ARTICLE
2006 10 Favourite Labels

ALBUMS
aMute
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Asphalt Jungle
Joseph Auer
Avia Gardner
Tommi Bass
Caural
Cdatakill
Christ.
Conjoint
Contriva
Cursor Minor
DJ Soul Slinger
DJ Wally/DJ Willie Ross
DoF
Electric Penguins
Encre
Flashbulb
Fuckpony
Funckarma
Cedric Gervais
Eglantine Gouzy
Greater Than One
Greg Haines
François Houle
Housemeister
Jan Jelinek
Eleni Karaindrou
Kode9 + Spaceape
Takagi Masakatsu
Mini
Move D
The New Law
Nuuro
Qwel & Meaty Ogre
Rant
Max Richter
Janek Schaefer
Svarte Greiner
Thighpaulsandra
Unwed Sailor
Geoff White
Wilt
Yellow6
Jesse Zubot

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
4 Women No Cry Vol. 2
Analog for Architecture
Assemblage Sessions
Jimmy Van M
King Unique/Nubreed
Monza Club Ibiza
Pop Ambient 2007
Rub-N-Tug
Thankful
The Rorschach Suite

3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Baseheadz
Big Toe
Franco Cangelli
Richard Chartier
Deadbeat/Monolake
Depth Affect
Diebombshelters
DJ Koze
Eltron
Johan Fotmeijer
Hellothisisalex
Mitsuaki Komamura
Múm
Ozka
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Strategy
Tandem 5
Andi Teichmann
The Twilight Sad
Ray Valioso

Eglantine Gouzy: Boamaster
Osaka

VA: 4 Women No Cry Vol. 2
Monika

Eglantine Gouzy packs a considerable stylistic range into Boamaster's fourteen electro-acoustic miniatures. Singing in both French and English, the Paris-based artist blends minimal electronics and guitars with child-like vocal whispers and obliquely skewed melodies. Her debut album clocks in at a compact 36 minutes but that still allows the chanteuse ample time to establish an idiosyncratic European sensibility. Though the songs vary widely, the album consists of light-hearted, at times theatrical songs and multi-coloured instrumental vignettes. Standouts include “Cowboy,” which backs her romantic French musing with Mathieu Tiger's tremulous guitar playing, “Zone A,” where Gouzy underlays a sensual vocal with a gently soaring tropical melody, and the breezy “12H12” wherein skittering beats, bright melodies, and multi-layered vocals collide. Her accent assumes a Yoko Ono-like quality when she speaks English in the lulling “Nurse,” while similarly child-like settings are sprinkled throughout (“Tout I'an,” “Attention”). On the instrumental front, the fittingly-titled “A Gnome” resembles an electronic interlude emanating from the center of a magical forest, while carousel organ, galloping clip-clops, music box patterns, and bell tinkles add sparkling colour elsewhere. Boamaster may be somewhat of an acquired taste, but the flavour's not unappealing.

Gouzy was one of four artists featured on the first 4 Woman No Cry collection and now Gudrun Gut's Monika graces us with four new female artists—Dory Chrysler, Berliner Monotekktoni (Tonia Reeh), Mico (Mieko Shimizu), Barcelona resident Iris—on the consistently strong volume two. Monotekktoni lets her analogue sound stay a bit rough around the edges, especially on the raucous “Hands Up” which could be heard as a tribute to ‘80s new wave and punk. “Pappelin” is a brooding piano and vocal-based song reminiscent of Jane Siberry's When I Was a Boy style but Reeh's best moment is “Operation” which courts a controlled delirium using swirling keyboard patterns, chanted vocals, and techno pulses. Relative newcomer Iris (her live debut occurred in 2004) starts off strongly with the charming “Already Ready” which pairs Eno-styled synth elements with soft vocals and pitter-patter rhythms. The innocent quality of songs like “A Bath” and “Rolling Don” recalls Caroline though Iris's material gravitates towards the eccentric experimentalism of Björk too.

December 2006