3 out of 5

Label: Un Je-Ne-Sais-Quoi

Produced by: ?

Without reading about this production, I want to believe it’s part of an art installation. It makes sense as accompanying music – its seven “phantoms” sonically interesting without being exactly grabbing – but as a standalone bit of experimentation, the production is perhaps a bit too open-ended, letting the steam built up by this collaboration out midway through the album in favor of long stretches of ambience. Not unpleasant by any means, but just a note above restless, and maybe not dense or varied enough to work distinctly as drone or music that bears further study.

Phantoms mostly finds a balancing point between a steady mechanical beat and some occasional wind instruments (presumably Bastien’s contribution) and warbly or wandering synths and electronics (presumably Ladoire). This starts out very minimal; a slow build of improv tensions on Phantoms #1, then gets into a more lively, jazzy clatter on the Phantoms that follow, this opening trio of tracks the set at its most engaging. In the latter half of the album, the pace slows, but minused out of the relative playfulness of the opener. While Bastien’s presence beyond the beat is more pronounced, and Ladoire’s and the general tone push things into more contemplative soundscapes, it’s a bit too thin – three tracks that sort of don’t build on or change anything too substantially.

Now, setting this against a visual component, I can imagine to be pretty perfect, being more pronounced while you settle in, then shifting to the background as a narrative or concept takes over. As an addition to Bastien’s recorded catalogue, though, it’s one of his more minor entries.

(Here is the press page for this release, which does reference it as a soundtrack of sorts, though I don’t know if this was a show that was actually performed.)