BRUITS ET TEMPS ANALOGUES

I bought a used LP of this in 1997 just from being allowed to listen to it at a Seattle record store (which sadly went defunct at the end of 1997) and I brought it home and was just blown away by it. One of the finest albums I ever bought without knowing a single thing about the artist. Of course now I know he's the son of Boris Vian, and he was in Red Noise in the early '70s which more emphasized the bathroom humor-side of Zappa than anything he did on Bruits et Temps Analogues. Bruits et Temps Analogues is apparently the very first release on the rebooted EGG label (the label previous existed in 1969-70 that released albums like Cruciferious and Original Popcorn, and featured a completely different label from its much more famous late '70s incarnation). This is some truly amazing electronic music that frequently draws comparisons to Heldon, but with a jazz influence from time to time (helps that his dad, Boris, was from a jazz background). The Heldon comparison helping that the cover bears a resemblance to Heldon's 1978 album Interface, although that album was still two years away. Here he gets help from percussionist Mino Cinelu (Miles Davis, Weather Report), Bernard Lavialle of Ame Son, and George Granier on electric piano. "Sphère" starts off with a bit of guitar but then the synths kick in with lots of synth pass and synth soloing, with nice vibes to go with it. "Gross Nacht Musik" is a wonderful piece emphasizing sequencers while "Oreknock" has a World Music feel to it, a bit African with marimbas but with lots of synth bass and the use of the Moog IIc modular. "R&B Degenerit" contains lots of funks electric piano and synths that really go off the deep-end. "Tunnel 4, Red Noise" may reference Patrick Vian's old Zappa- esque band, but at least you won't get references to the "wee stained floor" and instead the most out-there thing on this album with loud synth noises and a very unsettling vibe. "Bad Blue" is a jazz-piece but instead of a stand-up bass, an ARP 2600 was used for the bass lines while real piano is used, in that jazzy manner. "Tricentennial Drag" was an obvious reference to the US Bicentennial (as it was celebrated a month after the album was recorded), with sounds of drag races, a military band playing "Marines' Hymn" and lots of weird electronic sound effects in between it.

A lot of albums I've own for a long time seem to date me quite a bit, but not this one. This album had really stood the test of time and demonstrates how much I still enjoy it as I did on a blind buy in 1997. Of course even in 1997 I was wanting that kind of electronic music and it hardly disappointed. Really worth your time to check this out!