Clearly, Pascal Asselin is a man on a mission. After enjoying critical acclaim for his involvement in dreampop outfit Below The Sea, Asselin’s solo career has already witnessed four albums (including one remix effort) and an EP. The latest album sees him developing his sounds still further. Whereas recent releases have focussed on chilly ambience, here Asselin embraces hip hop structures and a clearer sense of melody.
Furthermore, from the fluid piano keys on ‘Sournoise Supercherie’ to final track ‘Pascaline Knight’, everything is rhythmically tight. The melodic shifts are often quite gradual, each track settling into one groove before making a slight shift into another and the results (for ‘La Sonate De L’Homme Bon’ and ‘En Memoire De Terror Et Erebus’ in particular) are slick, menacing and very impressive. Although Millimetrik’s music remains ostensibly dark, ‘Les Artefacts Du Futur’ and ‘A Travers Le Temps De Retour’ are bright and hopeful. ‘Suicide Bi-Polaire’ embraces warm techno like a cross between old school 808 State and the faraway sounds of Ultramarine whilst ‘Le Libraire Obscur Du Mont D’Iberville’ melds film noir with trip hop. So Asselin has developed his palette still further and this is arguably his most consistent and addictive offering yet.
Web Sites:
Millimetrik Official Site
Make Mine Music Label Site
Further Listening:
All Sides, Phobos 3
I do enjoy a good bit of Make Mine Music, but wasnt too keen on the last Millimetrik releases. I will give this one a go though.