seven

"emission pilote" is continuing the themes suggested on "périmètre", creating unique surroundings that mix structured ambience with dark technoid noises. together with new ah cama-sotz and beefcake it has been one of the most anticipated releases from ant-zen this spring.

starting with "périmètre" the band has established themselves as one of the most interesting technoid ambient acts combining strangely addicting elegant minimalistic tracks with appropriate packaging and ideology.

first track starts out with minimal frequencies and unstructured pulses - quite similar to the atmosphere on "jeux de terre", but not nearly as dense; modulated transparent electronics quietly hums throughout the whole track.

following less atmospheric but still captivating "mechaniblock (pilote)" is a lot more in the vein of "perimetere", emphasizing strong and somewhat straightforward monotonous percussion which is not nearly as dreamy and subdued as on "perimetere", approaching the point where it could be called almost "aggressive".

"erreur" is next with strong percussion, but this time backed by a variety of hollow beats, collapsing frequencies, buzzing sounds and piercing static noises. the whole array brings back cold hypnotizing feel of vromb together with a vast number of raw retro-sounding mechanized elements. the track quietly drifts into minimal isolated pulses that lead to the "variation et"; strong percussion backed by more prominent background noises and minimal touches that do not allow it to overshadow the whole track; it is probably the harshest I heard from the band.

gradually the tracks are getting longer and longer to result in an epic climax that is "segment" - a 20+ minute masterpiece that pulls together the best elements hinted by previous tracks on this cd. at this point you realize that every previous track before was just a building block for this perfectly constructed composition.

dark cinematic passages start the track that persistently and unnoticeably advances showing its different sides to the listener - from unstructured throbbing static to more and more controlled soundscapes with caustic twitches, subliminal progressions, touches of hollow percussion, fading frequencies, bubbling abrasive noises. several times throughout the track you realize that what seemed to be an unchanging pattern has mutated and morphed to something completely different than what it was just a minute ago, yet the sense of continuity and monotony is present in every single moment.

sound structures and some of the elements used on "emission pilote" at times remind me of ah cama-sotz, but the resulting atmosphere is quite different - vromb is concerned more with perfecting monotonous soundscapes, building abstract collages and excelling in precise sound manipulations, while ah cama-sotz focuses on building highly emotional and dense environment.

"emission pilote" presents minimal exquisite soundscapes for the eclectic listener, a unique cinematic atmospheres captured on record, a dynamic image of random flow of energy hidden within the waves of elegant monochromatic textures; a challenge and a reward for the ones that understand.