CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC (E)

This CD is a compilation consisting of excerpts from live recordings, made by six different French artists in the genre of electronic music. It’s a good way to present new artists to the public, but personally I don’t like samplers very much. Although slightly more jazzy the first artist Awen presents a piece in the vein of Klaus Schulze with a rather simple sequence and on top of that a lot of percussion and numerous effects and solos. The duo Nightbirds build up their music gradually, adding more sounds and volume every minute, but it is a bit monotonous to me while the melodies sometimes consist of simple floating sounds. Bertrand Loreau opens with effects and weird sounds, then orchestral synth sounds move in and we hear music in the vein of Robert Schroeder in the eighties, but more distinct soloing by an artist who has more capabilities than using computer software alone. Olivier Briand plays the same kind of music as Tangerine Dream did in the nineties: sparkling, melodic, rhythmic and very nice to my ears! Christian Richet alternates effects and crazy noises with a pounding beat, sometimes with over-the-top sounds and solos. The music is not melodic and sounds quite aggressive, so definitely this is not my cup of tea. Jean-Christophe Allier brings back memories of sythi-pop as played by Alphaville, Depeche Mode and many other bands from the eighties. Lovely and poppy sequences and catchy melodies, but hardly original, nevertheless very pleasant to listen to. The second part is a lovely piece played by piano and organ with some effects of sea sounds. The melodies show some Celtic influences.