The project of Paris-based musician Sébastien
Llinares, Won explores the vast spaces between acoustic
and electronic. On this album, released on his own imprint,
the newly formed Nowaki Music record label, Won works
from elements of sampled acoustic guitar which are then
treated, looped, organised and layered around clouds
of electronic sounds to create delicate sonic vignettes.
A Forest is the second release from Llinares
as Won and follows the self-released Petite Inflammation
De L’Oreille published in 2003. Llinares
studied Art and Musicology in his hometown of Toulouse,
where he also founded an art collective, Obliq, before
moving to Paris, where he set up Nowaki, a label dedicated
to intimate musical forms. Llinares’s new album
features seven beautifully assembled untitled compositions.
If the acoustic / electronic combination has become
rather formulaic and predictable these days, A Forest
reveals a truly singular approach. As he slowly builds
up on his soundscapes, imperceptibly adding layers of
sounds over his delicate acoustic components, Llinares
creates a series of poetic little structures which,
combined, become surprisingly enchanting and fascinating.
From the clear melodic formation of the opening track
to the complex rhythmic fusion of track four or the
minimalism and introspection of track 5, everything
is so delicate and fragile that it threatens to collapse
at any moment. Yet, Llinares, the mind continuously
alert, manages to keep things in order while often pushing
the boundaries of his music further into uncharted territories.
On track 6, he creates a hypnotic setting out of gentle
metallic percussions and an omnipresent wobbling sound
wave, while track 2 combines a delicate melody with
Latin-inspired hand claps to create an infectious piece.
The album concludes with a composition that slowly builds
up on its original scope by allowing for new elements
to wash over it and drop additional sediments all the
way through, bringing this inspiring record to a most
subtle and clever close. All along its thirty-six minutes
and seven tracks, A Forest gives an insight
into Llinares’s intelligent and unique approach
to both electronic and acoustic music, and is a truly
delightful suite of intimate sonic pieces.
4.2/5 |
