Cirque D’Ess – Black Synthetic And Dense (Album – Cold Transmission Music)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Ritual, Trance, Industrial.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Set up in 2017 by the Italian duo Martina Ssam – Valerio Nubeat, Cirque D’Ess this year released their official debut album on Cold Transmission Music.
Content: It’s not an easy thing defining the sound of this formation as they’re intermixing an impressive number of influences in their music. There for sure is Dark-Wave element featured, but some sequences also have something pretty Trance-like while Ritual elements are emerging at some other parts. The female vocals accentuate the Ritual effect, like injecting a bewitching touch on top of the work. Icy Electronic sequences and guitar playing create this atmosphere, but you’ll also notice saxophone play on one of the cuts. Another track features spoken vocals (taken from an interview) by Lydia Lunch. Last, but not least there’s a remix by SYZYGYX.
+ + + : Cirque D’Ess is not exactly innovating, but they have a creative way to bring all their influences together. So in the end this album doesn’t sound cliché and average-like. It’s a great production revealing a perfect balance between fully accomplished song writing and passionate, bewitching vocals. I like the cold Electronic treatments running through the work while the guitar play is reinforcing the sound. A few cuts feature harsher Industrial arrangements, which are perfectly matching with the horror expression of the vocals at “The Neighbourhood”.
– – – : Numerous great songs, but maybe not the ultimate hit. I honestly have no reason to complain.
Conclusion: Cirque D’Ess has accomplished a brilliant composition featuring numerous efficient songs. This band is a true promising newcomer and I’m really wondering about their evolution.
Best songs: “A Spooky Host”, “Farenine 514”, “Lydia for Frankie”, “Hole-Frog”, “A Spooky Host – SYZYGYX Remix”, “The Neighbourhood”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.facebook.com/cirquedess
Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic
About Cirque D’Ess
Cirque D’Ess is an electronic duo founded in 2017 in Tuscany, Italy, by Martina Bufalini, also known as Miriam Ssam, and Valerio Girmenia, also known as Ryo Nubeat. The band calls its mix of dark-wave, shoegaze, EBM, techno and drone “Ritualwave”. Discogs lists the self-released “Cirque D’Ess EP/1” (2017), the single “Hole-Frog” (2020) and the two-track single “A Spooky Host” on Cold Transmission Music (2021).
“Black Synthetic And Dense” was released by Cold Transmission Music on 24 March 2021 on CD in a six-panel digipak with an eight-page booklet and as a download; the download adds “Hole-Frog (Radio Edit)”. The ten tracks are “Hole-Frog (Post-edit)”, “Creaky Leaves”, “Road”, “A Spooky Host”, “Farenine 514”, “Sexxxy Leah”, “Lydia For Frankie”, “Caustic”, “A Spooky Host (SYZYGYX Remix)” and “The Neighbourhood”. Cirque D’Ess wrote all songs and lyrics; the lyrics of “Farenine 514” are based on Sylvia Plath’s poem “Lady Lazarus”. Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 were co-produced with Lorenzo Montanà, Girmenia mixed and mastered the album at Beatco Studios in Livorno, SYZYGYX mixed and mastered the remix, Alessandro Froli plays saxophone on “Lydia For Frankie” and the Lydia Lunch voice on that track comes from a 2009 interview.
The duo discussed the album in the ‘Click Interview’ with Cirque D’ess: ‘Ritual Wave’ in October 2021 and contributed a remix to the Dead Astronauts album Silhouettes Redux (2022). “Black Synthetic And Dense” is the band’s debut album.
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