Daniel B. Prothèse – CHZWaaR+ZMe+aaL (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: Experimental, industrial, abstract-electronics.
Background/Info: Daniel Bressanutti aka Daniel B. is a kind of living legend from the electronic scene. We of course all know him as one of the Front 242 core members, but we sometimes forget before he set up the EBM cult-act he was experimenting with electronics as Prothèse. Since a few couple of years the early project has been reactivated and several productions saw the light of day. This new opus is available in different formats; vinyl, CD and limited DCD box while Wool-E Tapes released a limited cassette format.
Content: The early work of Daniel B. as Prothèse was really experimental and even into noises. The approach behind this new cryptic title hasn’t really changed, but the tracks became more accessible. The artist clearly experiments with noises, turning the knobs, filtering bleeps, adding tons of effects and adding some rhythmics. The sound treatments are pretty dark and industrial-like. But a few cuts also reveal a mysterious atmosphere while other passages reveal some EBM sequences.
+ + + : Prothèse has been never that accessible although it remains an extreme sonic travel. The main characteristic and strength of the album remain the impressive sound production resulting in overwhelming sound layers and heavy, blasting tones. It sounds a bit like improvisation; there’s no real structure and yet it sounds cohesive. I was impressed by some bass lines (sometimes on the edge of EBM), the dark atmospheric layers, the industrial noises and the cadence, which makes this sonic mayhem more accessible. The bonus disc featuring 8 extra cuts is absolutely essential as the best cuts of the album are right there.
– – – : Even if Prothèse has been never that accessible it however remains an extreme electronic creation, which will not necessarily please the Front 242-fans. This is something completely different and probably revealing a more personal side of Daniel B.
Conclusion: Prothèse sounds a bit like the secret laboratory of sonic alchemist Daniel B. He decomposed and recomposed sounds and noises having accomplished one of his major works under the Prothèse moniker.
Best songs: “9Blakskull9”, “Elec+rOharmonie<>Kraf+”, “EchOlO+ung 3”, “EchOlO+ung 2”, “EchOlO+ung 1<>PhaseEin”.
Rate: (8).
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