Lith
Gaia
2006
CD album / Brume14
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On the occasion of its tenth year of existence, talented French project LITH delivers a new album, powerful and committed.“Gaïa” (the Earth) is a call for our planet as the living cradle of everything that is ; in turns dark and desperate, “Gaïa” hints at man as the destructor of nature and species (“Hiroshima”, “Katami”) but also evokes, in an optimistic, hopeful manner, the cultures that have deified the earth and its elements (“Sentinelese”, “Huli”) and that still survive today.Thus, somewhere between nightmare and dream, “Gaïa” ultimately points at the fact that, as the wisdom of sustaining the world about us was immediately obvious to many men as they developed, so it should continue to be obvious to us.For this new opus, LITH continues to explore the way opened by " Tribal End” while succeeding in giving to his sound experiment even more depth and meaning. Mixing aesthetical soundscapes, tribal and trance elements, distorted noises, fast break beats and powerful industrial rhythms in the vein of Somatic Responses, Antigen Shift or Iszoloscope, LITH creates a unique sound atmosphere and clearly confirms his leading position in the French up-tempo industrial electronic scene.
This new album comes in a luxurious 2 panels packaging limited edition and includes extended mutimedia works with 3 exclusive track and videos.
Track listing :
- 01 – Katami
- 02 – Hiroshima
- 03 – Atmosphere
- 04 – Communicate
- 05 – Gaïa II
- 06 – Imperialism
- 07 – Forgotten Ethnies
- 08 – Huli
- 09 – Sentinelese
- 10 – Amazon
- 11 – Escape (destructured mix by Elektroplasma)
- 12 – Species (leitmotiv versus mix by Muckrackers)
- 13 – Gaïa (rhythm mix by Antigen Shift)
LITH WEBSITE
PRESS REVIEWS :
One of the better progressive industrial albums lately is for me Gaia by Lith. Here you’ll find a very original mixture of fast-paced breakbeat rhythms, tribal and trance beats, noisy IDM and ambient. Beautiful soundscapes and forceful industrial rhythms in the vein of Antigen Shift or Iszoloscope, yet combined with a bigger musical array of sounds as the bands mentioned here utilise. This album leaves off where the previous one, Tribal End, had ended, but is more experimental and the soundscapes are more professional, which of course is something to praise them for. Gaia has the yin and yang relationship of mother earth and her inhabitants as concept. This is musicwise enhanced some more by the use of tribal elements and sounds from nature that rise to the surface out of the pool of rhythmic violence and atmospheric synths in some tracks. Gaia has three videoclips, remixes by Elektroplasma, Muckrackers and Antigen Shift and is packaged in a luxuous design digipack. Lith produces absolute top quality so it is quite obvious that this project has a leading position in the French industrial scene. 8.5/10
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The latest album by Lith, released on the 10th year since their inception, is an intricate maelstrom of cut n tweak beats over eerie synth soundscapes. These beats, the driving force on every song, alternate between glitch, industrial and the hyperspeed cut n paste of breakcore acts like Venitian Snares.
To get more specific, one gem, ’Communicate’, starts off with percussion assembled with distorted vocal samples and shots of white noise before launching into a thumping, industrial tromp. Then comes the acid bass for the groove. What makes this track so appealing is the way it forces the listener to alternate between wanting to either headbang, march or dance. All three, of course, being completely appropriate choices dependent entirely on the whim of the listener.
Coming out of Track 4’s electro stomp, ‘Gaia II’, leads with an ethereal, melancholy synth. A regimented, almost tribal beat competes for dominance but never quite makes it. Eventually succumbing to the serene and distant beauty of a keyboard voice.
The tribal theme, as well as the contrast between militant, heavily distorted industrial beats and tranquil yet otherworldly melodies is pronounced over the whole album. According to Lith, ‘Gaia’ is about the destruction of the earth and draws heavily on the music of those surviving tribes which deify the earth. This is certainly felt, especially as echoes of Coldcut’s pivotal song ‘Timber’ can be heard throughout the whole album. The feeling of nature, however, is less pronounced and seems more distant, as if we are receiving the sun’s rays through many artificial mediums. In this light it brings to mind the Call-To-Nature art project where one simply dials a number and is treated to the sounds of the wild. Of course the fact that it is all through the medium of modern technology isn’t lost on anyone. This is very much the case with Lith’s ‘Gaia.’ Crunching, abrasive beats represent machines tearing up the Earth’s rich and fertile ground, while the serenity of the synth washes replicate the stillness of a vernal pool. The disparity between organic and artificial leaves the listener in a purgatory somewhere between embracing such techno-fetishism or being totally alienated from it.
All in all, Lith’s tenth anniversary album is an eclectic mix of drill n bass rhythms(a la Noisex) and ghostly, dissociated melodies. Perfect for mashing it up on the dance floor or just driving around the industrialized urban centers of our modern wasteland.
http://www.heathenharvest.com/
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On our web-site is useless to present Brumerecords. The most of industrial bodies is part of this great label, so Lith and his new album is the next gem of this family. This musician has on his account more albums, so his skilful idms parts presents with precision on his new material. Cd isn't characterized with some extraordinary creativity a songs are mixed on the same level, so for everyone who likes pulsating rhythms, this is the right stuff. Atmospheres and experimental sounds aren't missing on every steps. Sometimes sampled melodies and breakcore actions are part of this material. Even though this cd doesn't brings anything new, for sure will bring joy and mainly will reheat your senses. Mainly regarding dancefloor problematic, this cd is full with energy and can make a nice fuss in unconscious. Rough, penetrating beats will bite you and it hurts!!! Don't miss multimedia part, that will open the gates into the world of Gaia!!!
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Eternel réaliste (car à ce stade le pessimisme n'est plus de mise), notre compatriote LITH expose depuis déjà dix ans les travers d'une Humanité responsable de maints saccages écologiques, par le biais d'une musique industrielle rythmique qui a toujours su s'éloigner intelligemment des clichés du genre. Et si LITH dénonce l'impérialisme, la globalisation, la déforestation, l'expérimentation animale et se souvient d'Hiroshima, il n'oublie pas non plus de rendre hommage aux peuplades "primitives", des "Huli" de Papouasie aux "Sentinelese" des îles Andaman qui vivent depuis des siècles sans aucun contact avec les civilisations occidentales, trouvant ainsi matière à des couleurs plus tribales, plus humaines, qui percent l'électronique de leur présence. Plus éloquent, dans son approche musicale hybride, que mille discours ampoulés, Gaia n'en est pas moins, au-delà d'une déclaration engagée, un album très travaillé, où les sonorités s'imbriquent et où les textures enflent sur des beats claquant. Avec en bonus des remixes signés Elektroplasma, Muckrackers et Antigen Shift, et trois clips vidéos, Gaia s'avère, et de loin, un des albums les plus excitants que la scène industrielle hexagonale nous ait fourni depuis longtemps.
D-Side magazine
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On découvre Lith avec cet album, mais David Vallée n'en est pas à son coup d'essai car ses premières compos ont maintenant plus de 7 ans. Ce troisième album pressé (Lith est également auteur de quelques CDr) sort chez Brume, ce qui nous permet de tout de suite situer cet artiste que l'on découvre.
Il s'agit donc d'indus, ou plutôt d'un croisement electronica-indus comme on en trouve beaucoup depuis quelques années. Comme si l'indus avait trouvé un second souffle avec la vague IDM, gardant les rythmiques qui font sa particularité, lourdes et/ou métalliques, mais arborant de belles voire complexes déconstructions et autres effets de syncope, et ne boudant pas quelques mélodies sensibles. Le résultat est malheureusement souvent décevant d'un point de vue musical. Plaisant et plutôt efficace, mais n'apportant que très rarement quelque chose de nouveau.
Lith n'apporte pas grand chose de nouveau, c'est vrai, mais il se démarque de par la construction de ses morceaux et une sensibilité un peu trop rare dans ce style musical. Les rythmiques industrielles sont joliment construites, hachées comme si une machine s'enrayait (Katami), syncopées et s'emballant pour tourner comme un rouleau compresseur (Atmosphere), incorporant parfois quelques éléments ethniques (Huli). Ces percussions prennent d'ailleurs tout leur sens quand on replace l'album dans son contexte, Gaïa, la Terre. Le livret énumère quelques fléaux qui menacent notre existence : arme nucléaire, pollution, diminution de la biodiversité, destruction de civilisations anciennes, comme les Amazones. On trouvera d'ailleurs assez cocasse cette photo d'usine polluante dans un livret prévenant des risques de la pollution pour un projet de musique "industrielle".
Mais ce qui fait la particularité de Lith, c'est sa manière d'associer ces rythmiques indus à des nappes et mélodies ambient de toute beauté. Nappes de basses sur l'intro de Hiroshima avec ses chants asiatiques pour une ambiance à la Blade Runner, ou nappes plus soyeuses sur les magnifiques Forgotten Ethnies et Amazon, navigant entre ambient et indus.
Évitant tout systématisme, David Vallée essaye d'intégrer des sonorités acides qui confèrent un petit côté daté à Communicate, alors qu'elles sont parfaitement intégrées à Sentinelese, et il se fait un peu plus dur quand il utilise des bruits blancs ou souffles saturés (Communicate, Imperialism). On remarquera enfin des constructions mélodiques plus complexes, à rapprocher d'une certaine electronica, de jolis arrangements sonores sur Atmosphere avec ce mélange de notes limpides et nasillardes, ou le final du terrible Escape remixé par Elektroplasma.
De part sa richesse, ses nappes apaisantes, Gaïa s'écoute avec grand plaisir sur toute sa longueur alors que souvent, dans ce genre musical précis, arrivé à la moitié de l'album on a déjà l'impression d'en avoir fait le tour. Là au contraire on a même envie de découvrir les précédents travaux de Lith. Excellent album dans le genre !!!
Fabrice Allard/ Etherreal
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Avec ce nouvel opus, LITH reprend les hostilités où Tribal End les avait laissées, et continue d'explorer les voies rythmiques et thématiques amorcées par ce dernier. Profondément marqué par le combat de l'artiste pour une Humanité responsable, Gaïa (la Terre), est un brûlot industriel d'une sincérité et d'une intelligence incontestable : breakbeats puissants et ultra efficaces - qui ne sont pas sans rappeler les meilleurs Iszoloscope ou Somatic Responses - se mêlent à une ambiant tribale tout en finesse pour former un paysage musical d'une intensité rare. Poussant toujours plus loin l'expérimentation sonore, LITH livre avec Gaïa un album riche, complexe et éminemment personnel où la violence rythmique et nappes atmosphériques laissent toute leur place aux éléments naturels et tribaux, dans une confrontation sous forme de métaphore écologique puissamment évocatrice. Fort de plusieurs remixes signés Muckrackers, Antigen Shift ou Elektroplasma, Gaïa se révèle, dès les premières écoutes, un album mature, abouti et passionnant, confirmant ainsi clairement l'importance du travail de LITH dans la scène industrielle française
Elegy magazine
Il progetto francese LITH non poteva festeggiare i dieci anni di attività senza l'uscita di un nuovo lavoro. Gaia ne è il risultato. L'ascolto di questo cd ci permette di comprendere il perchè questo progetto sia considerato come numero uno nella variegata scena elettronica, ambient, industrial francese. La loro proposta musicale è davvero originale, chiudere questo lavoro in qualsiasi etichetta è davvero molto riduttivo. La chiamerei semplicemente elettronica sperimentale. Comunque per rendere un pò l'idea diciamo che i punti di riferimento sonori possono avvicinarsi alle proposte di artisti quali Somatic Responses, Antigen Shift e Iszoloscope. Il tema portante del cd è incentrato sulle problematiche che il pianeta in cui viviamo è costretto ad affrontare come la deforestazione dell'Amazzonia, la riduzione della naturale biodiversità tra le varie forme di vita. certo non sono argomenti semplici da trattare in musica, i suoni prodotti rendono perfettamente le intenzioni e i temi spiegati molto accuratamente nel libretto incluso nel cd. Un mix molto originale di breakbeats, suoni tribali, trance, ambient e noisy IDM. Il cd comprende anche tre video esclusivi. Per chi è alla ricerca di suoni diversi e originali. http://www.twilight-zone.it
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.Con motivo de la celebración de sus diez años de existencia, el proyecto francés Lith lanzan un nuevo disco a través de Brume Records con el nombre de 'Gaïa'. Un álbum dedicado a la tierra, donde el ser humano aparece como el destructor de la especie y de la naturaleza a la vez que defiende las culturas que han respetado y definido los elementos. La esencia del disco subraya que, si para la mayoría de antiguos pobladores era obvia la necesidad de respetar la tierra, debería ser obvio también para nosotros. Para presentar estos conceptos, y recogiendo lo que habían sembrado en 'Tribal End', Lith utilizan sonidos industriales contrapuestos a voces rituales sampleadas, elementos tribales y un gran trabajo de atmósferas superpuestas.
'Gaïa' contiene algunos trabajos de industrial rítmico realmente hipnóticos y absorbentes, y Lith demuestran que cuando más interesantes son es cuando combinan bases fuertes, llenas de distorsión con un soberbio trabajo de ambientación, del que son maestros. Uno de los temas a destacar es 'Hiroshima', con sus velados coros y los golpes industriales atravesado de unas bases rotas y veloces bajo una atmósfera opresiva y corrompida. Los sintetizadores de 'Gaia II' están llenos de melancolía y tristeza; consiguiendo agrupar una emotividad realmente sorprendente en un tema de industrial rítmico a través de un recurso simple y efectivo. 'Forgotten Ethnies' y 'Amazon' utilizan el mismo procedimiento, pero subrayando lo rítmico sobre lo atmosférico. 'Imperalism' - con su enérgico inicio - 'Atmosphere' y 'Communicate' son algunos de los cortes más bailables y directos.
Uno de los puntos a favor del disco es que incluye tres remezclas, pero no son de temas que están en el disco. Los temas que eligieron Elektroplasma, Muckrackers y Antigen Shift se dejaron en sus manos para ser deconstruidos y creados de nuevo y dejaron de existir como temas en sí. Eso hace que cada uno de los trece temas sea inédito y novedoso en el disco. Sin duda, un buen uso de las remezclas que debería tenerse en cuenta. ¿Dónde quedaron los temas originales? En los contenido multimedia que vienen como bonus, incluyendo también un vídeo de 'Gaia'. Las tres remezclas son interesantes - sobre todo el trabajo de Antigen Shift -, pero cabe destacar como peculiar la de Muckrackers puesto que introducen unos curiosos riffs de guitarra y trabajo vocal sobre un tema altamente rítmico, convirtiéndose en una especie de rock industrial cabreado.
'Gaia' demuestra ser un trabajo sobresaliente dentro de la escena industrial rítmica y que puede resultar atractivo para todos los amantes de buena electrónica oscura. Lith no se quedan en las formas, sino que ahondan en el fondo, dotando a cada tema de un ambiente y esencia diferentes y haciendo de 'Gaia' un disco muy completo y atractivo.
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Gaia was the Greek goddess that personified the Earth and it may also refer to the Gaia theory that considers planet Earth as a self-regulating organism. These concepts, in particular the latter, form the basis for Lith's latest album. Aptly titled, this concept album features tracks which evoke a variety of issues, from the destruction of the planet by the human species to the possibility of living in harmony with it, as well as a focus on tribal themes.
Lith is a relatively well-known act from the French noise industrial scene and has released some rather noteworthy material since its inception, usually revolving around the use of distorted rhythmic structures incorporating strong trance and tribal influences. "Gaia", his most recent album, presents a departure of sorts from his previous sound and may appear to some as something of an uneven album, walking the 'grey area' between chill-out and harder sounds. It is less intense than previous releases and, at times, gives the impression that Lith may still be 'testing the waters' of new sound ideas with sound concepts haven't reached full maturity yet, despite having definite potential. As a concept album though, "Gaia" seems well thought out and has the technical quality one would expect from an artist as Lith.
This is very far from a bad album, quite the opposite, but some composition structures may be seen as flawed and not easy to grasp by a more casual listener (though more attentive listeners are sure to find a few interesting surprises). One of the main reasons for this is the contrast between the rhythms (which rely on a very deep bass) and the high-pitched samples and creaks; an interesting and effective idea, no doubt, but its effectiveness can be lost if one isn't aware of it. On occasion, some tracks also tend to lose their grip on the listener, though this may not necessarily be a flaw in itself, especially considering the admittedly chill-out nature of "Gaia".
Thematically, the album is divided into two parts, the first dealing with corruption of the planet (from "Katami" to "Imperialism") and the second focusing on tribal ethnic groups and primal nature. It starts fairly abruptly with "Katami", a glitchy, beat-driven intro that is surprising in that it starts so suddenly without any build-up and which leads into "Hiroshima", a track which is something of a highlight of the album: dance-oriented without being too noisy, the use of mournful female chanting giving it a sense of melody. Other good tracks include "Forgotten Ethnies" which mixes an almost breakcore-style beat with some interesting glitch sounds, and "Amazon" which is the most melodic track on "Gaia" and features some beautiful sweeping keyboard sounds, coupled with an almost tribal beat. The fast-paced "Sentinelese" is another highlight in the second part and a track in which the sound dichotomy mentioned above works to great effect.
In the remix tracks, even though the Muckrackers give Lith a proper beating with their Vietnam conflict-allusive remix of "Species", it is Antigen Shift's "Rhythm Mix" of the title track "Gaia" - more in keeping with previous Lith releases with beautiful orchestration with a dance rhythm - that is easily the best track of this last batch. The original versions of the remixed tracks are available as videos in the "Gaia Extended Works" data section of the album and feature a more confrontational side to Lith.
http://www.connexionbizarre.net/
LITH‘Gaia’Carezze di velluto abrasivo industriale.Secondo le vicende mitologiche, Chaos generò Gaia, dea della terra e sposa del Cielo, simbolo dell’abbondanza che la scelleratezza del genere umano sottopone a una distruzione progressiva. Fortunatamente, nella quarta release di David Vallée, in arte Lith, il cuore di Gaia continua a pulsare, vivo, sospeso nell’irresistibile vortice che mixa il beat oscuro e granitico dell’industrial con armonie viziose e atmosfere oniriche, nei solchi di quell’elettronica francese di alta classe di cui Flint Glass (boss di Brume Records) è insigne rappresentante. Cielo e terra si uniscono nell’abbraccio sensuale tra ritmo nervoso e lenti synth pad nel canto voluttuoso ed elettrizzante di ‘Hiroshima’, si trasformano in rhythmic noise mid tempo per il nuovo cyber dancefloor viscoso e serpeggiante, evolvono nelle raffinatezze dell’IDM obliquo e dell’ambient trance. Un’ulteriore possibilità di rinascita può essere cercata osservando la cultura primitiva di popoli isolati che conservano il germe della purezza, celebrata nella danza industrial tribale (derivata dal precedente ‘Tribal End’) di ‘Huli’, in cui il movimento rituale del corpo è guidato dalle forze della natura traslata nella tecnologia. Tre remix e una sezione video completano una nuova inebriante release della vivace realtà francese. (Elda Di Matteo) Ritual magazine
