Article
2014 Artists' Picks

Albums
A Far Cry
Albatrosh
Anawan
Arandel
Azizy
Black Vines
Borghi & Teager
Clarity
Ecovillage
EM62 & Cancino
Flug 8
William Ryan Fritch
Gajek
Frode Haltli
Erik Honoré
Marsen Jules
Inoo-Kallay Duo
Kimyan Law
Machinecode
Man Watching the Stars
Marble Sky
Mini Pops Junior
Møster!
Native
Roach & Reyes
Secret Pyramid
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Spyra
Andy Stott
Ryan Streber
Supersilent
Swarm Intelligence
Terminal Sound System
Erik Truffaz & Murcof
Unto Ashes
Whahay

Reissues
Sylvain Chauveau
Brian Eno

Compilation
Now's The Time 3

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
36
Michael Ashe
Dreamsploitation
Far Out Mon. Disco Orch.
Jacksonville
Neil Leonard
Skeptical
Stag Hare

Marsen Jules: Sinfonietta
Dronarivm

If it truly is the case that, as per the info provided for the release by Dronarivm, Aristotle used the term ‘symphony' to refer to “music of the spheres that embraces the concept of an ethereal harmony,” then Sinfonietta, a single-track symphonic setting by German electronic composer Marsen Jules, is a fitting title for the recording. Assembled from orchestral sound fragments, the piece induces a sense of time-suspension in the listener as it progresses, especially when said fragments cyclically overlap without interruption for the full forty-six-minute duration. As glassy strings shimmer amongst nebulous clouds of keening, high-pitched harmonics, a mood of foreboding sets in that leaves the listener in a constant state of unease.

Having issued a number of full-length albums on City Centre Offices, 12K, Kompakt, Miasmah, Dronarivm, and his own Oktaf Records, Jules is obviously an old hand at this sort of thing by now, and there are no production cracks visible on Sinfonietta's smooth surface. But while the material does achieve the goal Jules set for the project, it might have been more satisfying on listening grounds if, say, three sixteen-minute pieces of somewhat contrasting character or even two twenty-three-minute settings had been presented instead of one. Yes, I'm aware that doing so would perhaps lessen the hypnotic potential of Sinfonietta and undermine its identity as a quasi-static musical sculpture, but the obvious upside is that more musical variety and stimulation would have been made available to the listener.

That caveat aside, one can't help but admire the skill with which Jules sustains the dramatic mood throughout as well as shapes the material in such a way that the dream-like effect of its overlapping layers is maximized. And in keeping with Aristotle's definition, Sinfonietta certainly isn't lacking in the ethereal department, even if it's also permeated by an omnipresent undercurrent of dread.

January 2015