Marc Houle - Drift (2010)

Few producers can claim to have a sound as recognisable as that of Minus' Marc Houle. And while his listeners will immediately recognise his fourth LP as his work, there’s been a real change from the 8-bit playfulness of his previous recordings.

“Inside” may be similar in style to some songs on Bay Of Figs, but it sets a noticeably dark tone with its eerie basslines and some chilling breakdowns, the last of which fades into second track “Seeing In The Dark”. There’s a dark, brooding maleficence which carries you through to the beat dropping. Wonderfully evil, as is the title track with its searing sirens and yet another bassline that a comic book villain would be proud to walk out to.


In Houle’s own words, “This album is about the cold dark grey Berlin winter”, and this album was inspired by one of the coldest, darkest, greyest winters imaginable. It’s easy to imagine the Canadian, who claims he can stay at home for weeks when in a creative mood, knocking on his own door on opening track “Inside” before settling down to express the gloominess of the season through his unique brand of minimal techno.

One of the main tasks of a minimal producer must be the use of space in music, and Houle does this masterfully through echo in several songs. The strings in “Sweet” seem to paint a picture of isolation, while madness is abound “The Next” with echoing noises merging beautifully with a hard beat to create what could be both the most chilling and most danceable track on the album.

Oddly, the darkness is never quite there after the fifth track. In a strange move, Houle gives us “Hitcher Man”; a track more akin to his early 8-bit releases (anyone know if he’s lifted that from a game? It sounds ridiculously like a Mario level). It's an excellent track, don’t get me wrong, but why change the mood when you’ve suddenly become the king of minimal darkness? Perhaps this was the time in January when he uncovered his NES...

He does revert back to the general feel of Drift afterwards, but without the dreary depression from earlier on; something we could attribute to the Berlin ice melting (after all, the penultimate track is entitled, errr, “Melting”). There’s still a sense of eeriness, but with the menacing basslines gone there’s a welcome feeling of mental recovery. “Hammering “gives off the feeling of looking forward to spring, with its warmer atmosphere and strings this time giving a more organic feel to a record that at times feels otherworldly.

Marc Houle has changed the style of his music from something that comfortably set him apart from the others, in the process creating an album that really focuses well on a concept. He deserves praise for succeeding in this, while exhibiting the same kind of craftsmanship that delights minimal lovers. In an interview with DJ Mag he jokes about making another album dedicated to the awful Berlin summer that followed; I’d have no qualms over listening to more bleak brilliance.

8/10 

This album was released on 29 September 2010 by M_nus, available from the label's website or Grooves-Inc.