Listen: Fraction ~ “The Rise” taken from Dromos

Exclusive Premier:  Fraction ~ “The Rise” taken from the Dromos EP, out on InFiné May 5.

Dromos is a Live audio visual performance created by composer Fraction and visual artist Maotik, designed for immersive environments. It was developed in the SATosphère, at the Société des Arts Technologiques in Montreal for the Mutek festival in 2013.  Drawing on the French urbanist Paul Virilio’s concept of “dromology,” or the science of speed, their work is a narrative spectacle constantly at war with itself.  Earlier this year the duo returned to the SAT to produce ObE, a more organic sequel.

If you have the opportunity to see Maotik and Fraction perform together, I’d recommend it.   But severed from the visual cues Fraction’s sounds come into starker relief, making the EP a surprising journey all its own.   A CLOSER LISTEN is honored to premier “The Rise.”

Fraction: This is the third Dromos’s chapter, where time and space are suspended, before a final ascension. Actually, the violins that are building up crescendo have been played and recorded on a simple cello line I wrote during the night, which is barely recognizable in the final mix. We had this idea of a Steve Reich kind of loop, and Daniel (the violinist) layered several patterns, improvising straightly. But I had to process a lot before finding this cool sound signature, that suddenly appears. I was looking for a sound with a magical ability to make people focus, reminding immobility, and able to fight this emergency that runs with string arrangement. This sound sequence has been generated with a short violin loop processed with generic effects then replayed with granular sampler. I have to confess that I am a granular devices addict.

Fraction “The Rise” taken from Dromos by InFiné Music