Entre Vifs - UB10

 

Entre Vifs – UB.10 – Aussaat – Aussaat 21 – CD – 2022

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        1.         Session 57B-1.

        2.       Session 57B-2.

        3.       Session 58A-3/a.

        4.       Session 58A-3/b

UB.10 is the 11^th Entre Vifs album since their debut release in 1989, the acclaimed French noise unit has always been centred around Zorin. The album is composed of four live sessions from their Noisecraft Workshop studio that were recorded in 2019. The CD is adorned with bold Brutalist artwork (The label Aussaat does great enamel Entre Vifs badges in this style too), there is also a detailed diagram on the inside that shows what components are used to create the sound. Entre Vifs historically ties in with Le Syndicat, this goes back as far as 1984 (There is a definite Noise OG feel to the work because of these facts). UB10 is limited to 200 CD copies.

The chaotic, manic sound of Entre Vifs is like a familiar friend, the noise screams and yells its hellos at me whilst going to war with its surroundings. Everything grates, drags and accelerates – sometimes all together or at different times to create a shifting tension within the sound. I feel as if I am stuck in an evolving Sci-fi nightmare as shards of sound shoot out around me. When I put this album onto headphones, I noticed a complexed use of distortion that underlies the harsh gasping and choking of the noise. The distortion adds a muddy density that is reinforced by the sharper noise, giving a bigger sound. Distortion barks as it is shifted around and forced into screams, which often leaves me unsure if it is a vocal. When I fall into this thinking, the work’s violence increases massively. Rapid and sophisticated are words that always come to mind when I hear Entre Vifs, I feel that there always solid control behind the apparent chaos given off in each track.

The shifting power of sound is consistent across the album. UB10 is another strong addition to their body of work, Entre Vifs remain a powerful force within today’s ever shifting boundaries of experimental Noise.  

Army of One - 2022.

Le Syndicat.

Le Syndicat FactionVivante – Interaction Sociale – Aussaat – LP – Aussaat 08 – 2019

Side A.

Live at the Brellfest – Recorded in 2016 at Clisson/ France – 22m 07s.

Side B.

Live at HY! Festival – Recorded in 2017 at Copenhagen / Denmark – 22m 43s.

I am feeling the blog pressure, after I reviewed Entre Vifs and L’eclipse Nue on here for Aussaat, I got sent a vinyl of the new Le Syndicat Faction Vivante live album. This is my first free vinyl album (courtesy of Aussaat) for the blog, I feel special. The sophistication of some recent releases by Entre Vifs, Abysse and Tetsuo has really opened my eyes to new stuff from our French neighbours, I sure hope Brexit doesn’t happen as these little pangs of brilliance make me long for an (easier) visit to France. The blog got a little political there, I hope you all stay with me.

I know jack all about Le Syndicat (the syndicate), all I have is the excellent, choppy, violent tracks that are on this year’s main birthday present for me - the Broken Flag Box Set (2012). They have been releasing work prolifically since 1982, I also know there is a loose link with the amazing Entre Vifs whose cd I reviewed recently too. For this album they are ‘Le Syndicat Faction Vivante (The Living Faction Union.) This album compiles two live sets from 2016 and 2017.

The first set starts with churning repetitive noise as waves of wall like distortion and samples make things chaotic, causing a rise in intensity. Urgent, interruptions of noise and high-pitched squealing noise cut in and disrupt the prominent sounds. The work does cut itself up and shift into other areas rapidly, this functions to break the work up into different categories so monotony can’t cloud the proceedings. The work also raises in violence frequently and quickly falls to allow curious conversations of noise to occur, aside from being noise, there is an avant-garde quirkiness that overshadows the work.

The second set is a lot more murky, menacing and vocal; it uses some impressive digital sounding noise. The sounds are way more conversational with each other, vocal noises are inaudible but add to this. The work simmers in quieter regions a lot, taking it back into menacing territory when things get playful, this also frequently allows for minimal passages of sound to play out. There then seems to be a lot of dramatic shifts in speed and it seems as if noises are dragged backwards across themselves after they have played out, so that they can repeat in a different context.

This is a quirky, consistently interesting, strong live recording. I really like Le Syndicat, like other French projects in my radar, they demonstrate a unique, sophisticated approach to noise.

Choppy Noodles 2019.