Mathias Villard :: Past Radiance (Affin)

Mathias Villard is a very promising sound artist and Past Radiance can easily figure among my top favorite albums for this year. Exquisite, wistful, cinematic, alluring and emotionally transportive. For fans of Alessandro Cortini, Bvdub, Loscil, Markus Fjellström and Terence Hannum. Once more, Affin proves to be in the first league concerning modern-day ambient-lush drone music.

The album flows like a gigantic oceanic movement

 

Mathias Villard is a French sound artist now based in Düsseldorf, Germany. He is a new face in the world of ambient-drone and orchestral cinematic electronica, but his debut album finds the best possible way to bring it to a larger international audience, thanks to a contract with key indie label Affin (headed by Joachim Spieth). Affin already presents an immense catalog of advanced electronic music with a strong interest in densely layered soundscapes, emotional cinematic escapism and ambient-techno waves. Numerous well-established projects and names are part of the catalogue, among others Pepo Galán and Markus Guentner (with his magnificent Black Dahlia reviewed on Igloo).

Past Radiance appears to be a high-class textured ambient release with a strong melodious-moody component that will leave you speechless. If you are fond of lush sonic textures and enveloping electronic sequences sustained by grainy repetitive melodies surrounded by a vast, spacious aura, there is no doubt that this album will reach your heart. The gently sinuous parts and soothing ambiences are powerfully seconded by deep and slowly bassy lines which definitely add more depth and strength to the pieces. Difficult to pick out one piece in particular, as the album flows like a gigantic oceanic movement with rare sonic engulfment.

Some lighter moments appear from time to time ::

In a track such as “Debris,” this mysterious sonic approach and spacious treatment reach full development: a really massive, cascading and compelling piece. This album integrates a sumptuous sense of motion which meets quite devastating, heart-stirring, almost gloomy but always pleasant melodies. Some lighter moments appear from time to time, as in the curiously pulsating, chilling and bassy “Haze.” The success of this album lies in the meticulously crafted compositional mode but also in the solid technical production.

All in all, Mathias Villard is a very promising sound artist and his album can easily figure among my top favorite albums for this year. Exquisite, wistful, cinematic, alluring and emotionally transportive. For fans of Alessandro Cortini, Bvdub, Loscil, Markus Fjellström and Terence Hannum. Once more, this label proves to be in the first league concerning modern-day ambient-lush drone music.

Past Radiance is available on Affin. [Bandcamp]