“This is Techno which flirts with a vision of sci-fi and cybernetic punk on 90's fire rhythms”
1 Feral Planet 5:40
2 Inside Your Mind 5:33
3 Master Weapon 5:21
4 R-Type Hero 5:12
5 Remote Activation 5:46
(CD/DDL 27:34) (V.F.)
(Techno, Electronica)
Muffled rustlings, sounding like mumblings, can be heard under the undulating synth layers that open Feral Planet. It is in fact a beginning of rhythm in a texture of electronic elements which bursts with vigor some 65 seconds later. Between pure rock, on the level of the percussions, and a Techno tendency, on the level of the keen oscillations, this first title of FERALIA PLANITIA dictates us the main ambition of its artist, that is to make us dance in a texture of electronic music (EM) where the Techno side flirts with a vision of science-fiction and cybernetic punk à la MiDi-BiTCH on rhythms of fire of the 90's. The percussion is catchy. And paired with the flow of these sequences that oscillate as vividly as the organic texture of their electronic warbling effects, they create a spasmodic texture that encourages dancing without thinking about tomorrow's consequences. Deserted Island Music continues its musical expansion by introducing us to creatively conceived EM styles. Mäläskä and Däcker come to mind! Feralia Planitia is one of the new names proposed by the Dutch label. This project of Simona Dellamorte proposes an EM built on fire rhythms in a futuristic vision quite in accordance with the digipack cover that surrounds this new very short 27 minutes CD, also available for download, of Remy Stroomer's label.
Inside Your Mind proposes a texture of Hard Techno which plunges me into my memories of The Prodigy's Music for the Jilted Generation. The percussion playing thrills the ears with a mix of sharp beats and others in fluid rock mode, while the sequencer unleashes a line with an organic vocal texture that espouses well with the synthesizer effects. There is also a haunting sound effect borrowed from the world of Formula 1 over a plethora of percussive effects that push the track beyond the boundaries of simple Techno. The term cyber punk is meant for this kind of track! Take a Depeche Mode-like synthpop, especially in terms of the percussive effects hit on a rubber anvil and give it a technoïd vision of the future and you have a track like Master Weapon! Its series of sequences, the sequencer multiplies strobe lines, flickers in a stroboscopic movement pounded in vertical mode to hinge around elastic suction cup effects and other furiously dribbled percussions. Like everywhere in the 27 minutes and some dust of FERALIA PLANITIA, the music is decorated by various effects of voices and croaked syllables as well as surrealist murmurs which plunge us in a dystopian decor by the incongruity of these effects and dialogues having sometimes an organic texture. The rhythm ramifies the roots of Punk with Techno on jerky beats of the percussions and pulsating lines of the sequencer. Like in R-Type Hero and its post-apocalyptic grunge texture. The beat is furious, but well wrapped in idle, hazy synth layers, with atmospheric passages overshadowed by the noisy effects of the synth's air attacks. It's rhythm and non-rhythm on a sequencer that's still in stroboscopic butterfly mode and percussions like a typist's touch and spasmodic jolts. After 4 such wild tracks, Remote Activation goes for a softer approach with its deluge of more fluid and less jerky percussions which is well supported by the organic jolts of the sequencer. A voice over constantly repeats the track's name, reminding us of a mythical digital character from the 80's, and the synth radiates layers as decoys for EM fans closer to the Berliner roots and others. Yes, a good mini-album designed to make walls and ears vibrate, as well as the sole of our feet.
Sylvain Lupari (June 20th, 2022) ***½**
Available at Deserted Island Music Bandcamp