Franck VigrouxCentaure EP

2014 has seen the birth of Cosmo Rhythmatic, a Berlin-based label curated by Shapednoise with the collaboration of D.Carbone and Ascion. Undeniably, there is no better way to celebrate it than to release a four-track EP by Franck Vigroux. A good choice indeed. This French avant-garde composer has a brilliant solo career behind him and has already proven how far he can get with his music. “Centaure”, as the EP is entitled, shows again the cutting edge technique of a true master of contemporary music.

At this point, that Franck knows how to draw landscapes by means of sculpting sound has obviously been sufficiently proven. Previous works such as “Récolte”, “Prisme” or “Camera Police”, which are also highly recommendable, support this fact. These, together with his collaborations with Pan Sonic’s Mika Vainio, have undoubtedly put him on the very top of today’s free-noise and improvisation music scene. The best thing is that not only is he a one-of-a-kind artist but a quite prolific one as well. His very last work, “Centaure”, which has been released on 10th November, is amazingly intense, powerful, even dramatic at some stages. Just a few seconds into “2024” would be enough to get overwhelmed by sound. As usual, it plays with and is built on distortion. With a fat impulsive kick sequence that gets lost somewhere in the middle of an ocean of abrasiveness. With a beautifully simple futuristic melody that would take anyone on a dull journey through time. “Vesuve”, the second one, provides listeners with a fascinating fragmented composition. It offers again an aggressive syncopated drum, wet shady environments, dystopian “faulty-bulb” sounds, and post-industrialism. The last two are “Centaure”, remixed by Shapednoise, and “Centaure” the original mix, in this order. Many things could be said about these two. For instance, that Nino Shapednoise has done a brilliant de-construction/construction effort. That the Italian’s savoir-faire is unquestionable and his remix transforms deeply the original into a shapeless beauty. That the original by Mr. Vigroux is industrial, savage, raw. That it is what should be known as abrasion: a truly brutal display of power. There is no better way of closing this EP.

Although sometimes intensity-focused musicians can put versatility aside, it is not the case here. “Centaure” is one of those rare albums anyone should have on their shelf. It is like something mechanical but still alive; futuristic at some stage, but very familiar; prodigiously heavy yet profoundly imaginative. Franck Vigroux’s music could be summarised in three words: roughness, instinct and creativity. Of course, his sound crafting makes this EP a gem for noise lovers and a great one to inaugurate Cosmo Rhythmatic and to close 2014.