Late 2014, a duo of unknown producers from Lyon surfaced with ‘Agorespace‘, a roiling 3-track tallboy doped on bubbly tribal house, gossamer synth harmonics and hard-nosed broken-beat. The Pilotwings, that’s their name – likely baptized in reference to the Super Nintendo game, ostensibly stood out in an overcrowded pool of emerging prospects with their couldn’t-give-a-damn approach, laying the first stone to the shape-shifting yet cohesive body of work that was yet to come.
Freshly returned with a sophomore instalment for home-label BFDM – whilst another slab for Macadam Mambo is on its way to the record stores, the French pair explore a similar avenue without giving up on their original explosiveness and imaginative templates. ‘Molitor 71‘ operates a slight bend though: the drum work appears more subtly damascened into its shell of crystalline synthscapes and chilled flute lines, just as fresh but more finely executed technically-wise.
"The track offers a wide panoramic view on old-school breakbeat and sun-streaked house a la Ron Trent."
Opening festivities, ‘31 Septembre (On Va Tout Niker)‘ sets the tone straightaway. Ethereal panpipes and zen pads let off in a pure spirit kind of dreamy lift over endless canopies and bountiful vegetal expanses. The rhythm revs up quite dramatically on ‘Les Invasions Babar‘, a fast-mover blazing with a churning italo-disco groove, hurtling down in steep portamentos, from a high-pitched sunny side to its shady negative in a relentless cascading.
Most certainly the highlight of this four-tracker, ‘Congo Libre‘ incorporates a pervasive string of signature jungle breaks’ samples over bewitching flute and sensuous sax stabs while soft-toned keyboard notes breeze in and out in all lightness. The track offers a wide panoramic view on old-school breakbeat and sun-streaked house a la Ron Trent, as delectable for the senses as it invites to test its wealth of floor and home-listening built-in abilities on different fronts.
"'Molitor 71' hits the mark with force and self-restraint, offering a taste of transcendental music that's no short of splendid."
Last but not least, ‘Buruganda Ouverture‘ closes the odyssey. A dripping arpeggio of fragile synth chimes marries an otherworldly choir, but despite its nostalgia, it hardly feels like an au-revoir. Tenuous percussions breathe in a newly-born pulsation and the untroubled tranquility of its wistful keys and arrangements leaves a durable sensation of appeasement. ‘Molitor 71′ hits the mark with force and self-restraint, offering a taste of transcendental music that’s no short of splendid.
Molitor 71 is out now, order a copy from Juno.
TRACKLIST
A1. 31 Septembre (On Va Tout Niker)
A2. Les Invasions Babar
B1. Congo Libre
B2. Buruganda Ouverture
Discover more about The Pilotwings and Brothers From Different Mothers on Inverted Audio.