- Belgium's Laurent Baudoux has constructed a bewildering labyrinth of aliases over the past two decades. He's operated as Sun Papa, Sun OK Papi K.O. and RBDX to name just three, and been in several bands, including Electrosold Collectif, an improv ensemble featuring Mouse On Mars' Jan St. Werner. Most of this has occurred under the radar, but given his brand of characterful, low-key electronica—and his geographical proximity—it's a wonder he hasn't worked with Vlek before. Terrestre, under his Lawrence Le Doux alias, keeps in check the slightly cloying naive streak found in much of his music, but there's still an impish quality to the way it tackles dance floor convention.
Take, for example, "Afruita." Its name might be a distortion of the word "Africa"—the sunny pentatonic figures at the opening certainly suggest so. But after a couple of minutes a gloopy synth arp in an unrelated key barges into view, shattering the sunny repose. "Chorus," with its mooching bassline and tinny rimshots, is a kind of whimsical take on Chicago house—not an intense jackathon so much as a gentle stroll through some colourful tropical landscape. Elsewhere, Baudoux plays with more expansive techno gestures. "Astres"'s raindrop-like arps, faintly reminiscent of Four Tet, are supplanted by glistening sheet chords in the latter half. And in "Terre"—the record's muzzy highlight—similar chords appear warped and trembling, as if left out in the sun too long. On paper Terrestre is an innocuous release, but it's so pretty, and so well executed, that you won't be able to resist its charms for long.
TracklistA1 Afruita
A2 Astre
B1 Chorus
B2 Terre