Electrypnose - Le Tireur De Ficelles

Electrypnose makes his long-awaited commercial debut on Peak Records with Le Tireur De Ficelles. Behind this project is the Swiss artist Vincent Le Barde, an iconic presence in the psychedelic underground. A pioneer of alternate means of distribution, he has released countless songs in MP3 and WAV format via his web site, explored the potential of Steptime’s independent MP3 shop Resonant Earth, and contributed free material to several netlabels. In tandem with his non-commercial exploits, Electrypnose has made numerous releases on a wide variety of labels, especially in 2005 and 2006. The style he has become known for is dark psychedelic trance with a sinister twist. Le Barde is capable of much more than this—he also produces melodic morning trance and psychedelic downtempo—but his dark style is the focus of Le Tireur De Ficelles. The presentation of this album is top-notch; the cover art is eminently appropriate, and Chromatone does an excellent job with the mastering. With that established, let’s take a tour of Vincent Le Barde’s menacing imagination…

The Handler opens the album with spooky Gothic melodies, IDM-like breakbeat games, and a well-chosen sample from Edward Scissorhands. Once the beat kicks in, brooding atmospheres descend to impose a strong feeling of dread. Le Barde begins to display his proficiency for rhythmic manipulation, warping frantic noises into a variety of compelling percussive patterns. Stereo panning, effects wizardry, and slick drops charge the atmosphere with dark energy. The spooky lead melody returns in the body of the song, carrying the story in a thoughtful way for a couple of minutes. The third chapter unfolds with a twisted theme, and soon one may find reality slipping away, tumbling into a loose heap on the floor, as the track really takes off. Fantastic!

Gidi Fake is full of excellent psychedelic sounds, but the beat feels as if it has been undercut. The bass lines roll around in the mid-range, sounding similar to those of Menog. Cheeky samples from a roller coaster simulator don’t add much. Decent, but not something I would play out.

Niapo begins to reveal the more demented side of Electrypnose; twisted samples, razor-sharp sound effects, and hints of Sandman’s Psycho Toons can be discerned in the early moments. The composition is a melted collage of weird noises and heavy chugging beats. Sparse sequences are used to build the mood, while maniacal runs capitalize on the hair-raising tension levels. This song never really explodes, but it is a devilishly fun trip!

B2P2 showcases an insane array of production tricks. As with some of the other songs heard thus far, there are more quirks in the early half, leaving the latter segments to thoroughly entrance the listener. I will have to forgive the use of a sample from The Matrix in the introduction, as this is otherwise very good!

Electrypnose revisits the spooky Gothic motifs first explored in the opening number in a much deeper way with Oz. Ripping synthetic leads provide a razor-sharp edge to this piece. Le Barde uses an interesting technique to build tension in this one, dropping the volume levels as beats are twisted up into strange configurations. The strong focus on eerie atmospheres and heavy psychedelic melodies makes this one of the best tracks on the album.

Stupid Moods gets down and dirty with an underhanded beat, waiting several delicious moments before the screaming tension really begins to lift off. The build fizzles at the very top, dropping back into a cavernous vacuum. Transitional.

The very first time I heard Disfunction, I knew it was going to be a highlight. The chugging rhythm is loaded with glitch; metallic noises fill the air. A strong sense of paranoia settles in as a sneaky lead emerges from the mire. By the third minute, the goblins are out in full force, and everything has gone quite mad. The remainder follows a downward curve, staggering along without letting loose, making this an excellent choice for the early stages of a dark set.

Cerebral Factory continues to explore the paranoid mental landscape with intricate, intelligent sound games. The beat may be raw and aggressive, but the focus is on all the spastic little details. It remains puzzling, never gaining a strong lead as it wears on. Not bad, but it gets lost in the shuffle.

The title track is a fitting climax to the album. Opening with ominous tribal drums, it soon decomposes into the twitch and tweak of a computer malfunction—the mark of Hux Flux is all over this one. Ripping melodies erupt from a short break towards the third minute, leading the storyline into richly psychedelic territory for the remainder. This is pure twisted delight!

Brain Surgery opens with a haunting atmospheric sequence pregnant with possibility. Soon enough the rhythmic contortions begin, as Le Barde once again displays his percussive virtuosity. The jumpy bass line is perhaps the most notable feature here—the rest provides no new surprises.

Bas Les Masques is a 3 minute ambient closer featuring melodic atmospheres and some slick IDM rhythms.

Le Tireur De Ficelles is an outstanding album with only a few weak points; Electrypnose proves himself one of the best in the new breed of dark psytrance artists. Despite the high BPMs, this is more subtle than the work of groups like Penta and Azax Syndrom. Together with Ghreg On Earth’s Sigilweaver and Derango’s Tumult, Le Tireur De Ficelles is one of the finest dark psychedelic releases of 2005. Recommended!

Purchase Options

Saikosounds // Physical mail order shop based in Hong Kong.
Wirikuta // Physical mail order shop based in Austria.

More Information

Discogs // Detailed release data.
Psynews // User-based review forum.

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