Tokyo based French music producer Fleck E.S.C’s new album, “OPERATOR 5” is a sonic tapestry of ambient electronic music.
Listening to this album is such a meditative and unique floating relaxation experience. (It is of course one’s personal point of view however, it is not only that the first time I listened to this album was at a beauty salon, my eyes were closed and lying down but also by listening to it without any musical information being vulnerable at the situation enhanced my therapeutic perception towards the album sounds). As if you are visiting an art installation space or be at a live music show in a chill out room at a rave in the dark.
The album is reminiscent of 90’s to millennium electronic and ambient gems with a touch of an old school horror or science fiction film soundtrack. Particularly one track called, “Caramel” gives a sense of John Carpenter world meets beautiful chilling ambient.
Some tracks particularly on the first couple of tracks (Ambivalence, No One Lives Here) have a nice minimum quality production. A dose of beats and electronic sounds that make astro landscapes. A different shapes, omanotope bubbles, and gentle nostalgic in sounds popping up like a new creatures from multi direction. You found yourself being in an altered state like withdrawal from your own physical presence in a pitch black womb. It is a calm, humorous or satires sometimes, and laid back psyche live session. Yes, the sound of this album is alive in a unique sonic form. More listen to it, the more depth you discover.
Franck Collin, aka Fleck E.S.C, is an Electro artist originally from France currently living in Tokyo. According to the music label bio, Franck’s earlier experience playing bass and drums in bands, and his love of horror, science fiction and B-movies, naturally drove him to the Electro music scene. And the last track of this album, “Strings Guidance” convinces us the bio that how musically experienced he is. Additionally Fleck E.S.C has influences rooted in New Wave, Contemporary, Techno and Ambient music. And influenced more by the spooky side of horror and sci-fi and the cheap retro sounds in tribute to the movies. Franck Collin has also worked in movie productions as a camera assistant. He has also created music for Lipton Cafe Shibuya in Tokyo, theatre performances in Berlin, Germany and the soundtrack for the film,”Astroboy in Robotland”, by renowned director of “Delicatessen” and “The Lost Children”, Marc Caro. This bio information explains why the sound of the album was like reminiscing on the old school horror or sci-fi movie soundtrack as well as how some tracks made us feel like at some physical performance experiences. In fact, the album contains a live performance track (OPERATOR 5) but also overall the album takes us to another space where we feel nostalgic in a physical sense.
Fleck E.S.C also appeared performing in a number of venues in Europe and Japan. It is something that we look forward to experiencing in physical live performances in the near future while exploring the unique meditative sonic journey in CD or digital formats. It is one of the new year 2024 albums worth listening to.
“OPERATOR 5” by Fleck E.S.C is available on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, and CD published on independent Japan based music label, Cathrach Records. Stay tuned to Fleck E.S.C upcoming events as well as Cathrach Records since they have been actively working Japan domestically and globally.
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