Formed in 2007 by bassist and composer Vincent Bertholet, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp are a band with the beat of the infamous but sadly crushed Genevan punk squat movement at their core. Democratic by nature, collective in approach and creatively free, the revolving ensemble are five albums into their escapade with no signs of innovation fatigue. Their spikey brew up of jazz rocking, post punk, global beat song is still there, fermenting as potent as ever on their new release ‘Ventre Unique’, out now via Bongo Joe.
OTPMD have always been a big band, a gathering of musical minds that ebb and flow both for live shows and on recordings. Sometimes six, sometimes sixteen the group have thrived on the fluidity of their sound, a crossing of currents between drums, guitars, bass-lines, loops, brass, marimbas and strings made more buoyant by a combined vocal gusto. Their founder Vincent Berthelot remains an anchor, co-producing, writing and playing on ‘Ventre Unique’ but despite his significance in Geneva’s underground scene (he set up the pivotal Bongo Joe Records with Cyril Yeterian) he distances himself from being cast as ‘leader’. As he maintains “We’re a collective force and individuals are not important“.
It’s clear from the start of ‘Ventre Unique’ OTPMD’s democratic approach continues to thrive. Tout Casse has all the elements of their bespoke, holistic sound: the snare rattling muster come jaunty pop bounce; the marimba strikes, staccato strings and bass pull syncopation; and those quirky brass call-backs. Co-writer and OTPMD stalwart Liz Moscarola brings her dry, unflustered vocals, a bit innocent a bit despairing, to this song about nature’s breakdown. No punches pulled from the start then, as the guitar throttling cranks up and the noise crescendo rises.
When the nimble Tuneyards’ beats of the dynamic Breath gear into another riff driven climax, the ensemble’s standing as deliverers of prime avant/art rock is confirmed. OTPMD can balance severity with flare and panache, seriousness with wit and irony. Check in with scary Dehors which stomps about like a Hitchcock soundtrack meeting a Nine Inch Nails flare up. Any song that closes with the line “Ouvrez vos fenêtres et faites sortir les porcs” (or “open your windows and get the pigs out”) just can’t be passed over. Then there’s the more restrained Ils Disent which takes its horn blasted, eighties lilt through to a playout of mesmeric Saharan rock via a crafty marimba/string section interlude. Plus those post-punk sensibilities which Jon Parrish highlighted on the band’s Rotorotor album remain pristine, witness the wiry guitars and chorus chants of Speak by The E.
But OTPMD are a group who reach way beyond minor Pylon/Devo-esque affectations. Their last release from 2021 ‘We’re OK. But We’re Lost Anyway’ balanced more consistent song-writing within a wider range of styles and this time around that breadth is sustained but with a tighter focus and sense of economy. There’s little need for sonic filler on the minimalistic, coded structure of Tout Haut where Elena Beder and Aida Diop’s marimbas scuttle excitedly through their gears. Featuring the swarthy purr of Francois Marry (of Francois and the Atlas Mountains) on vocals, a wrapping of cosy, close harmonies and a homely horn arrangement, it’s a glowing piece of shining adult pop. Another guest vocalist, Mara Krastina provides a mysterious gothic dimension to the throbbing closer Smiling Like a Flower, a disco meets electronica meets pulsing guitar chords curio. Sounds unworkable but the collective keep things sharp and on target.
Not that OTPMD avoid risks on ‘Ventre Unique’, it’s a recording peppered with experimentation. The urgent Colour, written by bugler Gilles Poizat and Bertholet, uses the band’s percussive drive from twin drummers Valtchev and Lantonnet to propel its powerful messaging. With the whole group locked into multi-rhythmic locomotion the song reaches LCD-like momentum as the political rap unravels. Petits Bouts snatches up the ‘colour’ theme splicing muscular maths rock riffing with spooky dark wave vocals, mournful strings and modal-jazz toned interludes while Les Boeufs completes this thrilling song trio. Here the pop-tones go abstract, sort of noire-jazz Stereolab, while the lyrical imagery gets brutal (all oxen, burials, and human demise). It’s a contrast the Orchestre sneakily explore and use incisively.
In talking about the album Bertholet has observed that whereas ‘We’re OK. But We’re Lost Anyway’, looked sardonically at the world’s decline from a pandemic ravaged perspective, ‘Ventre Unique’ seeks out more positivity, a coming together across difficulties and differences. That same spirit is voiced through one of the album’s definitive tracks, the expansive Coagule. From its skanking, bass pumped opening to its swelling, horn soaked choral conclusion, the song ultimately captures what makes OTPMD so special. This is a band dedicated to forging their own distinctive sound and sharing what they discover – a collective effort made for our collective good.
Get your copy of ‘Ventre Unique‘ by Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp from your local record store or direct from Bongo Joe Records HERE
