- Centrum, Jeremy Guindo's second album as Bambounou, was inspired by dystopian sci-fi novels such as Dune. The casual listener, however, would have no idea about that. The Parisian's take on house and techno, which weaves in elements of garage, ghetto tech and bass, fizzes with an irrepressible energy. It has its eerier aspects, too, but the thing Centrum most resembles is a huge, bustling fairground at night.
Aside from the fixed infrastructure of basslines and kick drums, everything in this music flashes, pops, swings, twirls and plunges unexpectedly. In its zig-zagging laser synths, swung bass and chirruping layers of digital detail, the sinuous highlight "Excluding Natalia" channels Rustie and vintage Hessle Audio. Using catchy, curiously hymnal pads and some clonking percussion, "I Ride" evokes a similar raggedy joy, but this time over a fast-paced booty beat.
That is clearly Bambounou's forte: effervescent, rapid-fire, deliciously strange club grooves (see also "At The Mirror" and "Each Other"). Centrum is less convincing when it dips into abstract and downbeat territory, as it does on "S.A.C." or the beatless experimental collage "Where." Like first LP, Orbiting, Centrum doesn't really hang together as one piece. Indeed, you may wonder why Bambounou bothers with this format, rather than just banging-out killer EPs. But while Centrum may lack cohesion, it certainly bristles with contagious funk.
Tracklist01. Where
02. Composer
03. Fire Woman
04. Excluding Natalia
05. S.A.C.
06. Each Other
07. Oez
08. At The Mirror
09. 0 To 1
10. I Ride (Vinyl Bonus Track)