- FTD's third release continues the label's run of curveballs, plucking a lesser-known entity, as with Lutto Lento on FTD001, out of the obscure cassette scene. Parisian brothers Elzéard & Moana put out a few tracks of muggy electronica on the Certified Tapes label earlier this year. This release is much bolder, inviting us into a rich world of cosmic house and techno.
Each brother contributes a few solo tracks, all of them strange and fascinating. The duo's flair is perhaps best captured on Moana's "Zimba": like much of the EP, it's a meandering journey through a huge, disorientating landscape. In the breakdown, the house pulse shears away and densely layered synths spiral upwards, creating a buildup worthy of big-room techno. It's audacious, but with the help of a guy howling wildly in the distance Moana pulls it off.
His other contribution is the equally energetic "Planck Unit," which jams out on a pentatonic scale with the madcap glee of Max D. Elzéard's three tracks explore more restrained moods, though they're no less absorbing. The slow-mo "Concussion" sounds like a stargazing refix of something off Lee Gamble's KOCH. "Cosmic Dust" and "Mud In The Dub" are coasting techno numbers wreathed in thick synth fog. The former is a labyrinthine epic, the latter spookier and a bit less convincing. Even in their weaker moments, though, these brothers show serious promise.
Lista de títulosA1 Concussion
A2 Cosmic Dust
A3 Mud In The Dub
B1 Zimba
B2 Planck Unit