The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!

The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales



Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Bertrand Denzler / Leo Dupleix 
  Plateaux
  (albertineeditions) 


  
   review by Thomas Mellish
  2021-09-21
Bertrand Denzler / Leo Dupleix: Plateaux (albertineeditions)

Bertrand Dupleix plays electronics, vibrating speaker, and floor tom; Denzler plays the alto saxophone. By harmonising their respective domains, 'Plateaux' features a myriad of sonic landscapes which the two interrogate, ranging from the forlorn to the downright disquieting. Denzler and Dupleix give a new sense to the term 'atmosphere.'

The first track, 'Plateaux', can be thought of like a sonic bog. Dupleix's digital organ oozes ominously throughout the track, behaving like a sonic quagmire. The languid and beleaguered notes produced by Denzler's alto saxophone harmonise and intertwine with the digital organ to create a soporific spell. This spell envelopes the alto saxophone, which begins to acquiesce to the sonic sludge. Yet, mirroring the absurdity of Baron Munchhausen escaping a bog by lifting himself by his own hair, Denzler (somehow) wriggles free. Buoyed by the escape, Denzler explores a series of sonic domains by way of various key changes. These domains, however, are just as treacherous as before. Dupleix's digital organ still looms ominously in the background, modulating the musical milieu. In a series of vicious circles, Denzler's alto saxophone falls foul to the sonic quagmire again and again. Eventually, these cycles and epicycles can no longer be repeated. Denzler's alto saxophone becomes more mutated and virulent as the track reaches its conclusion, bellowing atavistic growls. These frustrated spurts transpose to forlorn whines: the battle is lost. The sonic quagmire claims its newest victim.

The next track, 'Positif', despite behaving like a homonym for 'positive', is anything but. This track is epitomised by various capricious and whimsical key changes. The mercurial temperament of this track allows the sombre and the jubilant to coexist in one mosaic of sonic moods. Denzler's alto saxophone alternates between rich, voluptuous assertions and shrill atonal shrieks. Dupleix's electronic ensemble oscillates indecisively between various keys and registers. The final track, 'Tessiture,' gives total primacy to that which 'Positif' expressed in ephemeral paroxysms. 'Tessiture' begins with the construction of various monoliths of cacophony. These monoliths of noise then go under a Kafkaesque metamorphosis into something grotesque; noise mutates into a zoic and bestial form. The uncanny begins to become palpably ominous. As soon as this musical Mephistopheles begins to grin beguilingly at the listener, the track ceases. Having scared the listener stiff, the sounds move onto more important matters.

Plateaux provides a set of vivid and lucid sonic atmospheres that envelope the listener and transport them to new sonic territories, perhaps making them turn around just to make sure there is nothing hiding behind them.







Comments and Feedback:



The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Kim Jae Jung:
Shamanism
(Relative Pitch)



Joe McPhee/
Susanna Gartmayer/
John Edwards/
Maria Portugal:
Monster
(Klanggalerie)



Signe Emmeluth/
Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten/
Axel Filip:
Hyperboreal Trio
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher/
John Edwards:
This Is
Not Speculation
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Izumi Kimura/
Lina Andonovska/
Dominique Pifarely:
Seven Dreams
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Jerome Deupree/
Sylvie Courvoisier/
Lester St. Louis/
Joe Morris:
Canyon
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Marc Baron/
Eric La Casa:
Contrefacons
(Swarming)



Francisco Lopez:
Untitled (
2021-2022)
[2 CDs]
(Bu Lang Tribute Cake)



Eventless Plot |
Haarvol:
The Subliminal Paths
[CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD]
(Innovo Editions)



Akmee:
Sacrum Profanum
(Nakama Records)



Karl Evangelista Quintet
feat. Bobby Bradford and
William Roper:
Solace Angles
(Asian Improv)



Sveio:
Latent Imprints
(577 Records)



The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters (
Rasmussen/
Mitelli/
Rezaei/
Koenig):
The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)



Dan Brown/
Dan Reynolds:
Live At
The Grange Hall
[unauthorized][CASSETTE]
(Sacred Realism)



Matt Mitchell:
Sacrosanctity
(Obliquity)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
[VINYL]
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Mary Halvorson Septet:
Illusionary Sea
[2 LPS]
(Firehouse 12 Records)



Darius Jones:
Legend of e'Boi (
The Hypervigilant Eye)
[VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(Aum Fidelity)



Irene Schweizer/
Rudiger Carl/
Johnny Dyani/
Han Bennink:
Irenes Hot Four
(Intakt)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (15830)