HITD039 – 12" vinyl + digital – ed. of 300 copies
Label Note :
Presence Absente is Saåad's third release with Hands in the Dark, after Orbs & Channels back in 2013 and Deep/Float the following year.
Based on the French duo’s 2017 live setup and improvised sets, this new album is the quintessence of their music: raw, deep, murky, fascinating. The band's sound and experimental songwriting have matured over the course of their albums, and with this new offering we feel that they have truly blossomed both in form and in content.
Their brand of experimental drone takes on a new, distinct shape and, in the space of 38 musical minutes, sends out a message in a bottle to our western world, a foreboding message of the communication breakdown and the effacement of our personal identities that we find ourselves living through as a generation. But it is also an ode to nature with tones of hope, a desire to share and to return to basics, before it's too late. It all makes for an arresting listening experience.
Présence Absente is a delicate, personal album which marks a major turning point in the pair's substantial discography.
credits
released April 13, 2018
music by
Romain Barbot
– Modular System, Synths, Shruti Box –
& Grégory Buffier
– Acoustic Laptop, Guitar, Harmonica, Synths, Field Recordings –
recorded by Aurélien Prévost, July 4 – 7, 2017
in St-Cyprien (Périgord Noir – France)
mixed by Aurélien Prévost at BillyPan studio, Sep. – Oct. 2017
mastered by James Plotkin, November 2017
vinyl mastercut by Mike Grinser at Dubplates & Mastering, November 2017
collages by Morgan Cuinet
layout & graphic design by Romain Barbot
supported by 14 fans who also own “Présence Absente”
I have Siavash Amini's discography - there are few artists I'm able to listen to at all times. It's natural to cycle thru art dependent on mood, however as mentioned elsewhere, some works are enduring and Siavash's works are definitely included. This collaboration with Saåad is amazing and a welcome addition. vroenis
supported by 11 fans who also own “Présence Absente”
After being a bit underwhelmed by LYSFLATH! and God's Pee, my expectations were low going in on this record, which probably really helped my enjoyement! While the other 2 records were also pretty good, I was just let down by the expectations that other people have built especially around the first one. But Luciferian Towers is so powerful and uplifting, really diverse in its rhythms and instrumentation. Also much more melody and a more sensible amount of repetition than on the other 2 records minisculebarber
Ontario act Autotectonic offers up 10 stunning experimental tracks, fusing drone, power electronics & noise into a gripping whole. Bandcamp New & Notable May 16, 2020