Peripheral
by Grosso Gadgetto & NLC
Once again, the two prolific artists from France have teamed up for a collaboration, and this time it takes a double album to hold the output of their immense creativity. NLC (Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites) aka Julien ASH from Céret in the Pyrenees and Grosso Gadgetto aka Christian Gonzalez from Lyons have already released two albums on attenuation circuit. This time around, almost all the music is performed by the two composers themselves, with guest appearances limited to Jean-Paul Escudero (violin) and François Porte (transverse flute).
The music defies easy pigeonholing, but it does create strong atmospheres. Too melodious for ambient, too abstract for pop, the tracks are reminiscent of a blend of the instrumentals from David Bowie's „Low“ album and very, very early Detroit electro (say, Cybotron's „Alleys of your mind“). The music conjures images of all sorts of peripheral areas, from darkened urban wastelands and empty nocturnal freeways to the zones of the mind between sleeping and being awake, where it's hard sometimes to tell hopes and nightmares apart. And just when you think that this is a really detached and cool, if not outright ice-cold record, the warm acoustic guitar of El Matador goes to show that all parallels to other music can describe the unique approach of Grosso Gadgetto & NLC only – well, peripherally.
File under: ambient, drone, electro
ACU 1059
factory-produced CDr in Digisleeve
Released in 2023
limited to 100 copies
price: 12.00 EUR (excl. postage)
Grosso Gadgetto & NLC are Christian Gonzalez and Julien Ash
All music written, performed, recorded and mixed by Grosso Gadgetto & NLC
Guests musicians : JP Escudero - violin ; François Porte : transverse flute.
Digital mastering by Aloïs L.
Artwork by Sick Ced
CD Layout by Agent MS
grossogadgetto.bandcamp.com
nouvelleslecturescosmopolites.bandcamp.com
Also available here: http://www.discogs.com/seller/dependenz?sort=price&sort_order=asc&q=attenuation+circuit&st
AVANT MUSIC NEWS
Julien Ash appears to have taken up in-house artistic residency at Attenuation Circuit. In the past two years, Ash – more commonly advertised as Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites though often shortened to NLC – has published nearly a dozen full-length albums or compilation tracks under its imprint. On Peripheral, he teams up as he often has before with Christian Gonzalez aka Grosso Gadgetto, and the two have created an album that is anything but. In its widescreen glory, this double album reminds me of the music released by Sending Orbs artists like Kettel and Secede in the early 2000s. This is warm, sit-back-and-enjoy electronica, rhythmic and melodic and occasionally enhanced with violin (Jean-Paul Escudero) or flute (François Porte). It has bounce, it has verve, and it has range – its overall sunniness allows the duo to cast the odd shadow without appearing doomy dark. Peripheral takes you places and tells you stories. A summertime bike ride, a space oddity, a broad-shouldered, semi-industrial stomp – it flows effortlessly and has something for everyone.
Can’t imagine why Peripheral would not appeal to a broader, non-avant audience. So tell your friends.
https://avantmusicnews.com/2024/03/03/amn-reviews-grosso-gadgetto-nlc-peripheral-attenuation-circuit/
VITAL WEEKLY
These two French musicians worked together before (see Vital Weekly 1344). Grosso Gadgetto is the project of Christian Gonzalez from Lyon, and other than the two releases I reviewed then, I haven't heard any other music of his; NLC is Julian Ash from Céret, and he's been around for a long time. The previous album saw one working with the material of the other; at least, that's what I thought. Grosso Gadgetto had a more ambient side, and NLC had a more rhythmic edge. On these two CDs, those two worlds collide, and it works out quite well. One hears many influences from the world of alternative pop music. The label mentions Bowie's 'Low', which is something that escaped me. I agree with very early Detriot techno, mixed with lots of ambient house-like synthesisers, lots of percussion, some piano and a penchant for the orchestral bombast. This is not the kind of music to lie down to in a chill-out room. To dance to, you may ask? That's a different question, indeed, and one that I, not a dancing fool, can answer. I see the music as a soundtrack to daily life, the soundtrack while working. As I was glossing over text, concentrating on minor mistakes in punctuation, I had this music on and was pleased with the lightness of the music—no offensive notes, nothing weird, out of place or the ordinary. It is also music that doesn't require too much attention or concentration. Maybe the orchestral sampling pack is over-used occasionally, such as in 'Misinterpretation Of Evolution', which is a bit too bombastic for my taste, but throughout, it is great. I have no idea how they create this music, but no doubt through some extensive file exchange, syncing their synths.
https://www.vitalweekly.net/1416.html
BAD ALCHEMY
Die schon mit „Story of an Ordinary Day“ und „Snake Moult“ entfaltete Kollaboration von Julien Ash, sprich: NLC, mit Christian Gonzalez, das ist GROSSO GADGETTO in Lyon-Villeurbanne, nimmt mit Peripheral (ACU 1059, 2xCD) immer abenteuerlichere Züge und größere Ausmaße an. Bei Titeln wie 'Lost World', 'La Veillée des Ferventes' [Die Mahnwache der Inbrünstigen] und 'The Cave-dwelling Badger' landet meine Phantasie bei „L'Isola dei Lupi“ und Bob Drakes Greyfoot Badger, ein Astronaut auf einem barocken Emblem vertieft das als Link zu „Planets and Animals“. Zufall? Immerhin sind Ash am Fuß der Pyrenäen in Céret und Drake in Caudeval okzitanische Nachbarn. Pfeifende, summende und sangliche Drones sowie klimprige und technoid animierte Elektro-Rhythmik führen in die Randgebiete von Ambient und Pop. Doch was soll man von „Hic sunt meles“ als Warnschild halten? Allerdings wurde auch schon das Killerkaninchen von Caerbannog unterschätzt. Taugen melancholische Klimperei, knarrender Sound und ätherischer Gesang als Schlüssel zum heiligen Gral oder zu einer vergessenen Welt? Beats klappern und drehn sich wie ein Schaufelrad. Können synthetische Streicher inbrünstig klingen? Wirbelige und zuckelige Beats zertanzen die Frage und kommen so zur nächsten: 'Flight or confrontation'? Zu kleinlautem Piano, sanften Drones und zarten, diesmal echten Violinklängen nimmt tüpfeliger und klackender Beat locker auch diese Hürde. Der Dachs guckt einen Film in seiner heimorgel-gemütlichen, von synthetischen Vögeln umschrienen Höhle. Umdröhnt und mit Drummachine beklopft setzt 'El Matador' mit Keys, akustischer Gitarre und Querflöte den Zwischenstrich. Und ebenso den tuckernden Schlussstrich unter die zweiten, ebenfalls in fünf Wegstrecken rhythmisierten 53 Min., von 'Unknown Route' über das nervös beschleunigte 'Perspectives of Unrest', das wehmütig zuckelnde 'At the Top of the Crown', die dumpfen Beats, das ding-dong-däng und die ominös dröhnende und schillernde Giallo-Aura bei 'Misinterpretation of Evolution' bis zum zartbitter begeigten himmlischen Singsang von 'And Now'.
www.badalchemy.de
DE SUBJECTIVISTEN
Eén van de artiesten die vroeger met enige regelmaat op en recensie van mij mocht rekenen, was NLC of voluit Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites dat al sinds 1990 bestaat. Deze soloaangelegenheid van Julien Ash, groeit door de jaren heen van industriële gitaarmuziek naar een caleidoscopische kruisbestuiving van middeleeuws en klassiek getinte muziek, ambient, wereldmuziek en zelfs pop en trip hop. Ash was overigens ook te vinden in Maelstrøm en A Sparrow-Grass Hunt. Na een hiaat van ongeveer 15 jaar is hij in 2022 weer actief begonnen met muziek uit te brengen; en veel ook. Niet alleen van NLC alleen, maar ook in samenwerkingsverband met Innocent But Guilty en Grosso Gadgetto plus onder zijn “eigen” naam eerder dit jaar ook met Christophe Petchanatz van onder meer Klimperei. Nu is NLC terug met het album Peripheral dat samen met Grosso Gadgetto tot stand is gekomen, hetgeen het project is van Christian Gonzales die in het verleden ook uit allerlei verschillende vaatjes tapte (van ambient tot bkack metal). Nu een dubbel cd samen, waarop 12 tracks serveren die eerlijk verdeeld zijn over de twee schijven van elk ruim 52 minuten lang. De hoofzakelijk elektronische muziek landt op ruimtelijke en licht experimentele wijze ergens tussen ambient, electro, spacy IDM, drones en anderzijds elektronische geluiden en beats. Met gasten op viool en dwarsfluit plus hun eigen pianoklanken krijgt de muziek ook soms een neoklassiek tintje en door het gebruik van stemsamples krijgt het tevens een menselijk karakter. Daarbij is de eerste schijf iets filmischer en de tweede iets ritmischer, maar ze ontlopen elkaar verder niet heel erg. Overal brengen ze de muziek in meerdere lagen, waardoor een enorme diepgang ontstaat en het ook steeds spannend en verrassend maakt. Dat alles overgieten ze nog eens met een fijn melancholisch en een licht duister vernis, wat maakt dat alles diep onder de huid weet te kruipen. De twee leveren hier een magistrale luistertrip af, die je niet makkelijk van je af kunt schudden.
https://subjectivisten.nl/het-schaduwkabinet-week-46-2023/
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