These two experimental 'dark jazz' combos respectively hail from Brest and Lyon in France.
For this split release, each artist interprets a single track originally recorded by the other.
Le Strategie Saint-Frusquin is Cooper & Co's reworking of Witxes' 'The Apparel' from their 2013 album 'A Fabric of Beliefs'.
Pieces Analogue is a version of Nourrain Quinquet from Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones album Quartorze Pièces de Menace.
The original track timings are six and eight minutes but both have been substantially expanded so each now clocks in at a little over twenty minutes. Needless to say, they should be regarded as new works rather than covers.
The first part of Le Strategie Saint-Frusquin is an impressive blast of heavy drones, squawking sax, distorted guitar and thudding percussion. This gives way to some spectral ambience culminating with a brief intervention by Ronan MacErlaine, whose deep spoken word voice is a lot like that of Michael Gira. "The lights are dim and he's coming round" he intones menacingly.
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There are no voices on Pieces Analogue; a largely minimalist piece which mainly uses processed instruments. Aside from a couple of sonic jolts and a densely dramatic finale, it is more soothing than spooky. The press release describes it as "like swimming in a puzzling dream".
Split is a fascinating introduction to artists who are clearly well practiced in thinking (and playing) outside the box. On this evidence they are both well worth exploring further.
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