Franck Vigroux – Atotal (Album – Aesthetical / Cyclic Law)
Genre/Influences: IDM, Industrial, Experimental.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: The newest album by French artist Franck Vigroux was released by the end of 2021. The work is meant as an audio-visual production and is the second work of Franck Vigroux released on Aesthetical which is a sub-division of Cyclic Law.
Content: “Atotal” is a diversified piece of music revealing the different influences of the artist. From more sophisticated, intelligent, and danceable IDM-driven cuts to pure Experimental passages the work also reveals Dark-Ambient elements. The tracks feature an impressive canvas of sounds and noises.
+ + + : The IDM side of the album is irresistible confirming the genius and visionary approach of the musician. “Lame” and “Communication” both are intelligent music pieces carried by Industrial sound treatments and a true, harsh sonic mayhem. Franck Vigroux reveals himself as a sound guru. It also comes back at “Total Primus” which is the last song of the work. This piece is carried by repetitive electronic sequences, a strong rhythm and noises resulting in a transcendental effect. The harder Industrial sound treatments of this work are impressive.
– – – : I regret there are no more tracks in the aforementioned IDM vein. The Experimental passages are not as convincing but probably more efficient when played in their global ‘audio-visual’-concept.
Conclusion: Franck Vigroux moves on composing an original, diversified, and avant-garde orientated work.
Best songs: “Total Primus”,“Lame”, “Communication”, “Désarticulé.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.franckvigroux.com / www.facebook.com/franckvigroux
Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw
Aesthetical released “Atotal” on 18 December 2021 on CD, vinyl and digitally. The eleven tracks are “Swinging Total”, “Atotal010”, “Lame”, “Accelerando”, “Perdu”, “Communication”, “Desarticulé”, “Pipe”, “Paranoia”, “Side Total” and “Total Primus”.
The album gathers material from the live audiovisual performance of the same name, made with Vigroux’s long-standing visual partner Antoine Schmitt. The label describes the piece as an attempt “to reconstruct in order to better deconstruct the processes of imposition of will by repetition and absolute synchronism”.
Listen to “Atotal”:
About Franck Vigroux
Franck Vigroux is a French composer, guitarist and electronic musician who works across IDM, industrial, noise and dark ambient, and who also builds stage and audiovisual pieces. He set out his views on culture and economy in the Click Interview with Franck Vigroux in July 2019.
Side-Line has reviewed a run of his releases across several labels: “Désastre” on Jezgro and “Théorème” on DAC Records in early 2019, “Totem” on Aesthetical in mid-2019, and “Ballades Sur Le Lac Gelé” on Raster together with the EP “Matériaux” on his own Eroto Tox Decodings in 2021.
Aesthetical is a sub-label of Cyclic Law, and “Atotal” is his second release for it after “Totem”. He continued on Raster with “Sonnailles”, reviewed by Side-Line in July 2026.
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