Cendre
Label: Touch
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Cendre
It’s ironic that it took a minimal-minded musician like Christian Fennesz to wake the mighty Ryuichi Sakamoto from his creative slumber. With Cendre, the Japanese composer finds considerable inspiration from the Austrian laptronicist, escaping from the familiar orchestral themes and circular, regressive beats that have marked his recent work. Likewise, the enveloping ambience of these 11 pieces show Fennesz nodding considerably in the direction of Sakamoto’s lush, cinematic tendencies. In other words, Cendre is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word; both artists moved outside of their expectations and comfort zones to create impressive new pieces. The result is a warmly engaging collection of drifting, futuristic atmospheres that is neither smoothly snoozy nor abrasively glitchy.
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2007.