ARTIST: eRikm
ALBUM: Variations Opportunistes
LABEL: Ronda Label
REVIEWER: Matthew J.
DATE: 11-3-07

Created entirely by looping small snippets of CDs and then treating them in the studio, the newest album from eRikm makes for a surprisingly atmospheric listen. "Correlation I" begins with the expected glitch effects, but as the five-second fragment (taken from a composition by Jean-Philippe Rameau) is looped back on itself at different pitches and drawn out by sustain, it takes on an ethereal character, less like damaged playback equipment than intentional ambience. Drawing the contrast between eRikm's own studio abstraction and the concreteness of the source material, the track blends seamlessly into the 13-second "Source C.1," revealing Rameau's original composition to be a technical harpsichord piece before dragging to a halt. "Correlation II" uses a small section from Igor Stravisnky as its source, looping a single section of violin into an everlasting hum. Gradual tonal changes in minor key give things a vague sadness as eRikm manipulates the loop. "Generescence - Soustractive" ends things with an even more extreme form of minimalism; for the first several minutes, the tones are barely audible, and eventually build into a quiet ringing. While it's tempting to write off eRikm's obsession with studio experimentation as mere technology fetishism, the fact remains that these compositions are subtly moving in their own way, and result in something greater than mere technical experimentation. This album has niche appeal at best, but anyone with an interest or appreciation for musique concrete and avant-garde ambient will enjoy what eRikm has created here.

For more information, visit www.erikm.com.