la nuit electriqueLe Nuit Electronique is the latest release from Zaïmph, American Marcia Bassett's creation. Prolific in her output (this is her 19th release as Zaïmph in 5 years to date), Bassett's music writhes around in sustained turbulent textures impregnated with intensity. The four tracks presented on this disc are a fine example of this. The presence of the usual drone elements (extensive reverb and delay) do tend to wear on this listener, not helped by the usage of white noise also, there are exceptions to the rule, however. The first track is an exception, yes there is a white noise swathe (what sounds like the crackling of an old record) but the surface material is clearer and, in context of the rest of the disc, more interesting. The evocation of an antiquated musical box, continually changing, contracting and expanding, is precisely manipulated throughout much of the fifteen minutes - it is certainly the standout track of Le Nuit Electronique.
The second, and again untitled, track specifically reminds me of James Tenney's music, it's penetrating and sustained soundworld often alluding to an outright exposition of fury without ever presenting it in a 'conventional' fashion. One is not aware of a moment of vehemence until it has passed, such is the slow progression of the music. Time and our perception of it is probably the most intriguing facet of this music--two of the tracks last over fifteen minutes, another lasting almost nine with one curious offering lasting just twenty-eight seconds. This final brief moment of harsh sonic noise is the only clearly delineated moment where one is allowed to glimpse the true darkness which is obscured throughout the rest of the disc. Its fleeting presence finishes the disc emphatically, at once closing and opening reflections on the album.
Even with my previous criticism of Bassett's usage of the staple drone elements of reverb and delay, in this music it is (mostly) clear as to why they have been used. The masking of the sounds helps Bassett form more gradual transitions between textures without single events being overbearingly present. Even the name 'Zaïmph', a creation of French writer Flaubert, intimates ideas of cloaking or concealment, the Zaïmph being an ornate bejewelled veil which brings death to any perpetrator that touches it. It is an excellently chosen name, the mixture of concealment and of a possible impending act of violence is omnipresent throughout Le Nuit Electronique. -- johnny herb.
:: Zaïmph/La Nuit Electrique - Utech/A-Musik.
