Obadia.: Where does dust come from
autres directions in music

While some of this EP's twenty minutes dates back as far as 1998, Where does dust come from hardly sounds stale, with its seven tracks apparent samplings from a larger mass of material. If one had to categorise it, 'folktronica' might be one's first choice, given the predominance of acoustic guitar and drums plus the electronic manipulations with which they're treated. Stéphane Obadia carves out an idiosyncratic path by boldly chopping and shredding his material to the extreme, though that in itself isn't terribly unusual these days; what recommends the EP are the satisfying musical results that accrue from such transformations. The set opens with a funky acoustic hoedown “Don't Forget To Be Late” that's fleshed out by snuffling noises, synth blurps, and faint string and horn enhancements; strings reappear in the mellower “Some Hot Lazy Day” where they're layered over a skittering folk base. Obadia highlights funk over all else though, as evidenced by the herky-jerky rhythms that morph into mutant hip-hop stutter in “Wickedlounge” and the massive synth- and acoustic-driven crush of “Crooked Grind Variation.” Only “Den Saknade Gitarren” goes overboard, as its severe mangling flirts with wooziness, but overall the EP impresses as a bold exercise in chopped folktronica.

March 2005