September 4, 2026

Horla – Fantômes (Album – Le Cabanon Records)

Horla – "Fantômes" album cover
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Genre/Influences: Experimental, abstract.

Format: Digital, vinyl.

Background/Info: Horla is the solo-project of French artist Clovis Lemée. He’s based in Madagascar, where this album has been mainly conceived. A first work from Horla was already released by Le Cabanon (cf. “Orogenèse”) in 2014.

Content: “Fantômes” sounds as the result of serious sound collecting. Field recordings next to real instruments have been merged together. The result is an impressive sonic cocktail of noises; a kind of experimental labyrinth with industrial elements, but still giving birth to a ‘free industrial-jazz’ sound. It’s not easy to recognize some of the acoustic/traditional instruments that have been used and transposed into a source of industrial noise.

+ + + : Horla reveals himself as a true sound & noise scientist, transforming every source into a weird sonic tone. It sounds pretty improvised and will definitely appeal to the lovers of this genre. It also sounds like the right music for ‘performances’, and especially when mixed with visuals. I especially like the industrial-jazz sounding “Haschich Jazz”, which has something avant-garde- and yet totally experimental like.

– – – : The experimental- and abstract approach of the work is clearly meant to please a very restricted number of fans. This is ‘difficult’ music.

Conclusion: Horla is a project that finds its place at the complex paths of experimental music.

Best songs: “Harschich Jazz”, “Opium Quartet”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/horlamusique

Label: www.facebook.com/lecabanoncrew / www.lecabanonrecords.com

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