Diaoul - Theo Muller (Lumiere Noir Records)

Title: Diaoul

Artist: Theo Muller

Label: Lumiere Noir Records

Cat Number: LN029

Genre: Dense Claustrophobic Chug

1: La Sentence Est Irrevocable

2: I Thought

3: Utopia

4: Diaoul

5: Diaoul (A Strange Wedding Remix)

There’s a lot of interesting music coming out of France at the moment. No sooner had I finished reviewing ‘Ramp Age EP - Security DJ (Raw Culture)’ then my thoughts turned to this, the latest on Chloe’s Lumiere Noir. And while this doesn’t follow the same route, there are similarities in design. The pace is measured, the atmosphere is edgy and the production dense and layered. These are all excellent qualities and serve to illustrate how important it is not to play safe. The various tracks fluctuate in intensity all while keeping the bar high. At times it’s the stuff of nightmares: ‘Utopia’ sounds like anything but, while offering glimpses of salvation. ‘I Thought’ is a determined drive though a science fiction interzone, ‘Diaoul’ a soundtrack to sacrificial shape throwing, (the remix adds funk and retains menace), and ‘La Sentence Est Irrevocable’ a grim march across a bleak, haunted hinterland.