BRUME

Started by FreakAnimalFinland, February 16, 2010, 10:51:33 AM

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FreakAnimalFinland

Just listened the BRUME "Ainsi soit-il!" LP and just have to put it in own topic... Brume is something what I have been listening pretty much since I got into this kind of stuff. I always thought it was good, but it was somewhere in the "middle". It wasn't brutal, nor that noisy for most of time, and I did like what I hear, but it was hard to express really excitement over material. Especially when he changed into working under his own name, I felt little alienated from it due the often expressed dislike for "real artists" (in lack of better terms) opposed to just "bands".

For my great surprice this LP wasn't so re-issue, but infact works from 2009. Album starts almost like any slightly neo classical leaning industrial, with nearly symphonic slow loops, and grainy speech. It slowly shifts through detailed experimental sounds into drum machine beat, which has very "train like" tempo and sound, but clearly just drum machine. It gives steady drive to first side, but on the top is dense layering of sounds. From deep and well as high piercing drones of horns, some very slow random piano sounds on back, oscillations of synths, dramatic backwards echoes rising in top once in a while. Repeated "I saw his face.. " appears between few minutes. Sound is very well made. Perhaps one could say clean and bright. But that in positive sense.
Material simply drifts fowards. When beat fades out, it continues with quite modern sounding experimental ambient.
What I can put as reference is simply band that's been talked on this board extensively. Contrastate. It is no way 100% similar, but one could place some of the moods into similar category. Before the next rhythmic loop pattern starts, there is amazing physical/field recordings. Bells that sound like decayed fluttering bells, enviromental sounds, etc. Beat what is created from looping percussion is very dominating. It has no tribal or techno feeling, but something else? It doesn't sound very electric, but neither handmade. In mix compared to great layers of other sounds it may be little bit too dominating, but I won't complain. End of album goes to noisier realms, which sounds almost like grinding stones through extensive reverb. And slowly some distant speech you can't really understand is rising from depth.
One could try to show me another 2009 recording, where side of LP, has been so seamlessly composed into extreme success??

B-side starts with more dramatic "electro-acostic" feeling what comes to composition. But goes to much more. It's like mix of busy classical music with other racket, what abruptly does changes into various obscurities. But while for a moment you hear this dirty hand made percussion, it seems more as gimmick what launches suddenly stupid funky bass and clean drum machine with simple disco beat. New Age'y keyboards and few funky guitar samples thrown in mix does give some unbelievable contrast to old spoken word pieces about national socialism, but this is really like new age muzak version of electro funk or something?!
It's about half of the side when this torment finally lets you from its grip. Almost. Then after short bridge beat changes to almost breakbeat'ish mode. There is speech through extensive effects and various effects. One wonders, what the fuck happened? Also, the backwards reverb sound being repeated maybe already 15th time, you start to realize his ideas perhaps ran out after remarkable 1st side. Few elements that stood out amazing, won't be that after same sound is recycled in every few minutes. Side finally calms done into ethereal keyboard tones slowly drifting into distance, but it is too late to save this atrocity you just whitnessed for about 15-20 minutes prior it. The surprice of sick sound collage in the end does bring some points back.

Hand numbered to 250.. yeah. I know, it's pretty much what the "untrendy" experimental LP is bound to sell nowadays, but it still makes me wonder if material like this should be sold more? But to which audience? Don't really know. And that A side you can easily recommend, but B-side is pretty much unbearable experience.  If you could cut away most of B-side. Just add the last 5 mins of B to the end of a-side this release would be gold.

So, what's the Brume to get and what's Brume to avoid? Russian label has done pretty extensive job to re-issue old Brume works. Waiting for some copies of those, but could also just re-visit the old tapes sitting in shelves...
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Bloated Slutbag

#1
Normal (Relapse)

Very well recorded/produced. Better still, very widely distruted. This one, and others recorded thenabouts ('98), quite emphatically cement Brume's status as one of the great composers of our time. In a way, a blueprint for this kind of detailed deformed-sample-based work. Not unduly busy, but quite dense and complex interplay of individual events, often anchored nicely by unassuming backing ambience. The movement proper elaborates in a way that feels unrushed, even lilting, clearly marking passage from one section to the next. The scope of this shit is staggering, every listening session exhausting - and very very addictive.
Someone weaker than you should beat you and brag
And take you for a drag

Zeno Marx

Quote from: Bloated Slutbag on February 16, 2010, 03:22:29 PM
Normal (Relapse)

This one, and others recorded thenabouts ('98), quite emphatically cement Brume's status as one of the great composers of our time.
That about says it all for me as well.  Unbelievable richness of ideas and sounds, all the while not getting muddled down with any part of it, or himself.  The guy was in a zone, much like Null during his Water Period.  I particularly like Normal because of how the French electro-acoustic tradition feels so influential and is at the pinnacle of his skill set here.
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

LIFE

My favorite Brume releases tend to have pretty loud, clear mastering without sacrificing the organic qualities. Most of his stuff past a certain point seems very "pro" and it works for him because he's so good at what he does. One of the best kinds of artists because he can make electronics sound like something physical, but also makes field recordings sound like an automated machine, so you never know exactly where everything is coming from.... and that's beyond the fact that everything is arranged in such a complex way to begin with.

"Normal", "Drafts of Collisions", "Krieg" and the drone records 7" are my favorites. I haven't heard anywhere close to all of what he's released... some of the earlier releases are okay, where it's mostly tribal rhythms and loops. You can hear some of the rhythmic stuff he was doing later, it was definitely an ongoing "theme", but I like it more when it's chopped up as just one part of a mutilated electro-acoustic track.

On "Normal" that voice sample from the beginning is something I think about on a regular basis.

Strömkarlen

Brume did an excellent reworking of Deutsch Nepal's Horse give birth to flies. Really broken up and still haunting as hell.
I'm usually most into the more tribal/rhythmic/organic side of Brume. Iswari is my favorite release from Brume. I can guess you can summon up the release as Zoviet'Franceish but with Christians trademark style. Good with these threads. Now I just have to find that tape box...

Zeno Marx

Went back and re-visited Krieg 1999.  It has aged much better than I thought it would - at the time, maybe fell into the shadows of Normal and Drafts of Collisions more than it deserved - another fine, fine Brume album.

Brume - Musique Pour Les Etres Humains C-60 1993

If you could throw one of Muslimgauze's bazaar recordings into a blender with Zoviet France, with maybe a small pinch of Small Cruel Party, this might be a tape you'd find.
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

bogskaggmannen

Was listening today his collaboration LP with German TBC on Wachsender Prozess - almost total sonic joy! Just few dull moments at the end with boring repetitive piano part in the last track.

Also remember that pic 10" on Ant-Zen was actually pretty good?

Saw there was upcoming new LP on Rotorelief in april. Also new tapes on...was it Blossoming Noise? How was that one? And upcoming tape on Cipher appearently.

Zeno Marx

Quote from: bogskaggmannen on March 29, 2012, 11:48:19 PMAlso remember that pic 10" on Ant-Zen was actually pretty good?
very good
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

P-K

never really checked Brume, makes this topic very welcome!......i remember checking the Autoportrait tape quite a lot....interesting stuff.

Jarl

I remember the best I heard with Brume is the 2LP with Brume and Telepherque. The cd Draft of Collisions is also among the better I've heard with Brume.

fin de siècle

#10
Indeed a lot of his stuff is quite similar to each other ... but here are the jewels:

BRUME "NNN" Tape
His most psychotic, dark, but also musical album. One of the best industrial releases I know!

BRUME "HYSTERICAL" CDR
A best of album with material of the good old times, like from NNN + more

CHRISTIAN RENOU "Transfer" LP (Waystyx)
Fantastic experimental.

CHRISTIAN RENOU/ANEMONE TUBE "Transference" CD (Auf Abwegen)
Dark, melancholic Ambient/Experimental.

... and hereby I want to announce his new album to be released end of April 2012:

BRUME / OUBLIER ET MOURIR " A YEAR TO LIVE" Split + Collab. 12" LP

OUBLIER ET MOURIR is the new side-project of ANEMONE TUBE combining contemplative and melancholic ambient soundscapes & melodramatic pop. This release is the second collaboration between Christian Renou (BRUME) and ANEMONE TUBE and ties in with the Christian Renou / Anemone Tube "Transference" CD, released by Auf Abwegen in 2003.



Tenebracid

another favorite is "Drug" cdr from 1999, probably his most psychedelic. I need to check more of his releases under his real name, the cd on Ground Fault was a great work of modern musique concrete.

Glad to see theres a new release on vinyl coming out!

ImpulsyStetoskopu

Frankly speaking I haven't listened weak albums of this composer. I have got something about 40 releases and all of them are very good.

Zeno Marx

Quote from: Jarl on March 30, 2012, 05:02:06 PM
I remember the best I heard with Brume is the 2LP with Brume and Telepherque.
I didn't care for this.  I remember being excited about the pairing.  I like both projects a lot.  It is a long, tedious, non-eventful listen.  One of those collaborations when neither artist leaves their signature and also when they don't create a new signature, either.  It was inexpensive and easily found, too.
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

cipher chris

Quote from: bogskaggmannen on March 29, 2012, 11:48:19 PM
And upcoming tape on Cipher appearently.
Just finished dubbing the last copy, now on to the packaging.  I think it should appeal to those into the earlier tapes, that was kind of my request when approaching Christian about the release.  Some 'pulse', largely derived from bass guitar, but no real overt rhythm and, as has been said here, an engaging and transitional experience over what is about 64 minutes.
Should be finished about the end of the month.