Incursion (CA)

Il N’y A Pas De Sud…is the debut release for Montréal native Ghislain Poirier. Armed with an aging PC with limited memory and processing power, Poirier was forced to compose his music in parts, piecing them together only at a later stage. An interesting process which makes me wonder if it was accidental or intentional. The music is slow but rhythmic (although it does pick up the pace on occasion), with dense layers of reverb, bass and submerged sounds. It borrows from techno and microsound equally, but immerses them in a cloud of opaque processing and delay effects. The description might imply that this music sounds like a record by Vladislav Delay (a trusty reference point for all things digitally “submerged” and organic), but that’s not really the case, although I’ll admit that there are a few affinities. Poirier’s music is more self-contained, each track in and of itself, and each with its own swirling sonics and evolving rhythms. Some of these pieces are more interesting than others, but overall it’s a very strong release that grows on you the more you listen to it. Indicative of a small but growing microsound initiative now festering in the homes, clubs and concert halls of Montréal. – [Richard di Santo]