When ranking the most exciting things happening in France at the moment, the Olympics would have to take second place. What stands atop the podium is the scene that keeps on giving. Some of the stalwarts are household names – Amor Satyr, Anetha, A Strange Wedding, Azu Tiwaline, if one was to start alphabetically. Others in the scene are justifiably garnering a greater following – Beatrice M., Hysteria Temple Foundation, Jonnnah, Kick21, Trois-Quarts Taxi System, the list goes on.* And yet, somehow, there seems to be new mixes emerging from les boiseries (the woodwork) every day that inspire awe. One of my favourite discoveries this year is alkemia, whose Decadence mix was simply dashing.

This recommendation comes from Lyon – the apparent nucleus of this creativity – where the sound is really cleaner. Moody and mind-bending, there must be something in the water. While some of the French scene’s most promising exports have been rambunctious deep dubstep cuts and tribal rollers, Paul Rêve’s Avatars of Lingmus is not of the sort. This EP is dual-use techno: equally suitable for big sound systems or headphone-assisted solitude (the latter seeming more likely for Redshift, where the Ngunnawal/Ngambri scene has hit somewhat of a dry spell).

The titular track runs over eight minutes but could comfortably go on for another ten, constantly developing through its swapping passages – a Western-style rattle; rubbery gyrations reminiscent of Joyenergizer; and evanescent shimmers. Body and head music mingle in this call and response. Similarly, the punctuated bass in ‘Var Kronos’ teases the listener, who yearns for the track to break into a 4x4 gallop but sinks deeper still into its bleepy stupor.

And deeper do we go in the following ‘Ballad of Johannes’, a cinematic lullaby that sees the EP at its most contemplative. As they say, you can’t spell Paul Rêve without… well, rêve. The low-end marches on, ringing out while the mix around it seems to fall away. It’s at once calming yet accompanied by an inexplicable anxiety – like you’re watching yourself in slow-motion. Is this what it feels like on the way out?

I cannot say. But what feels like the way up is the final track, a Polygonia rework which comes to consciousness, lurches, and then explodes. It’s the release we were hanging on for, but perhaps not how we thought we wanted it. It’s lighter-footed, urgent, yet graceful, and maintaining the sense of control that Rêve exhibits throughout the record. If you know my soft spot for not-quite-ambient ambient techno, you’ll know how excited this one made me. This one goes straight to the pool room.

★★★½

out of four.

Joe Negrine

12 August 2024

*For a better, but by no means comprehensive, insight into this scene, recommended readings include: a-biotic, Blue Night Jungle, Comic Sans Records, De la... je l'espère, Mama told ya, the Place: France compilation, and Virtual Forest Records (all links direct to Bandcamp pages).