It's acous-MAGIC !! French CEDRIC PEYRONNET (aka TOY BIZARRE) is currently one of the most impressive composers using / processing pure nature recordings, and shaping them into something beyond the known... his soundscapes are full of details and circling dynamics but keep a floating & atmospheric character... like ARTIFICIAL MEMORY TRACE, ERIC LA CASA or FRANCISCO LOPEZ, this is not just a recording of "what was", but a scheme of what could be!! lim. 300 full colour cover, clear vinyl
"It’s all about a place. An unknown place. An hidden place. Hidden?
Well, you have to be very familiar with the country to get there. Few
human traces. Few signs that there is something there. On the limit /
border of places. But nethermind, it’s a real place. I can point it on a
map. But it will look as a blank space. It’s a place where you can feel
there is something. There is a path deep in the woods, where, as a
child, I used to run - walking was really too frightening there. Spent a
lot of time there, trying to track down the essence of the place,
trying to catch the unknow." [Cedric Peyronnet]
"A stellar year continues for Cedric Peyronnet (toy bizarre) on our
site, as he continues to score reviews through careful attention to
detail and drama. kdi dctb 180 is yet another in a run of compelling
sound works, this one available on clear 10″ vinyl as part of Drone
Records’ Substantia Innominata series. While this means that the
release is shorter than usual, these tracks benefit from their
relatively compact nature.
The series’ stated theme is that of “the unknown”, and Peyronnet
writes in response, “There is a path deep in the woods, where, as a
child, I used to run – walking was really too frightening there. Spent a
lot of time there, trying to track down the essence of the place,
trying to catch the unknown.” He recently returned there to make this
recording (which we assume was not done while running). The opening
minutes capture this sense of impending danger, of movement in the woods
and unidentifiable cries. At first we only hear a drain pipe, but then
advancing drones and metallic rubs provide an impression of predatory
creatures. But something changes midway, and one can clearly identify
the dividing line in the Soundcloud map below. The music stops, giving
way to the sound of pure flowing water. The nightmares have been
dispelled, and finally the artist is free to walk, not run, even to sit
for a while. Even as water is added unto water, a sense of safety
remains.
The second side takes similar turns, beginning with the crunch of
underbrush ~ we can hear his clear footsteps laid atop a bed of what may
be cicadas and mourning doves. Darker whirls enter midway, as if to
say, “we’re not done with you yet, Peyronnet.” But the trick is on
them, as the artist is in control this time. He’s the one in the
studio, taming the tones. If the sounds remain frightening at this
point, it’s only by his design. By flipping fear on its head, the
artist has produced a triumphant document, a sonic flashlight in the
woods. [Richard Allen/ A Closer Listen]