Hector Zazou / Bernard Caillaud: Quadri+Chromies

Hector Zazou insists on looking forward and never resting on his laurels. Maybe that is because he never bothers to repeat the same formulas that made him successful and earned him recognition in the first place. This French composer, producer and sonic sculptor has been producing works that merge richly textured electronics with non-Western aesthetics, thus undertaking voyages into the eclectic and often the unheard.

Quadri+Chromies is the result of a two-year collaboration with French digital painter Bernard Caillaud. It presents the soundtrack composed for the multimedia performances the two artists did based on digital painting sequences by Caillaud.

The pieces start with a strange cacophony of varied sonic textures and interesting samples. All of them evince a ceaseless motion, which throughout its flow mutates, corrodes and malfunctions. And sonic sculpturing he does. The music is in a state of continuous flux, turning into some sort of eerie bleep-fest with discordant percussion, synth whooshes and synth-like strings. Somehow, as the complexity of these pieces grows, so does their unpredictability. Contributions feature artists such as David Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peter Buck (REM), Brian Eno and Bill Rieflin. The CD is accompanied by a DVD with computer graphic images accompanying this music, and ten postcards with visuals.

Quadri+Chromies is not easy listening—it's both demanding and challenging. It may test many listeners, and just like with every previous release by Zazou, the fascination lies in the music's singularity and continuing challenge. In a way, this is the sound of our technological present in all its complexity.