BY ALTUĞ KARAKURT (EE/II)
altug.karakurt@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
This week, I would like to introduce you to what are in my opinion two of the most creative recent musical projects. Alcest and Igorrr are both French-based solo projects, pushing the limits of musical stereotypes in opposing directions. While Igorrr is combining the elements of classical baroque music with electronic and even dubstep elements, Alcest is reinterpreting shoegaze, a quite old genre, in which musicians tend to get as atmospheric and emotional as possible.
ALCEST
Alcest is a conceptual solo project of the French multi-instrumentalist musician Neige, who has contributed to many of the French underground musical projects (Lantlôs, Peste Noire, Les Discrets) and is quite familiar with a large spectrum of genres. However, he mainly has a black metal background, which gives him a unique perspective when he is reinterpreting shoegaze, a repetitive and non-progressing style. This shouldn’t scare you, as he doesn’t make any kind of metal music in this project — such influences can only be found buried deep within his style.
Neige defines the concept of the project as “music from another world” and, through Alcest, tells stories from an unknown imaginary world, which he describes as very pleasant and peaceful. He emphasizes strong connections with nature and mystical, spiritual elements in his poetic French lyrics.
Alcest’s music combines smooth, airy, atmospheric background and simple, moving guitar riffs with pure, clean, sedating vocals and creative drum patterns. This is a project that offers a highly atmospheric and relaxing musical experience. In most cases, the instrumentation slowly progresses throughout the songs and evolves into a diverse, layered wall of sound that can be very dense, emotional and capable of projecting very specific moods or feelings onto the audience. Depending on his target effect, his musical expressions may vary from calm and soothing to darker and more intense.
Check out the songs: “Autre Temps,” “Havens,” “Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde” and any of Alcest’s live recordings. I saw Alcest live at Tuska 2011, and it was a truly unique experience.
Recommended for: Seekers of experimental, atmospheric or calming music, as well as shoegaze and experimental black metal fans.
IGORRR
Igorrr is the solo project of producer Gautier Serre. The best way to define his unique style would be by citing his 2010 EP title, “Baroquecore.” As a rough description, it’s a combination of classical music with heavy electronic music and sometimes even dubstep elements. When you encounter Igorrr for the first time, the first thing you’ll notice is how grotesque and absurd his visuals are. He uses disturbing and quite ugly designs for his artwork in particular. Which, in my opinion, goes well with his music.
Generally, the introductions of his songs are very peaceful and pleasant classical pieces for piano and strings. In these, he proves how profound and technical he can be when it comes to ordinary music as well. After making sure that the audience is drawn into this calm mood, he starts disturbing them with noisy beats or sudden sound effects. He slowly deconstructs the previous mood, replacing it with very unusual and chaotic song structures, full of heavy electronic elements and diverse beats and rhythms.
Unfortunately, Igorrr’s records are not for everyone. From time to time, they get really heavy and experimental, which may be too tiring or strange to listen to. However, if you’re open to new stuff or just curious about how weird classical music can get, be sure to give this crazy genius a listen. He’s a musician who can definitely be called creative and brave, and his style is one of a kind.
Check out the songs: “Tout Petit Moineau,” “Vegetable Soup” and his remix of Chopin’s Etude Op. 10 Allegro.
Recommended for: People familiar with any of the dubstep, metal or heavy electronic music genres.
In the upcoming weeks, I’m planning to offer only one band recommendation per column. The other half of the column may feature a playlist I’ve made, recent trends, news or announcements about music. See you next time with some Nordic experimental heavy jazz.
Feel free to send feedback and comments.