DEF – Re-Cover (Sybaritic & Militant Songs) (Album – Ant-Zen)
Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, IDM, industrial, cinematographic.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: If you’re familiar with Von Magnet, the name DEF will definitely ring a bell. This French artist is more than only a musician, but also a composer, sound director and live sound engineer. He worked with an impressive number of famous artists and projects and now strikes back with a new album of eleven tracks.
Content: The sound universe of DEF sounds like a true exorcism of ideas. It’s nearly impossible to label this album as one explicit music genre. It feels a bit like it has been composed as a soundtrack or the music for a performance. The songs are moving from industrial hip-hop to industrial/tribal music while other cuts are definitely into dark-ambient and cinematic experiences. The rhythm is quite important, but alternating hard tribal rhythms and slower passages carrying cinematic songs.
+ + + : The main thing with this album is that you for sure will find a few cool tracks. But DEF is not there to please the masses; it first of all remains a deeply minimal and artistic creation. I prefer the harder, rhythm cuts mixing industrial- and tribal exponents. “Vanished, Re Appear Demagnetised, MK III.” Is one of these tracks, which even reminds me a bit of This Morn’Omina. But I also have to mention “Float Like A Bee, Sting Like A Butterfly, Electro Angel Bite.” revealing a kind of ritual approach. In the dark-ambient & cinematic style I highly recommend “Sweet Marie” and “Emptied Spaces”. The sound intelligence of DEF finally emerges on one of the last cuts (cf. “Skin Flowered”), which also confirms this artist feels comfortable experimenting with different –although related genres.
– – – : The diversity of the work creates the illusion listening to a compilation.
Conclusion: This work is truly a sonic exorcism of music influences related to the wider fields of industrial- and ambient music.
Best songs: “Vanished, Re Appear Demagnetised, MK III.”, “Float Like A Bee, Sting Like A Butterfly, Electro Angel Bite.”, “Sweet Marie”, “Emptied Spaces”.
Rate: (7½).
Artist:
Label: www.ant–zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official
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