“Between the audacity of Klaus Schulze and the romanticism of Indra, EOD is an inescapable and one of the big EM albums in 99 as in 09”
1 Entering The Dream 11:53
2 Velocity 11:30
3 Lunascape 17:19
4 Silent Conversations 8:02
5 Mirage 22:58
(CD 71:55) (V.F.)
(Berlin School)
The musical universe of Remy is between the audacity of Klaus Schulze and the romanticism of Indra. An exhilarating music, shaded of a strange melancholy which recalls the old French movies, as well as the somber post-war art. Initially released in 1999, as a double cd, EXHIBITION OF DREAMS is Remy's very first musical essay. Out of print since a long time, AKH Records has decided to celebrate its 10th anniversary with 3 projects; a single CD where Remy carefully chose to rework 5 tracks, a complete remasterised version in a special edition of 3 CD, including a bonus CD containing 6 tracks from the vaults of the 1999 studio sessions. These last 2 items will see the day in early January 2010. So, in the waiting of those releases, I'll talk about this reworking version of EOD which contains 5 tracks judiciously selected by the Dutch synthesist.
A soft mellotron with fluty breaths waltz in suspension straight from Entering the Dream opening, a new version of Into the Dream. Already we seize the strangely romantic atmosphere which will ensue from this selection that is EXHIBITION OF DREAMS. A melodious opening, imprint of nostalgia, which flows on a harmonious sequential approach from which loops are spreading out under delicate pulsations from a discreet bass. Between calm and tearing, the synth goes with suave ethereal approaches, as a lonely guitar which cries out its night-solitude. In halfway, the sequence gets loose and borrows a more limpid sonority under a thunder of percussions which roll on howling synth solos, bringing a determinedly more rock touch to Entering the Dream which continues to roam between hybrid rhythms and hard-hitting drum strikes. Velocity wears well the colors of its title with the sequencer that cuts out an opening fast and sharp. This minimalism approach is boiling under good violin strata that chops a neurotic structure. Sometimes supported by percussion and sometimes by an undulating bass structure, Velocity offers an oppressive rhythm throughout its 11 minutes. A stationary rhythm that gives a strange feeling of being out of breath, with its frantic pace and random palpitations, a bit like when you're trapped in a nightmare. Lunascape is a small jewel of scenic music. Doors squeak to open under a bewitching sequenced spiral that swirls lasciviously around fluty breaths, felted choruses and splendid flights synthesized with an unheard-of tenderness. Impulses that float in a sphere where the dream is trained to awaken under the jerks of violin bows, the soft strikes of a sensual electronic drum and a synth with captivating solos. A superb title where we feel the clear influence of Klaus Schulze and which progresses as gently as its hypnotic pace.
With Silent Conversation we are entering in the mysterious zone of EXHIBITION OF DREAMS. Abandoned arpeggios float in a cosmic static before forming a sequenced structure that wobbles on a gentle rhythm. A sweet, charming cadence that soaks in a delightful cerebral haze where the limpid chords of a solitary keyboard are molded to those old soundtracks so dark and melancholy that percussion and a tight line of bass floods with a more sustained rhythmic pattern. If the influence of Schulze, period 85-90, perfumes the music of this album, it's however on Mirage that we feel it the most. Without a shadow of a doubt EOD's pièce de résistance, Mirage is a complex, finely worked long title that begins with a sequence that rolls like a prismatic cascade whose echo is threatening as the bubbling rhythm behind the strikes of an incisive sequencer. Acoustic guitar chords and a mellotron with flute and violin sails amplify the influence of Schulze (In Blue and Dreams) on a rhythm whose approach minimalism progresses harmoniously well and permutes with subtlety to embrace several forms all along this title that has unexpected musical outcomes. The heaviness of the drums' strikes, the synth which is both sober and daring due to its tortuous solos and a diversity of rhythms that are as close to atonality as the frenzied cadences make of Mirage an inescapable in the repertoire of Remy. This little gem ends with a superb flight of the synthesizer that is harpooned by striking percussion strikes and wrapped in a smothered layer that take us into a world where paranoia and schizophrenia are the meeting point of an astonishing musical mirage. I needed some listenings in order to understand the dimension of this title.
Sadly, I never had this chance to hear the original release of EXHIBITION OF DREAMS back in 99. On the other hand, I discovered Remy's music with the very inspired and inspiring Different Shades of Dust, released in 2004. I discovered an audacious artist, with a very progressive artistic approach, which is exactly the case with this special edition which contains pure marvels of Berlin School. An inescapable and one of the big EM albums in 2009.
Sylvain Lupari (January 11th, 2010) *****
Available at Desert Island Music