Ssleeping desiresS (USA).  What makes this compilation so special is not only the selection quality, but also the fact that all of these artists never released much material before.

Both : codes songs are very cold and solemn, with industrial drums, heavy bass pads and catchy sequences. Shadow Coat has a man vocal while Nekra Fylla is sang by a female. I didn’t really know about : codes before getting this record and I am anxiously waiting for new recordings to get my hands on. This is definitely one of my favorite new project out there.

If I didn’t discover Ssleeping desiresS tracks through this release, I would have thought they are vintage recordings. This is typical synth wave, very cold,  haunting and danceable; just the way I like it. Worth mentioning, the lyrics are excellent; very intelligent and poetic.

As you might have read in this review, I was already fervent about Nihiltronix, but I got totally blown away by Hey Jesu. Blaspheming distorted and demented vocals with squealing noises over a kick ass bass and drum beat. Wow, this is really rock n’ roll! The other track is a little more quiet with a repetitive pattern, more weird noises and the same demented vocal, very far in the the background.

Then comes Makina Girgir that is another big revelation for me. Think of a dreamy atmosphere with beautiful analog sounds, addictive  melodies and a very sweet female vocal. I couldn’t ask for any better! Being more accessible, I think this project might reach a larger audience.

Both Former Airline tracks are quite different. Oktober is more electronic, with experimental sounds and abstract guitar melodies while Let’s Have a Party has more guitars and is a little more upbeat. I find they sound like a mix between Cheveu, The Fall and early Cabaret Voltaire. Both titles are kind of abstract, industrial and experimental, but nothing harsh with just enough weirdness.

Congratulation to La Forme Lente for this perfect compilation.  So far, this is sincerely my favorite release of the year. Hurry up while their is still a few copies left!

Nihiltronix / V.S.K.B. Split 10″

This album came out on La Nouvelle Alliance in October 2009. Nihiltronix is a solo project from the Paris area and the same artist is already well known for his previous act ICK under which he released 19 records between 1995 and 2007.

V.S.K.B. was an industrial Soviet project from the 60′s in Latvia near Riga that was conducted to do research, design and test of the new equipment produced for agriculture and agronomy. This project was closed in the 90′s and the kids that were born out of this experiment were left homeless, known as V.S.K.B., and now drawing memory lines in analog frequencies…

The Nihiltronix side kicks off with a slow, cold and demented minimal track. It gets a little more upbeat with the second and third tracks that both have an addictive drum beat that reminds of ICK. The last one is more industrial, heavy and hissing as hell.

These 4 songs are raw, dirty and distorted as a big ball of anger, tainted with a modern industrial doom sound. Not for the sensitive minds, it could lead to hate and revolt. Everytime I listen to the first track it pulls right into my guts and gets me gritting my teeth.

The V.S.K.B. side is an instrumental and mystical work. With space noise machines, it first starts with a melancholic atmosphere and it soon turns into repetitive and hissing sounds, reminding me of fever dreams. Not too harsh and still accessible, there are pleasant melodies and minimal rhythms, sprinkled with sounds from outer space. Based on the information from the inner sleeve, they are using esoteric Russian synthesizers.

The copy I got came in a pretty white and gray marble edition.