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Ektör — Ektöristan
(Bandcamp Bitume Productions BCD027, 2024, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-12-31

Ektöristan Cover art

Ektör is not exactly a new French band, though Ektöristan is their debut full-length release. On it they present an intriguing blend of styles that makes for enjoyable listening. The album starts with “L'Odyssée,” and a somewhat ominous piano riff in five, which is joined by dissonant guitar and a flamboyant female voice courtesy of guest Ninar Alassar, who also appears on two other tracks. It’s a cool take on math-rock that’s sort of zeuhl-adjacent. “Beluga” is in seven in a similar vein, though with more emphasis on the bass, and male vocals that seem to be chanting “Baby baby beluga,” but I could be mis-hearing that. That track ends oddly with a minute and a half of ambient sounds including a distant saxophone. “Alarme” turns towards a kind of electronic post-punk; “N’Kunter” is built on synth washes and electronic twiddles that fade in and out before morphing into a kind of jazz-rock with electric piano; and the album’s title track lopes along with a Middle Eastern riff and a string section (simulated, I believe, as there are no players credited). In the way of many current bands that rely heavily on technology, the credits are somewhat difficult to decipher, with Benoit Michelena (drums), Guillaume Ringwald (guitar, bass), Guillaume Flamen (vocals, synths), and Alain Jacquemin (producer) all additionally credited with programming. However they do it, the result is a fine example of progressive rock that doesn’t adhere to any of the established streams in the genre.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Ektör

More info
http://ektor.bandcamp.com/album/ektoristan

 

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