Ethereal (FR)

Two new releases just six months after the previous one (this album and another, whose review is forthcoming, made with Taylor Deupree), and once again a programmatic title: Zimoun maintains his usual rhythms and production formats for the end of 2025. Returning to 12k, the Swiss artist takes the opportunity to release a long-format album in collaboration with the New York label’s owner, created using the same instrument: the “Wind Dynamic Organ.” On this LP, each side features a single track, simply titled One and Two, allowing listeners to fully discover and appreciate the possibilities offered by this organ.

Located in the Collegiate Church of Saint Vincent in Bern, the instrument allows for modulation of both wind pressure and the volume of air passing through the pipes. Captured directly in the church, Wind Dynamic Organ, One & Two obviously benefits from the acoustics of the medieval building, but doesn’t overemphasize the echo and reverberation, preferring to demonstrate the instrument’s potential, particularly its ability to superimpose a layer of vibrational oscillations with a few deep chords placed on top. At times, it sounds as if electronic processing has been added to the sounds emanating from the organ, although in reality, no external effects were used. Consequently, over the course of the forty-four minutes, Zimoun’s approach evolves subtly, inviting the listener to immerse themselves in these two long tracks and enjoy the depth and almost dizzying quality of a very coherent whole.