NNA Tapes

NNA061: Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier – ‘Those Vermillion Sands’ C34
A brand new offering of bristling electronic vignettes from French sound and visual artist Félicia Atkinson. “Those Vermillion Sands” is largely based around Atkinson’s hypnotic vocal work accompanied by tense and skillfully-layered electronics. Massive blocks of throbbing buzz and distortion swerve in and out of rhythm, shifting and unfolding at their own volition against other more organic sound environments. A contrasting soft, pulsing low end purrs along throughout in complex patterns and tones, creating inventive dynamics that burn down slowly into a smoldering, white-hot ember. Plodding, sludgy percussion comes in to establish a ritualistic tone and carry the sound further into deeper territory. Above all else hovers vocal mantras, where delicate French and English spoken word dances with repetitive singing chants, creating layers of abstract narrative and an air of premonition. Melody is used sparingly throughout the recording, acting as a torch in the darkness. It guides the listener along, until the closing title track which ends the journey on a more uplifting note, with bright keyboard lines shining through and casting light into the shadowy corners. All of these elements come together tastefully to captivate the listener, suspending both space and time around them in a tantalizing web of electronics and voice.

WEBSITE