Julien Skrobek/ Damien De Coene — Split

Split is a two-track affair that brings together two respected figures from within the walled noise genre- Julien Skrobek ( Ghost, Sumbru, Gesis, etc), and Damien De Coene( Charles Razeur). With each offering up an around ten-minute wall.

This is a digital-only release put out by Paris’s Les Fleurs Etranges. Artwork-wise it's a fairly basic & abstract white-on-black line, swirl, and small circle illustration - which features each player's name on either its top or bottom. The release can be found just here. 

Both tracks are untitled, and first, out of the gate we have Skrobek’s track- which is very slightly shorter than the second ‘wall’.  It’s built around a rather manic ‘n’ busy selection of juddering rubbing & hazed cluttering- with subtones taking in beaded-if-muffled clamourer, and hissing hack. Imagery-wise I’m getting a rather busy & multiple tube-lined laboratory- where there’s all manner of bubbling different liquid test tubes, smoke, & steam. At points it feels like it might suddenly clutter to a stop, at others, it feels murky-if-fixed in its setting.

Next, we of course have Mr De Coene's track. Here we get a more rapid & fully defined wall- which finds a constantly cluttering rip-bound & thick judder.  Around this, we have compacted & taut subtone detail- taking in a descending crackle, a weaving hack, and a semi-spluttering pop ‘n’ snap. I really enjoy the way the textures feel nicely squeezed & pushed together on this ‘wall’- as one's mind is constantly trying to hook onto one pattern after another.

Split is a rewarding & engaging twenty-minute journey into old-school HNW. With each track having its appeal and worth. It’s great to see these two respected scenesters put out this split- and let's hope there's more in the pipeline.