Empusae & NickGrey
Simple black lines in a diagram
2007
CD/ EP deluxe A4 packaging
Both Nick Grey and Empusae should dispense any introductions and are known for their collaborative efforts with other artists. The first came to prominence with the post-rock/experimental/electronics ensemble L’Eglise du Mouvement Péristaltique Inversé and his solo work crossing over avantrock and classical compositions in addition to being a member of 48 Cameras.
In addition to his highly acclaimed ritual electronics project Empusae, Sal-Ocin is an accomplished percussionist and member of This Morn’ Omina, Tzolk’in as well as live member of Ah Cama-Sotz.
“Simple Black Lines in a Diagram” is the seamless encounter of the talent and creative worlds of both artists.
In it, Empusae’s captivating tribal rhythms and singular ambiances provide a perfect complement to Nick Grey’s expertise at crafting and interpreting melancholic songs of exquisite elegance.
The result is a delicate work of intricate and subtle composition: sad, introspective, haunting and somewhat disturbing at times. Nick Grey and Empusae expertly crafted a set of melancholic haunting ritual ballads which should be a must for any discerning listener.
Mastered by IC434, this release comes packed in a luxurious A5 pack with artwork by [Massen Grab] with drawings by Katelijne de Corte.
PRESS REVIEWS :
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
Avant même de poser le disque sur la platine, cette collaboration entre le Belge Empusae et le désormais Monégasque Nick Grey s’avère on ne peut plus séduisante. En raison du packaging tout d’abord, superbe digipack format DVD qui abrite en son sein un minuscule CD trois pouces, comme si les contraires devaient s’allier dès le premier contact, avant même que la musique ne commence. Une bonne impression qui ne se dissipe fort heureusement pas une fois celle-ci entamée, venant même à se renforcer à chaque nouvelle mesure. Car cette collaboration tient du miracle, Empusae ayant opté pour une approche discrète et subtile, tout en percussions enveloppantes, en piano et en sonorités cristallines pour mieux habiller la voix suave de Nick Grey, qui installe sur ces trois trop courts titres un sentiment de nostalgie, d’abandon si fort qu’on ne peut qu’espérer qu’il y en aura d’autres, beaucoup d’autres, pour retrouver ces instants hors du monde.Jean-François Micard/ D-side magazine
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
"Simple Black Lines in a Diagram" is the latest EP offering from Brume Records, featuring the combined work of Sal-Ocin of Empusae (and Tzolk'in, and Ah-Cama Sotz, and This Morn' Omina...) fame and Nick Grey, owner of Milk and Moon Recordings and mostly heard through his work with 48 Cameras as well as some inspired collaborative works. And how very inspired this particular collaborative work is."Simple Black Lines in a Diagram" clocks at barely 23 minutes with its 3 tracks, yet it manages to have an impact that is nothing short of sadly unattainable for far too many full length releases. Macabre as it may sound, the disc plays out like a real life tragedy, captivating the listener, shortly drawing him into glimpses of the greater picture, revealing more and more of its devastating truth, and abruptly letting silence deliver the entirety of the message. From Sal-Ocin's rhythmic and synth work to the piano and writing of Nick Grey, along with the vocals, every musical and lyrical element of this album is delivered spectacularly, forming a whole that is heavily deep and melancholic without feeling forced at any point, sounding natural and true instead, as if the music was wrenched from within bleeding hearts and agonized minds.The true marvel in this work is that despite the emotionally-ladden atmosphere of the record and the expected orientation of the two artists to a very eclectic audience, it manages to be surprisingly accessible, instead of the usual alien feel that such focused and limited releases sport. This is a disc that can and is almost meant to hit the mainstream, if only to showcase and share the enjoyment of this gem that would normally go undetected by the mass electronic music media and market.This release is meant for cult status, and that is without even mentioning the excellent artwork and drawings of the original packaging, courtesy of [Massen Grab] and Katelijne de Corte, as well as the top-notch mastering done by IC 434. -- George Mouratidis [10/10] http://www.connexionbizarre.net
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
This amalgamated production from the melancholically sublime Nick Grey and the electronic compositional wizardry of Empusae, perhaps more well known for dark electronic soundscapes, broaches a clough between two seemingly oppositely placed artists to deliver a short, but memorable, work of dolorous pulchritude that is anything but morganatic.
Carefully treated bells shimmer a tintinnabulation as the veils of strings meander amidst the muted soliloquy of Nick Grey’s baritone, the music instantly finding a meeting point ‘tween the two artists, analogue and digital, organic and inorganic combined. The concatenated sections across the shifting ground of the opening track flow like a cotillion, the partners exchanging every partition, yet never far from view... while Nick Grey’s voice descends, the glitchy electronic percussion gyre’s with the subtlest of dark electronics, skittering rhythm, crisply delectable. Second in the three-song EP is a song with folksy mien, as electronic harpsichord educes Nick Grey’s searching vocal lines in oneiric wistfulness before the crescendo of snaking electronic percussion. Lastly, a piano and violin sonata, a requiem for a dead friend, composed by Empusae forms a lengthy opus of sombrous Romanticism to which Nick Grey has layered his voice in several tracks, abrading each other the dejected poem.
The production on the album is superb, with great detail paid to the stereo sound and the grain of acoustic sound, leaving the album with vibrancy that cannot be fully expressed. Empusae takes full advantage in the freedom of experimentation not as accompaniment but as partner to Nick Grey’s attentive singing. The one thing one could only lament is the brevity of the EP.
The packaging of this product is a sweetener to the overall experience; presented in a luxuriously full coloured gatefold DVD-digipak (doubled card and full colour within as well). The contorted and abstract human forms in drawings of oil crayon, water-colour and pencil by Katelijne De Corte are offset sumptuously by the charred baroque of Mathieu Orioli’s typeface and stylistic ornamentation. Nick Grey’s lyrics are fully printed within along with liner notes with the small 3” CD stuck smartly, woven into the packaging concept.
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
N'ayant eu que deux ou trois productions de Empusae entre les oreilles et ayant toujours été intrigué par l'énigmatique Nick Grey croisé ça et là sur des playlists alléchantes, je démarre l'écoute de ces trois titres d'une oreille bienveillante ce qui aurait pu avoir l'effet de tuer ma curiosité, et là, comme un bleu, je me fais avoir allégrement. Ces trois titres sont captivants. Les nappes si riches que sait déployer Monsieur Empusae pour nous plonger dans un bain mystico-mystérieux sont bien présentes, douces comme du coton mais coupantes comme du verre sur la tranche . Ses percussions tantôt minimalistes, tantôt tribales sur fond d'un savant fouillis électronique comme dans ses travaux au sein du sublime Tzolkin sont également de la partie, enveloppant la voix de Nick Grey douce et grave et de plus en plus présente au fur et à mesure des trois morceaux.
Une voix et des textes comme des lettres intimes racontées, susurrées à l'oreille avec une pointe de menace David Tibétaine. Je me prends à fantasmer un cousinage artistique avec les travaux de Dome (l'ambiance éthérée, la voix de Graham Lewis, j'imagine aussi un Marc Almond venant faire les chœurs comme dans les meilleurs passages de Coil) mais cet EP à sa personnalité propre et le dernier morceau vient m'en convaincre, ses volutes de piano hypnotiques vous prennent les tripes, 'You'd better start moving from individual to divine' en tous cas, c'est en bonne voie, un voyage particulièrement émouvant initié par deux géants de l'émotion musicale.
Pour un prix dérisoire de même pas 3€ en téléchargement sur le site de la Fnac, vous pouvez écouter ce petit trésor et encore ne vous ai-je pas parlé de l'artwork en format A4 cartonné qui est tout à fait à la hauteur du contenu et en fait un objet unique, une bonne raison de se le procurer via Brume Records. Merci à Brume recs qui a toujours l'instinct pour mettre en avant des productions aussi belles. http://www.axesscode.com
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
A little disc packaged into a beautiful hardcover A4 pack with drawings by Katelijne de Corte hides three songs of a collaboration between the Belgian Empusae, known from the ritual electronic music and the singer-songwriter Nick Grey, who is known from his melancholic songs with classical elegance. You’ll hear in these three songs on this disc an amalgam of Sal-ocin’s tribal rhythms with ambient sounds and the introspective and somewhat sad tones of Nick Grey’s vocals and added instrumentation which includes a piano, violin and horns. At times the sounds of Empusae have a haunting atmosphere. The overall impact of vocals and instrumentation remind somewhat of Current 93 although this is a bit more classical in character. Simple Black Lines in a Diagram is a very beautiful encounter of the specific styles of these artists. By Teknoir http://www.gothtronic.com/
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
Last realize of French label is published by small print run and combines in itself the exclusive highly artistic formulation (pasteboard DVD- boxing it is decorated with the vanguard figures of artist Katelijne De Corte, and placed inside against the background of red small cross minidisk it comfortably appears at least by amusing unexpected contingency) and beautiful, rather gloomy, atmospheric, sensual and deep electronic-acoustic music with washed away, casting a spell man vocalism and pursuing upadnicesko- melancholy moods. It must he said that the first two compositions "Prenegativity" and "Simple Black Lines In A Diagram", written in co-authorship Sal- sharpened and Nick Grey, it is sufficiently distant from the customary classical, Gothic or embiyentnykh models and it was sounded saturated, it is inspired, it is mysterious, it is juicy, is scale, modern, it is experimental and, as this is not strange, it is air and it is as in autumn psyched -matter hiccup. In the sonic formulation they are most close to the the contemporary of dark folk, although directly folk here exactly there are no. Non-standard man vocally here are very softly and organically dissolved in the warm, that slowly enveloping consciousness and heart to music. Strictly, precisely, the first two things were pleased to me most of all and immediately they caused strong sincere response, they was absorbed in into the space spheres. Thick and velvety sad melodies compose in the compositions of duet ideal combination with restless surrealistic idm- electronics, orchestral stringed and wind sounds, smooth and intensive noise textures, spectral vokalami and echo. In the second track fragmentarily be present eastern vocal simply, pokhrustyvaniya and crackle of noise it pushed the extracting beautiful rhythmical pattern percussions. However, the third track "Don't Trust The Dogs" initially was written Sal- sharpened and it took the form of the sad and poetical requiem, filled the personal experiences of Belgian composer. On the disk this the prolonged on the time and classical reverberating orchestrating composition with the prevailing key-actuated sorting, profiteered for vocal parties in spirit LEGENDARY PINK DOTS, different vocal sample, ambient backgrounds and stringed- wind parties. General impressions from hearing of the short program EMPUSAE and Nick Grey remained in me exceptionally positive. 4 with the huge pleasure I will be pereslushivat' music of duet in the future, especially in the hours of evening or night vigil after the computer, during it rested on the shore of sea or in the mountains, and also into the minutes of the forced or realized solitude. These are not entirely typical reliz; however, the high quality of music, its kontseptual'nost' for label Brume Records, sincerity and internal force will not cause in me doubts. Therefore 4 recommended to all judges of qualitative atmospheric electronic-acoustic advance guard faster it was introduced to the recently reviewed plate.
VAlien/DJ Commando LABELLA http://www.machinistmusic.net
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
Совместное творение музыкантов Sal-Ocin (известен участием в This Morn' Omina, Tzolk'in, Ah Cama-Sotz) с его основным проектом EMPUSAE и вокалиста/композитора avantgarde/post-rock-проекта NICK GREY. Обложка представляет из себя нестандартный дигипак формата А5, украшенный авангардными живописными работами художницы Katelijne De Corte, где и крепится этот маленький 3" диск. 26-минутный "Simple Black Lines In A Diagram" состоит из трех, пронизанных теплой психоделической меланхолией, песен, где слились воедино мягкая электроника, богатый акустический инструментарий и элегантный проникновенный голос Nick Grey. В "Prenegativity" оркестровые струнные, духовые и звенящие инструменты, плавные IDM-ритмы, пульсирующие синтетические звучки, обволакивает таинственный прозрачно-эмбиентный фон. В следующей "Simple Black Lines In A Diagram" ту же звуковую гамму дополняет хитрая трайбл-перкуссия, кое-где шероховатые шумы и ненавящивые сэмплы восточных песнопений. Последняя и самая долгая "Don't Trust The Dogs" уже практически без электроники, грустная неоклассическая композиция с лидирующими клавишными партиями, изначально написанная Sal-Ocin как реквием. Мне понравился этот красивый экспериментальный электронно-акустический мини-альбом, который лучше всего слушать в одиночестве, в позднее время суток, дабы полностью влиться в его мрачноватое авангардно-лирическое настроение. http://ohms.ru/
Empusae & Nick Grey - Simple Black Lines In A Diagram
Es tut gut zu wissen, dass es noch Bands gibt, die sich ganz einfach auf ihr Bauchgefühl verlassen und musikalische Wege gehen, die vielleicht nicht die populärsten sind, aber daher für jeden offenen Hörer ein einzig großer Abenteuerspielplatz darstellt. Bei Empusae kann man sicher sein, dass es immer wieder was zu entdecken gibt. Sal-Ocin ist mittlerweile durch Projekte wie Ah Cama Sotz und This Morn’ Omina eine feste Größe geworden. Nick Grey seinerseits hat mit der Formation 48 Cameras Erfolge für sich verbuchen können. Die Synergien, die bei dieser Kollaboration frei werden, sind auf drei Stücken perfekt eingefangen. „Prenegativity“ lebt von einer sehr surrealen Atmosphäre, die durch das intelligente Drumspiel und den verschrobenen, leicht paranoiden Synthieflächen entsteht. Der Titeltrack ist ebenfalls nicht ganz leicht zu verdauen, aber wieder ist deutlich, mit welcher Verspieltheit und Freude die beiden Künstler an das Projekt rangehen. Schließlich ist bei „Don’t Trust The Dogs“ die Melancholie voll ausgebrochen. Dank eines sehr intensiven Klavierspiel, das teilweise an Beethovens „Mondscheinsonate“ erinnert, wird eine musikalische Innerlichkeit beschworen, wie man es selten hört. Gerade der letzte Song dürfte auch denjenigen, die mit Empusae weniger am Hut haben, gefallen, einfach weil er der Eingängigste Track ist.http://elektrauma.de
