WITXES + DALE COOPER QUARTET & THE DICTAPHONES - SPLIT [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
This split constitutes an exciting collaboration of these two French experimental/avant-garde/dark jazz acts. In mutual respect and appreciation, both DALE COOPER QUARTET and WITXES selected a track of their split companion and created a fundamental and independent rework of around 20 minutes length.
Based upon parts of Witxes' "The Apparel" -- from the last album "A Fabric of Beliefs" -- and afternoon summer recording sessions, the DALE COOPER QUARTET's "Le Strategie Saint-Frusquin" contains the classic sounds of the Quartet: ambient soundscapes, lazy jazzy rhythms, drone and distorsion guitar and a deep saxophone breath. Being mostly instrumental, the deep tone of Ronan Mac Erlaine's voice comes to ease the stormy start of the music piece. A grainy and blissful track that resembles music coming through of a 50s radio speaker, letting dark jazz flooding the room.
"Pisces Analogue" is a new WITXES piece based on "Nourrain Quinquet", a track from "Quatorze pièces de menaces" by Dale Cooper Quartet & the Dictaphones. In five movements, the track explores the interstices and cracks of the dark, minimalist, lurking, cycle-evolving original piece. It offers to take a look at some of its nooks, focus on a few of its endless micro-universes and jump from one to another in a flash. Just like swimming in a puzzling dream. If there is anything in common with previous Witxes output, it is a strong sense of motion as well as narration to be seized by the listener. Though this piece uses heavily processed instruments takes from "Nourrain Quinquet" as well as a few typical Witxes field recordings, it is Witxes most synthetic work to date. It was written, recorded and mixed in 3 weeks during summer of 2014 in Lyon and co-produced by Michael Mysak.