'white water-lily' (1 track) on QFG : a compilation - 3cd - 2003


Q:
1. Flint Glass
2. Ab Ovo
3. Gom
4. Pilonaa
5. Morthem Vlade Art
6. Oil 10
7. NKL
8. Von Magnet
9. Nimp
10. Mimetic
11. Haiku
12. Mlada Fronta
13. Rabbits/Sorrow
14. Shizuka
15. DJ Enthrall

F:
1. We are Gentlemen
2. Moon
3. Apophasis
4. Tin.RP
5. Zonk’t
6. Frédéric Nogray
7. Celluloid Mata
8. Mid&Ric
9. Final Cut
10. Ultra Milkmaids
11. Audioside
12. Margrave Ruediger
13. Such:
14. De Mange Machine
15. Trombone

G:
1. Milligramme
2. Lith
3. Rudra Vena
4. Morphoex
5. Komplex
6. Zerogoki
7. Remain Silent
8. Punish Yourself VS The Cult Movie Memorial
9. Vassalfada
10. Macrocosma
11. Sensory Mindfields aka H.I.V+
12. J213
13. Le Son des Convergences
14. Stelladrine
15. Mourmansk 150


'Le deuxième disque, "F", est plus homogène, donnant dans l’ambiant et l’abstract, avec pour perles les productions de Zonk’t, étendue sonore angoissante qu’aucun souffle de violence ne ride, Final Cut et son étrange composition un tantinet schizophrénique, Audioside et sa musique abstraite remplie de sonorités incongrues, ou Margrave Ruediger et ses lancinantes boucles de sonorités aliénantes sur fond de piano light. Le disque "F" s’impose comme le plus profond sans doute, mais le moins immédiat. ' le fantastique.net ( Célia Schneebeli )


'Dès le début de "F" on commence à ne plus vraiment comprendre quelle logique a tenté de construire et regrouper les morceaux sur chaque disque. We ARE Gentlemen propose une ambient aquatique et presque heavenly (on imagine très bien une voix éthérée se poser sur ce titre) pas vraiment excitante. Avec Moon, on repart sur une logique d'électronique précise et soignée. Le démarrage du morceau est absolument splendide, et Omnipresence, ambient entêtant à la structure extrêmement riche, est une vraie agréable surprise. Apophasis poursuit parfaitement l'expérience avec ce qui démarre comme une sorte d'ambient aux sonorités cybernétiques, mais sur laquelle un semblant de voix s'invite, alors qu'une rythmique étrange fait évoluer le morceau tout en gardant le côté cotonneux. Rien à reprocher à Tin.RP et son lancinant D.I.N. V2.3. Avec Zonk't, projet de Laurent Perrier (Odd Size, Cape Fear), et le bien trop court Soft in the Middle, le disque, après un départ ambient, prend un virage plus expérimental dans lequel s'engouffre Frédéric Nogray et son envoûtant Beat Régulier à 200Hz Prés. On nage ici dans des ambiances plus proches d'une électronique "artistique" que musicale, expérimentale au sens premier du terme. Avec Celluloid Mata le ton s'éveille, et c'est la première vraie rupture dans la direction qu'avait semblé prendre "F". Le morceau est d'ailleurs malheureusement beaucoup trop court. Mideric continue l'entreprise d'éveil de l'auditeur avec un morceau presque "dansant", interminable et hypnotique. Avec Finalcut c'est un retour aux bidouillages et à la recherche sonore, évolutif et fouillé. Un morceau avec beaucoup de relief, extrêmement bien ciselé. Si l'on ne connaît pas le cursus de tous des intervenants, celui d'Ultra Milkmaids ne nous est pas étranger, et la présence ici de cette formation de Dijon est une vraie surprise. Mais les gazouillis d'oiseaux donnent au résultat un aspect plus proche d'un CD d'ambiance estampillé "Natures et découvertes" que d'autre chose... Audioside reprend d'une certaine manière la même démarche que Finalcut, expérimentation électro-acoustique étonnante de relief et de subtilité, sur laquelle s'ancre une voix répétant inlassablement "La violence est la seule chose qui reste quel que soit le régime"... Margrave Ruediger est quant à lui assez inclassable, une atmosphère et des sonorités industrielles mais qui baignent dans la sérénité. Craquements, grains de poussière, fréquences, avec Such on est dans une ambiance proche, mais carrément dans un univers sonore parallèle. De Mange Machine joue de la même façon avec les sons. Chaque élément, chaque seconde, semble avoir été isolément travaillés. Trombone clôt somptueusement le CD avec une Fanfare Mécanique mélancolique. ' Premonition ( Christophe Labussière )


'It is a cliché of the (industrial) electronic scene that bands coming from a few selected countries (think Germany first and foremost) have an advantage when it comes to be known, and that artists from other countries have to somehow unite in order to get their share of the spotlight. And while I do believe that this is not the case (and might never have been so, actually), it would appear that this feeling is still quite strong in France, where two compilations (the present "Q.F.G." and "Like music to their ears vol.1"), which incidentally are not the first to follow this concept (see "French Putch 1", for example) are gathering french-only (or at least french speaking only) acts, hoping to showcase these acts both inside and outside of this country. I do not personnally agree with this concept, for I think that it is nowadays a lot easier for bands from anywhere on the planet to be known, and most of all because I believe that compilations should gather tracks selected for their quality only, and not for any other criteria. Chosing artists because of an other factor (may it be an french-only compilation, or a left handed musicians only, or a redheads only one) appears to me as a dubious idea, which might have weak acts get a spot only because they belong to the focus category (go here for more debate about this). Anyway, it is also true that there has been an explostion of "industrial" acts in France in the past few years, and that the concept behind this compilation, however arguable as it might be, shouldn't prevent people from judging the tracks themselves. So let's see what is to be heard here, whatever one's opinion about positive discrimination in electronic music is. First thing to say, "Q.F.G." is one hell of a big project, gathering no less than 45 different projects on three full CDs, the whole thing packaged in a big digipack bearing plenty of rusty photos. The three CDs are thematically arranged, the first one gathering mid-paced, clear electronic tracks, the second being ambient, and the third one noisy and pounding. Of course, there are plenty of new acts (at least to me) among these 45 bands, as well as some confirmed names (from Parametric's Mlada Fronta and Mimetic to Celluloid Mata, Ultra Milkmaids or Oil10) and some rising ones (Flint Glass, Ab Ovo, Lith, Komplex or Stelladrine). As could be expected from its concept, "Q.F.G." is also a compilation in which the difference in quality and composition between the track is rather wide. While I have to admit that the sound is pretty coherent (at least on the first two CDs), and that the average quality is really quite high, some bands really stick out as a lot better than others. I would for example recommend, on the first CD, the tracks by Flint Glass (signing here something richer than the already nice "Hierakonpolis" CD), NKL (formerly Nomenklatura, with a very good illbient track), Von Magnet (a band that used to be quite famous in France) and Mlada Fronta (with a surprisingly light weight and relaxed track). On the second CD, I really enjoyed the material by We Are Gentlemen, Ultra Milkmaids (with a very typical track) or the more experimental Margrave Ruediger. And on the third CD, the tracks by Milligramme and Lith got my tapping the rhythms with my feet, while Komplex and his rhythmic noise track with vocals was quite nice, while Stelladrine offer a dense and pleasant noisy stomper. "Q.F.G." is such a massive project than no matter what its concept might be, one is sure to get something for her or his tastes. I personnally enjoyed a lot the first CD, whose calm or bassy electronic tracks were mostly very good, and the second disc also has a majority of solid tracks. I am more balanced about the third CD, whose rhythmic noise core is still a bit too immature to me. Anyway, and once again whatever the concept of this compilation might be, this triple CD set turns out as a musically appealing release, which might have gained from being more condensed, but which also contains far enough good tracks to justify its acquisition. ' Recycle Your Ears ( Nicolas Chevreux )


'Disc F is the trouble spot of the collection. A few sterling efforts need to be acknowledged, such as We Are Gentlemen's Cherry Pie (not to be confused in any way with Warrant), with its serene electronica based upon a humming ambience note and layered with luxuriant synths and Pink-Floyd-like substances. Celluloid Mata's Hec.Riv saves this disc entirely from the sour tone it ultimately sets with its jazzy and speedy drum mix amidst the spurting coldwave that is for once, tastefully executed instead of gratuitously heaped as in the case of many of the other artists on Disc F. Apophasis' Et Nox Facta Est has a hollow synth clang that rings like a calming church bell as the track takes a spooky overture until a solid beat usurps control at the two-minute mark, making it a more concrete industrial track.
Ultra Milkmaids' Pleure, is an organic, seventies-oriented pleasure trip with its jazz fusion stylizing and interspersed nature sounds that eventually lose themselves and settles into a sensual rhythm. Mid&Ric's Sherman Release is not too far away in structure from GTO's The Bullfrog, with its steady, burping bass and drum effect that has more sway and sexuality than its predecessor. Tin.Rp's D.I.N. is noteworthy only for its scat tempo, which is fairly ingenious, considering the darkwave that engulfs it and pointlessly numbs the listener, as does the ensuing track, Zonk't's Soft in the Middle.
Unfortunately, putting these songs aside (which alone would make an outstanding EP), the remainder of the disc is one sorry excuse after another, particularly the four tracks preceding the final song that make the jumbled slop between Slipknot songs far cooler and more tolerable. Audioside's Quelque Soit Le Regime could be complimented at first by calling to mind the delicious textures of Air, yet Audioside immediately plunders themselves with violent garbling that makes the average listener want to hate it instantly, but something beneath is oddly satisfying and one ends up digging the track, that is, until the following three tracks kill the spirit. Margrave Ruediger's White Waterlily is guaranteed to induce a headache with its numbing madness and barely discernable melody. Such's Isotope-H features brutal scrape-slide coldwave that is ripped further apart by note hammering and splitting that has no mercy upon the ears. In layman's terms, this is shit, and it's irresponsible.
De Mange Machine's La Meme Indifference Qu'il Temoignait Envers Toutes Choses is further fecklessness with its sludgy abrasion and nerve-shattering debauchery that is satanic, and though it seeks to redeem itself in the mid-portion of the track one is likely in too much pain and therefore cares less. Trombone's Fanfare Mecanique calls a halt to the lunacy with its righteous beat and simplistic keyboard medley that is interchanged with its step-toe beats. Unfortunate for Trombone to be placed last on the disc; the spot is rather cruel, assuming one has made it past Frederic Nogray's Beat Regulier A 200 HZ Pres, which fools the listener by sounding like a Frankie Bones dance thumper, but becomes an amplified stress test like a heart working its way towards cardiac arrest. Using this metaphor, Nogray's punishing track is a warped game of Can You Take It at a grueling 6:35. The question is, can the listener take this disc at all? ' legendsmagazine.net ( Ray Van Horn, Jr )