Marc Houle cites the harsh Berlin winter as the major inspiration for his fourth studio album, ‚Drift‘. And indeed the veteran Minus producer has cooled down his variant of minimal techno considerably, while at the same time introducing a more organic feel to it.
This is not necessarily a contradiction in itself – cold, industrial soundscapes and endless echoes are complemented by strung guitars and hushed voices, which add a human touch to the album and distinguish its nine tracks from the artificial sterility so often encountered in minimal techno productions.
Marc Houle is a master of classic Minus-style basslines, which carry tracks like the ‚Inside‘, ‚Drift‘, and ‚Melting‘. In other moments, such as on ‚Sweet‘ or ‚Hammering‘, Houle relies on looser elements, such as plucked string sounds to create eerie and melancholic moods.
The album comes as a Video Edition exclusive to zero“, including a 46-minute film by Polish visual artist Barbara Klein, which perfectly complements Marc Houle’s organic minimalism with dreamlike, mystical images of shadowy figures and lone dark forests.
(quelle: zero inch)