Certified hard chill for those with big maracas, the Frankenstein Symphony was constructed in true DJ-style by Francis Dhomont, an undisputed leader in electroacoustic music and an undeniable influence on so many working within this fjord. Franky (for it is he) sourced much from some of the best contemporary electroacoustic music to create this ‘hybrid thing in four movements.’ Works by 22 composers, some of whom are or were Dhomont’s students, were put onto the chopping block, sections were selected, severed and then spliced together with all of the frightening tools that science has made available. Some layering did occur, but Franky NEVER even got close to the racks of processing gear, LEDs blinking so invitingly, which probably line his living room, so no additional filtering, transpositions or internal editing was used.
Regular scanners of this screensheet may be aware of how close electroacoustic music lies to the heart of my ear. Many of the composers whose compositions were incorporated in this sublime CD are heroes of mine; Ned Bouhalassa, Annette Vande Gorne, Claude Schryer, Roxanne Turcotte, Yves Daoust, Stéphane Roy, Robert Normandeau and Mr Dhomont himself. Most of the composers’ works have appeared at one time or another on that very definitive Canadian label empreintes DIGITALes. A short while ago Asphodel released one of the best drone compilations ever titled, A Storm of Drones, a triple set, the first of which contained excerpts from works released on empreintes DIGITALes.
The idea behind this exciting, effective and most cunning stunt, the Frankenstein Symphony will no doubt now be copied by cats trying to be cool and even spooky; I doubt if it will ever be surpassed in its excellence.