Genre: Industrial / Dark Ambient / Breakcore
CD 1:
01 au seuil du néant
02 no more sighs,
03 le dénominateur commun,
04 -28c and falling, skotophobique,
05 this monstrosity is part of my fibric,
06 the apocryphal market,
07 32 hours of eternity,
08 au seuil du néant (nonexistence),
09 iszoloscope tomes deux.
CD 2 (remixes) :
01 le dénominateur commun
02 skotophobique (recollection mix by urusai),
03 crimson road (remixed by antigen shift),
04 skotophobique (remixed by ah cama-sotz),
05 crimson road (menstrual mix by 45 cep),
06 spontaneous cognitive combustion (remixed by mortmain),
07 crimson road (remixed by sinequanon),
08 skotophobique (fear leads to anger mix by pin),
09 crimson road (dead end mix by pupil),
10 prima momentum (remixed by élément kuuda),
11 spontaneous cognitive combustion (remixed by asche),
12 phobos II (remixed by liar's rosebush),
13 le dénominateur commun (remixed by imminent),
14 skotophobique (remixed by we v2),
15 le dénominateur commun (flip and multiply mix by if then do).
Iszoloscope is the French Canadian industrial project by Yann Faussurier. As some releases consist exclusively of ambient patterns (“Les Gorges des Limbes”), others are really industrial, rhythmic noise, I’d say, such as “Au Seuil du Néant” and the latest “The Audient Void”.
But, one shouldn’t think Iszoloscope is clearly split between rhythmic noise and ambient albums. No, it is one of the few industrial project I know that mixes successfully ambient patterns and industrial rhythms with some breakcore touches. “Au Seuil du Néant” both CDs are a good example of such a ‘hybridization’.
The structure of the album is already intriguing, unconventional: there are ambient shorter intro tracks before (almost) each rhythmic track. Since the first listening they take the listener out into a dark, cold and, somehow, oppressing atmosphere. This is as if they’ve been made to prepare the listener’s ears and attention to the upcoming noisy deflagrations. The rhythmic tracks often start again with the main theme of the previous ambient one. And one hasn’t to wait much for the distorted heavy beat to impose its law. Meanwhile the ambient pattern is still evolving and reappearing from time to time during the track each time the abraded beats get evanescent… More and more layers of sounds are added ‘til the electronic storms reaches its top. Some deformed voices samples, or echoed whispers punctuate the recurring electronic discharges.
As you’d understood, it is mainly rhythm based: not much melody here. No need for it actually, for the ambient evolving background gives much ‘depth’ to the record. Rhythms are original, rather complex, although the whole remains fairly danceable. They consist of distorted sounds, heavy beats that don’t sound much like usual drumkit, nor sampled mechanical sounds, nor technoïd stuff.
They sound “non organic” to me, difficult to define: alien. Sometimes some seem to tend to metallic sonorities or like some electric devices, but they don’t remind much actual ones. Many frequencies from low to high are represented, many sounds, from abrasive ones to really smooth ones. Stereo effect is also used, but with moderation.
The whole sounds complex, changing, hypnotizing, with a complex structure, with quite short loops, often changed, combined and repeated further in the track. Many effects and subtle changes are hiding all along the tracks. Such a dense music deserves more than a listening to be fully appreciated. At the first listening, it may sound obscure, difficult to grasp, although supplying efficiently a unique dark, cold, but “vibrating” atmosphere. Feelings of loneliness, darkness, oppression, but also, energy, “heat”, depth, space are created.
Very rich, deep and powerful music, combining extremes as ambient and rhythmic noise, creating an inimitable dark and mysterious atmosphere: this work deserves to be listened to carefully, especially for any fan of Tarmvred or Ah Cama-Sotz.
