Review: Coni: Imaginarium Essai EP

From his first three records on ClekClekBoom, Coni seems to have derived a growingly satisfying economy of means: gradually stripping down his melodies of all decorative overage, returning to a downsized battery of samples and instruments but also radically broadening their textural spectrum.

The four cuts that compose the skein of his first EP out of the Parisian crew’s bosom effectively gaze deeper into the abstract side of the mirror, leaving floor-oriented expansionism behind in their ascetic quest for a minimal yet durable afterglow.

Coni

"A compact four-track sally rallying post-industrial outlooks
and liquid-light ambient soundscapes all shrouded in scopious reverbs
and unplumbed sonic-field depth."

Whilst reverbs smooth the rough edges without taking away the tracks’ basal nerve, the impact of each percussive sequence is reflected within a complex and spatially disorienting set-up: ‘Into The Silly World‘ opens with the gripping rawness of Shed’s ravey melters but rapidly veers off into a proper jam-lab bursting with sketchy synth loops; a simple metallic drum roll turning ubiquitous here, a dripping water sample suddenly conquering the track’s background there.

Melding dubbed-out refinement a la Basic Channel with a classic Chicagoan house vibe, the richness of Olier’s chiselled sound design works wonders: fluttering with the untamed elegance and delicate balance of a Calder stabile, it certainly leaves no room to negligence. On the title track, a subterranean bassline sneaks its way from underneath and hi-hats pelt like a rain of steel shards but the track reveals paradoxically closer to a jungle jaunt under a warm monsoon shower.

On the flip, closing cut ‘Louis & Juno‘ draws the same sine curve, forging a fragile synth motif in form of a vain rumination but it’s clearly on ‘Zex Plongeon‘ that Coni’s subtle craft finds its most penetrating and haunting outcome. Outlining heavy-lidded city life reminiscences through gentle superficial touches before diving head first into a sea of freshly-poured concrete and washed-out flashing lights, the track keeps sinking down to boundless nether regions, carrying its listener back out to inward-staring oceans of consciousness.

Putting on display a lush palette of dub accents and unflinching techno in trompe-l’oeil, the French producer goes deeper than deep with ‘Imaginarium Essai‘. Doling out a compact four-track sally rallying post-industrial outlooks and liquid-light ambient soundscapes all shrouded in scopious reverbs and unplumbed sonic-field depth, Olier undoubtedly shows proficiency when it comes to limiting himself to a tight-laced ensemble of concrete instrumental hits and ghostly echoes.

Imaginarium Essai EP is out now, order a vinyl copy from Juno.