London based composer/producer Pascal Bideau has been developing his Akusmi project for some time now both in his home studio and with Berlin based musicians Florian Juncker (trombone), Ruth Velten (saxophone) and Daniel Brandt of Brandt Brauer Frick (drums / electronic percussions). Inspired by an immersive gamelan experience during an Indonesian sabbatical then imagined through the lens of future thinking might signal something weighed down by the density of ideas, but Akusmi music is in no way ponderous or opaque. There is levity, brightness and much hope here.
You may have already latched onto the preview of the title track from his forthcoming ‘Fleeting Future’ album (due 24th June on Tonal Union), a piece that whisks you through a world of sound from minimal early shoots to full electronica blush. Now comes ‘Yurikamome’ a second insight into the expansive ambition of the full length record. Named after a Japanese monorail train line and shaped by watching YouTube vids of a window view hurtling through the landscape, it’s a track with momentum that relishes the momentous.
Running from single note simplicity to frenetic gamelan circuitry, ‘Yurikamome’ draws you into the shifts and switches between the trim synth patterns. Pulses build, rhythms cross, bass lines judder, locomotive drums pump and you hear things that maybe aren’t even there. What is clear is the gliding sax melody that swoops above all this forward motion, seeking and finding Portico Quartet-like elevation. Signs are with ‘Fleeting Future’ Akusmi could be taking off on a similar uplifting trajectory.
You can listen to ‘Yurikamome’ now on all the usual digi-platforms.
Pre-order ‘Fleeting Future’ by Akusmi from your local record store or: https://akusmi.bandcamp.com/releases
