Tag Archives: InFiné

On Record – Gaspar Claus: Un Monde Violent OST (InFiné)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

In Maxime Caperan’s thriller Un Monde Violent, two brothers plunge into a spiral of violence, with uncomfortable results. For the soundtrack, he enlisted cellist and composer Gaspar Claus who has responded with a score in which he produces and performs.

What’s the music like?

In a word, tense. Claus has already shown a gift in his music to evoke scenes and emotions, and those qualities immediately come to the fore.

The Ouverture is laden with dread, its dark ambience creating waves of uncertainty, though it is still possible to admire the rich and fulsome colours Claus applies in his playing.

His Tancade album of 2021 showed how a wide range of techniques and skills with the cello can produce an unusually wide range of sounds, and that is again the case here, from the unsettling tremolo figures of Un meutre to the pizzicato thrumming of Moto joie or the existential dread of Moto Drame, with its widescreen panning.

Vers l’hôpital is a different story, its affecting chorale richly scored, and Claus moves from this to the flickering, wispy arpeggios of Le père, showing the sonic palette his cello has at its disposal.

The last two tracks are more substantial – Channel is a co-production with vocalist Caspar Clausen, but also features the disorientating appearance of a brass band in the middle of is cluster of chords. Peace is finally achieved in the closing credits, delivered in a concoction of softly voiced harmonics and drones.

Does it all work?

It does, provided you’re in a quiet room. Claus achieves a wide range of dynamics in his writing, and a silent backdrop will ensure all are brought to the fore.

Is it recommended?

It is. Gaspar Claus writes for the cello with great imagination and inventiveness, and this response to the story of Un Monde Violent is as dramatic as it is musically convincing. Strongly recommended.

For fans of… Julia Kent, Sarah Neufeld, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Peter Gregson

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Published post no.2,460 – Saturday 1 March 2025

On Record – Bruce Brubaker – Eno Piano 2.0 (InFiné)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Building on the success of his first album of Brian Eno reinterpretations, pianist Bruce Brubaker goes deeper into the ambient master’s output.

In his explorations, Brubaker continues to use a Steinway concert grand piano with electromagnetic bows that help him create sustained drone textures.

Here he takes two sections from the 1978 ambient classic Music For Airports album alongside three others, using advanced IRCAM spatialization tools to create an “immersive acoustic experience, turning the piano into a supernatural synthesizer.”

What’s the music like?

The Music For Airports excerpts, not surprisingly, are incredibly calming – and beautifully played. The second version of 1/2 uses the electromagnetic bows to create a sound almost like the clarinet in timbre. Brubaker judges the critical elements like attack and sustain just right, a faithful recreation of the original Eno work but one that gives him plenty of room and space around in the acoustic.

The slow tracks work beautifully, especially Failing Light from Eno’s Ambient 2: The Plateaux Of Mirror, the collaboration with Harold Budd, which is lovingly shaded here. The big surprise, however, is The Big Ship, where he recreates everything by hand, including the shift of rhythmic emphasis that Eno originally performed with an organ drum machine. Here it is commanding and delivered with impressive poise.

Does it all work?

Very much so. Brubaker’s eye for detail and virtuosity work hand in hand.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. Eno Piano 2.0 is an obvious complement to the first instalment but shows Eno’s music in a new and enchanting light. Ambient music has lasted a lot longer than we dared imagine, and reinterpretations like this will only prolong its appeal further.

For fans of… Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman

You can read an extensive interview with Bruce on Arcana, where he talks about interpreting Eno’s work for piano.

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Published post no.2,349 – Friday 1 November 2024

Switched On – Kaito: Collection (InFiné)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Kaito is the name of the project under which Hiroshi Watanabe works, the Japanese electronic musician having joined InFiné after a twenty year stint that began at the Kompakt label.

Kaito is a name of significance for Watanabe – it is the name of his son born in the year 2001, when he started with Kompakt. It means ‘universe’ and ‘secret’ in Japanese, and as the press release says, “these references hint at a spirituality visible in his photographic work and contribute to the elements that make Japanese artists masters of the ambient genre”.

Collection is made up of nine tracks composed during the pandemic.

What’s the music like?

Incredibly soothing and yet subtly energising, too. In some of these tracks Kaito transcends time and space, allowing the music to simply float.

The slow pace of A Call From The Ground is a case in point, where a lovely slow arc of synths works its way over the backing, A piano drifts weightlessly over Summer Mood, while A Life That Can Only Be Dream Now is a lovely sketch expanding like a slowly evolving cloud – complemented by Nexus 2.

Does it all work?

It does – a musical time out of the best variety. Instinctive ambient music is difficult to come by, but this definitely does the job..

Is it recommended?

Very much. The Kaito project is music that is incredibly easy to listen to – and especially at times of stress, where it can just wash over the consciousness.

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Published post no.2,318 – Tuesday 1 October 2024

New music – Bruce Brubaker: Eno Piano 2.0 (InFiné)

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by Ben Hogwood

One of the standout piano albums of last year was Bruce Brubaker’s Eno Piano, a reduction of some of the ambient master’s work for solo keyboard – about which Brubaker and Arcana had a very enjoyable conversation last year.

Now we bring news of a sequel later in the year, with Eno Piano 2 due to be released on 25 October. It is prefaced by a radio version of 1-1 from Music for Airports, which will no doubt be made available soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy being reacquainted with the full version below:

Published post no.2,216 – Monday 1 July 2024

On Record – Rone: D’Argent et De Sang (Original Series Soundtrack (InFiné)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The InFiné press release for this soundtrack does a fine job of setting the brief for the most recent soundtrack release from Rone. The French musician and composer has been tasked with writing a score for D’Argent & De Sang (originally titled Tikkoun), produced by Curiosa Films and directed by multi-César winning showrunner Xavier Giannoli.

Rone mixes orchestral textures with electronic elements to ‘symbolize the heterogeneity of the worlds that intersect on the story’. The story is that of the Carbon Tax scam, and Rone talks about how ‘we needed repetition and redundancy to highlight the theme of obsession, which is central to Xavier’s work – and to support the developments in the investigation and its characters’.

What’s the music like?

There is no doubt that Rone is a composer to watch, as his skill in blending orchestral and electronic music is becoming ever more accomplished and imaginative.

With D’Argent & De Sang he succeeds comfortably in following the brief, and the theme of obsession is hammered home. It helps for the listener to know the plot beforehand, as it explains Rone’s continued return to the main theme – but he is clever enough to set it in different context and give it different musical meaning.

The twinkling, shimmering opening pages of Tikkoun present the recurring theme, imaginatively scored. We here the sequence in various guises, from forthright string quintet to steely piano, expressively played by Vanessa Wagner. Rone’s pair of Electronic Variations are serene, in contrast to the grainy strings that darken the mood on Stress, with the use of creeping quarter tones. dRONE03 is ominous, while Jackpot is a powerful climax, combining the strings and electronics to good effect.

Does it all work?

It does – though there is the familiar issue with listeners to soundtracks that some ideas do not get developed as much as you would like, simply because Rone is following the brief. That said, his work is consistently rewarding, from the orchestra that bloom on headphones or widescreen, or the intimacy of the single piano.

Is it recommended?

It is – this is impressive stuff from the Frenchman, who is really carving a name for himself as a composer of some repute.

For fans of… Max Richter, Daft Punk (the TRON soundtrack), Jean-Michel Jarre and Vanessa Wagner

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Published post no.2,061 – Friday 19 January 2024