CCAM Éditions (LP)
eRikM and Anthony Pateras are two of the most interesting and prolific figures in the field of contemporary electroacoustic music. While Pateras is known for his revolutionary approach to piano playing and his compositions which attempt to extract characteristics typical of electroacoustic music from regular instruments, eRikM is considered one of the most prominent experimentalists with turntables and CDJ’s, exploring different qualities of loops and the hidden possibilities of both the analog and the digital device.
Their collaboration dates back in 2017, since then they started exploring possible intersections between their devices, both in studio and live. The result is a two-piece album which stands as a demonstration of their process, Orbitale was recorded in Ljubljana and Nyctalope in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy.
What drew my attention while listening to this record is the peculiar palette of sounds they use. Pateras’ synthesisers and samplers blend into the sounds of eRikM with precise attention, so that they become indistinguishable. It is very hard to understand who does what and their understanding of each other is so deep that each cut, caesura or sharp gesture happens at incredible timing and precision. The two tracks share a very evocative and dynamic nature, they range from full, powerful moments of rock solid hits to ethereal, suspended situations of thin high lines of sounds. Their timbres are never banal and I really enjoy the way the two performers overlap them and play with constant substitution and change of role. Sounds become protagonist and then fade back into the background to become a carpet for other things to walk on top, then everything is disrupted and reassembled in a different shape. Their virtuosity is unquestionable here and eRikM’s small loop nuances are pure delight for the ears.
Highly recommended!
toneshift.wordpress.com 