Citing astrophysics and science fiction dystopias as inspiration, the brilliance of Bambounou’s futuristic imagination shines forth in the execution of his latest EP, Cascade.
Taking his cue from a multitude of cultural influences including the UK, Eastern Europe, and France, Bambounou expands his sound deeper into the avant-garde with this release. In his 2018 Parametr Perkusja EP that’s won a loyal following ever since, his rhythms weighed heavier with tribal drums. In this release, he produces equally hypnotic tracks, though with an experimental and minimal flair.
Ravers familiar with the early days of electronic music often speak of the influence of futurism and science fiction on the aesthetic quality of electronic music’s first iterations. This was a fascination seen both at the individual artist level, and in the electronic music community more widely, borne from the craft’s use of analogue machines and their seeming unlimited potential to produce tonal and atonal sounds.
As our present times hurtle toward dizzying technological possibilities, ideas once consigned to the realm of imagination are no longer out of reach: self-driving cars, virtual reality, and the colonization of space, to name just a few. 20th century ideas of futurism continue to be foiled by humanity’s mundane ambitions.
But one question remains unsolved: the search for other forms of life. If the search for aliens is a tableau of our anxieties throughout history, what are we currently projecting onto the idea of alien beings? Is it fair to say that the search for other life is at least partially driven by a fascination with (im)mortality? Do aliens require bodies, much less procreation, to exist in time and space, and to perceive the world in ways granted by consciousness? This century’s vision of sci fi futurism must devolve from space exploration to the digital age in order to solve the next insurmountable problematic: existence absent flesh and bone.
Bambounou’s arresting track “Up a While” illustrates this train of thought. It begins with a sci-fi inspired beat composed of haunting airy synth sounds and buzzing percussion hits that boing above a distant kick drum. An astonishing vocal phrase emerges from the ether, upending any expectations of an ambient track. These disembodied, autotuned voices croon in hollow octaves. While it’s difficult to make out the lyrics, they suggest a frightening subject who explains, “Everything was since anything / Everything was on my brain.”
The title track “Cascade” has a dancefloor friendly texture, pacing steadily with tight hi-hat hits and percussive blips sounding as if metal were being plucked on an industrial-sized music box– or a thumb piano. In the middle of the track, when the bass drum drops out, an ambient pulse and low-frequency whirl begin to intensify. Slowly overtaken by an ambulatory pulse, the beat nearly unravels before suddenly relapsing into its original groove that feels stronger than before.
“Craig.py” is another standout track notable for a sub-bass kick drum that zips humorously upward in pitch, as if a sound effect for a spacecraft accelerating to surpass the speed of light. White noise transitions make space to create anticipation in a disquieting, understated manner. When Bambounou returns a track to its original beat, rather than settling into a familiar groove it has the effect of snapping back into a former state. The energy of his music trembles and slithers.
Bambounou is an intriguing artist and individual. Label boss at Bambe, he aims to build a community of “passionate minds, roaming freely in a world of eclectic backgrounds through the ever-expanding horizons of creation and technology.” Citing astrophysics and science fiction dystopias as inspiration, the brilliance of Bambounou’s futuristic imagination shines forth in the execution of his latest EP Cascade.
-Lina Xing
Buy/listen here: Bandcamp
Artist IG: https://www.instagram.com/bambounouu/?hl=en
Label IG: https://www.instagram.com/bambelabel/?hl=en
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