Novocibirsk – Télévision 1945 Volume II (Album – productionB)
Genre/Influences: Minimal-Electro, Electro-Pop, Experimental-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: French solo-project Novocibirsk was the sonic brainchild of Hervé Isar. He was active in between 1982 and 1993, but the French label productionB (subdivision of BOREDOMproduct) brought this old project back to life by re-releasing the “Télévision 1945 Volume I” in 2019. Old and forgotten material has been recovered from dust and five more songs found their way to this second volume of “Télévision 1945”.
Content: I’m not familiar with the original songs from this work, which moves on the familiar style of the project. Hervé Isar took us back to the past; creating a true minimal and experimental work, the songs are sometimes reminiscent of pioneers of the Electro-Ambient genre, but Novocibirsk also has its very own approach and sound. It sounds darker than Kraftwerk, but the analogue sound treatments and robotic (vocoder) vocals are clearly evoking the pioneers of Electro-Pop. The songs are well-crafted and filled with endless effects and sound manipulations. Some parts are melodic, others are into pure Electro-Space music; some are into reverie while others are driven by slow rhythms getting the production somewhat danceable.
+ + + : I already enjoyed the previous re-release, but I honestly prefer this new work. The songs are well-crafted, sophisticated and filled with this unique magical touch of analogue gear. It would have been a pity and even a shame to not re-release these great cuts. Especially “Nuclear Propagation” is a true masterpiece. It’s an instrumental track driven by melodic sequences and a slow rhythmic. This song reminds me a bit of Oil 10. “Baïkal Depths” and “Die Sonne Über Novocibirsk” both are other attention grabbers, but there’s no real song to throw away here.
– – – : I regret the album only features 5 songs (40 minutes), but I have to admit only great songs! But the main regret is this project never gained a deserved, wider recognition.
Conclusion: If you like to discover old-school Electronic music, this ‘new’ –and probably final, release by Novocibirsk is an absolute must-have.
Best songs: “Nuclear Propagation”, “Baïkal Depths”, “Die Sonne Über Novocibirsk”.
Rate: (8½).
Artist: www.facebook.com/novocibirsk
Label: www.production-b.fr / www.facebook.com/productionB.label Read the news on ‘Télévision 1945 Volume II’.
About Novocibirsk
Novocibirsk was the solo project of French musician Hervé Isar, active from the early 1980s into the early 1990s and built around a self-taught, secondhand collection of analog synthesizers assembled piece by piece in Marseille. In a Click Interview with Novocibirsk, Isar said the project’s approach was centered on mastering the machines and layering sounds rather than writing songs in a conventional verse-chorus structure. Novocibirsk released a single album, “Excerpts And Experiments,” in 1997, the first record issued by the French label BOREDOMproduct. More than two decades later, BOREDOMproduct’s productionB subdivision began digitizing and releasing Isar’s unheard cassette recordings, starting with “Télévision 1945 Volume I” in 2019. “Télévision 1945 Volume II,” the release reviewed here, gathers five further tracks from that archive.
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