- Charles Noel is one of dance music's many great yet underappreciated producers. His label 21/22 Corporation has a superb (if currently overpriced) catalogue of electro, techno and jungle oddities, but he's probably best known for his work as Archetype, which tends toward loopy tribal techno. Noel only released one record under his own name back in 2003, Le Nid D'oiseau, on the Swiss Moto Music label, which, like a lot of his back catalogue, is now prohibitively priced. Rather than simply repressing the original, we've got Sur Le Nid D'oiseau Aussi, whose four tracks apparently date from the same era as the EP's namesake.
Like much of Noel's best work, the B-side nails a sound that somehow feels much stranger than its constituent elements, yet it's still party-rocking material. "Les Baisers Myrtilles" has a cutting break that leaps out of the mix, while a rolling beat sashays above anxiously pitched and filtered chords. Given the quality of the groove and atmosphere, simple structural changes prove extremely effective. "En Manque De Cannelle" is the most techno of the set. It uses a similar set of chords to the other B-side track, but includes mangled vocals and the hard-to-place drum samples found in the more tribal Archetype productions.
The A-side wears its charms a touch more obviously, which might garner it more airtime than the darker B-side. "Harmonies De Pomme Et De Beurre D'Amande" has bright, celebratory samples and a congo line, placing it firmly on the classic house spectrum. Yet the drums are chunky and choppy, making this far from rote fare. The combination of a similarly jubilant chord and wooden bass thwacks in "Le Rythme Couleur Cannelle" makes it a guaranteed floor smasher.
TracklistA1 Harmonies De Pomme Et De Beurre D'Amande
A2 Le Rythme Couleur Cannelle
B1 Les Baisers Myrtilles
B2 En Manque De Cannelle