London based multi-instrumentalist and composer Pascal Bideau a.k.a Akusmi returns with his third Tonal Union album and if you’re a follower you’ll understand it’s not exactly going to be more of the same. Whereas his debut ‘Fleeting Future’ was a futuristic travelogue of gamelan-intrigued electro-acoustic journeys and 2022’s ‘Lines’ constructed sonic patterns with a greater immediacy, Akusmi’s latest ‘Terra Incognita’ loosens the focus on structure. He’s taken a wider aperture here, worked with new collaborators and set off to explore more exotic, fluid sonic spaces.
Spiritual Jazz meets Japanese new age on the album’s tantalising opener A Waking Dream. Marysia Osu’s rippling harp brings a Dorothy Ashby-like natural delicacy to the opening as it mingles with sparse piano trills and Akusmi’s slow clarinet twists. The music stirs and settles tentatively, there are twitches of percussion and a lurking drone until, woken by Dudú Kouate hand drum beats, the ostinato patterns begin to layer up. Such complex weaves are what we are used to with Bideau’s Akusmi music but on ‘Terra Incognita’ detailing and tone seem to be higher on the agenda. Snippets of homely harmonium, super soft synth cushions, earthy Balafon chimes and chirpy flutes add depth to the sonic tapestry.
The collaborations with Sengalese percussion maestro Dudú Kouate and top order drummer/tabla player Sarathy Korwar are crucial to Akusmi’s developments on this latest set. Their input is fully absorbed into ‘Terra Incognita’s soundscape and are integral to its lusciousness. On Pleine Lune, as the intricate rhythms jell and the sax melodies swirl orchestrally, Kouate’s percussive choices continually surprise. Somehow the tune shimmies silkily between soca, gnawa and rhumba. Korwar’s pattering tablas bring urgency to the drama of Rain Dance while both players stoke the tropical heat that oozes from the groves of the mysterious Drongo’s Flute. There’s something of Don Cherry’s inexhaustible spontaneity informing this hypnotic trance expedition.
The tunes on ‘Terra Incognita’ thrive on improvisation and chance-taking by all the players but the album steers away from total free-form. Bideau’s alto sax song often acts as the focal point, providing a melodic thread to many of the tracks here,. As he explains “It’s the link that connects everything together, half-narrator, half-explorer, ambling along and reacting in real time”. On Anima Akusmi’s horn quivers with an ethio, DePlume- esque voicing while the track morphs from YMO stylings to a tingling afrobeat work-out. The psychedelic electronica of Club Subterranea also depends on the Bideau sax for definition as it meanders thoughtfully through the tune’s mysterious corridors.
It may not be as future facing as Akusmi’s previous statements but by bringing things down to earth on ‘Terra Incognita’, his music has discovered new warmth. The gorgeous closing track Dawning Dusk captures this vibe perfectly with a sultry Tropicalia celebration that drifts like one of those succulent Hermeto Pascoal moments. Things feel freer and less complicated in Akusmi’s new world which is much closer to home but still packed with thrills and discoveries.
Get your copy of ‘Terra Incognita‘ by Akusmi from your local record store or direct from Tonal Union HERE
