Franck Vigroux – Sonnailles (Digital/Vinyl – Raster)
For more than twenty years, French artist Franck Vigroux has built an impressive discography, and this new album marks another compelling addition to his body of work. Vigroux has long sought to fuse music and rhythm with bodies in motion—an approach familiar from his live performances, which frequently incorporate dance.
Franck Vigroux remains a true ‘sound architect’, working like a scientist in a laboratory as he shapes, manipulates, and distorts sounds in his studio to forge distinctive sonic textures. On this album, he delivers an overwhelming sonic experience, combining powerful, immersive soundscapes with genuine hardcore rhythms. Hard-hitting kick drums merge with infectious Dance grooves, while moments of understated IDM emerge before the music shifts unexpectedly into more Cinematic territory. At times, chaotic Noise passages create a hypnotic, trance-inducing atmosphere, and the album eventually closes with Psychedelic loops that lean more heavily towards a dance-oriented aesthetic. Also striking is the way he adds various vocal effects to his songs—though not to all of them.
Franck Vigroux experiments freely throughout, clearly intent on getting listeners moving while offering a remarkably diverse collection of tracks. It is a versatile record, although I personally found the more restrained IDM passages to be its most captivating moments. (Rating:7½).
Listen to “Gabales”:
https://raster-raster.bandcamp.com/track/gabales
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