Redfish — S-t (2013)
Universal in its invitation and initiated by the young and the old, Redfish is truly international in its expression. It’s easy to accept this invitation, especially when you hear that sexy French accent (come on, who could resist?). The kind introduction lights the heart on fire, the soft outreach of warmth that lapses into the minimal, beginning with the words ‘Hello from the children of Planet Earth’. Redfish is upbeat, and it is a playful welcome — in other words, it’s just what the world so desperately needs.
Electronic music can often fall into a dark pit of predictability or, like our Earth, into total chaos and carnage, but Redfish, the French electronic duo of Sasa Vojovodic (Letna) and Alexandre Navarro, are never in any danger of the trap, mixing their light, bubbly electronics with phosphorescent guitars. Colours are splashed onto the music with thin, light strokes, expanding tones and crumbling structures that were never stable to begin with.
Scintillating rhythms are formed without the need for percussion, flowing through the pocket of air and leaving a thin iridescence over the surface. Music is the language we all understand. It is a beautiful dialect that resonates with the whole body. The dropped, phased beats circulate into the light, sky-high drone, popping crisply the higher the altitude. Hydrogen and oxygen, the life-sustaining tones, come from the clear and clean mountain air, forming their own melodic particles and bubbles. Redfish, like the beautiful blue bubble of Earth, let the music flow; unlimited amounts of space, serene waters playing host to their unique, experimental life.
On “Gamma Arae”, pulsing lights and skin soft atmospherics rise up, and the air bubbles of “Horologium” pop sweetly, raining down onto the music with their light, sprinkling tone. Staying playful, Redfish are true to their original promise, without sacrificing their musical vision. The casual beat, living in lo-fi, is the only clear rhythmic block, but even this becomes stuck in reverse.
Redfish have given life to their airy, tonal experiments. It’s a place for outdoor scientists, out in the open where the sun always shines. It’s universal music, but it’s also a global invitation for everyone living under the sun — come celebrate.
The time change makes a big difference up here in the north. Driving to work at 6:30am is much easier when the sun is up. I don’t spend as much time staring at my breath while the car warms up, and the timing belt doesn’t seem to squeal quite as much. But the fog is still there. Only now, it’s lit up in faint pinks and yellows instead of just sitting there soaking in the streetlight. New music from Redfish is just like these modest colors peeking through an otherwise monochrome landscape. Textured ambient backdrops deteriorate and warp, letting in beams of grainy percussion and washed out melodies on the band’s newest self-titled release.
Redfish is made up Alexandre Navarro and Sasa Vojvodic (aka Letna), the two founders of the SEM record label based out of Paris. By combining their similar, yet unique flavors of electronic composition, they have created one of the richest, most intriguing minimal albums of the year, Redfish.
Il y a un peu plus de deux ans, on découvrait l’électro-acoustique impressionniste et onirique de l’écurie SEM Label via les sorties croisées de ses fondateurs Alexandre Navarro (dont les Lost Cities s’impriment encore en vapeurs de néon sur nos rétines) et Sasa Vojvodic (Letna). Une interview et pas mal de coups de cœur plus tard, voici les deux amis enfin associés sur un projet commun mariant à la perfection leurs univers respectifs tout en boucles pulsatoires et brumes de drones irisés.
On n’ira peut-être pas jusqu’à dire que l’on tient là la quintessence de tout ce qu’on aime chez SEM Label, la veine feutrée et contemplative arpentée ici par les deux Parisiens n’étant finalement qu’une facette parmi tant d’autres d’un catalogue passionnant jusque dans ses incursions jazz, housy ou ambient-techno, mais rien à faire le cœur y est. Et lorsque pouvoir d’abstraction et stimulation de l’imaginaire en viennent ainsi à se confondre au gré des field recordings manipulés jusqu’à l’hypnose, des reflux texturés et autres scintillements électroniques perçant la nébuleuse des effluves d’outre-rêve, on se dit que décidément, c’est en parvenant à nous faire toucher du doigt un infini hors de portée de nos sens les plus aiguisés que l’ambient devient du grand art, cosmos ou chimères de nos subconscients qu’importe le flacon puisque l’ivresse de ce Redfish se nourrit de l’un comme de l’autre indissociablement.
Redfish, duo francese formato da Sasa Vojvodic (aka Letna) ed Alexandre Navarro, consegna alle stampe l’omonimo album “Redfish” per la label SEM condotta dallo stesso Navarro, disponibile in tiratura limitata su Cd o altrimenti reperibile in rete.
Le atmosfere, le profondità e gli spazi sono quelli coerenti al contesto cui gli autori si riferiscono presentando il lavoro come ‘elettronica minimale’, pur spingendosi di fatto in territori ambient ma senza cedere a facili tentazioni manieristiche.
La sequenza dei brani risulta convincente fin dal primo ascolto ed è chiara la non comune capacità narrativa di un progetto che, attraverso scenari caratterizzati da identità forti (le polveri di “Psamathe”, le luci di “Gamma Arae”, le memorie arpeggiate di “Ophiuchi”), invita ad immergersi senza timori nella liquida materia cangiante di un sogno ricordato al mattino, per poi condurci in superficie lasciando che la brezza ci accarezzi e sussurri all’orecchio la sottile inquietudine di un deja vù.
La nouvelle réalisation du label parisien SEM est l’oeuvre d’un duo composé de deux fondateurs du label parisien, deux amis de longue date, Sasa Vojovodic (Letna) et Alexandre Navarro, qui se retrouvent cette fois autour d’une production commune sous le nom de Redfish.
Auteur l’un et l’autre déjà de nombreuses productions, ils n’avaient jamais collaboré ensemble, c’est donc chose faite avec ce premier album aux sonorités ambient, electronica éthérées et cotonneuse. Un album qui aurait mérité d’être la vraie B.O du film « Gravity ».
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