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LP
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KK 136LP
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$27.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 2/7/2025
Emmanuel Mario returns to Karaoke Kalk with his third album under his Astrobal moniker for the Berlin-based imprint. L'uomo e la natura ("Man and Nature") sees the prolific drummer and producer, who has worked with artists such as Laetitia Sadier and label mate Pink Shabab, take a different musical route than before. The French electronic music composer pays homage to the spirit of library music while also making concessions to different strains of pop and even classical music. With only two of the ten songs putting words to the music, L'uomo e la natura is a masterful exercise in the evocation of atmospheres: expressing much while saying very little outright -- show, don't tell. The album was born out of a desire to push the envelope. Taking inspiration from library music artists such as Alessandro Alessandroni or Bruno Nicolai as well as the more cosmic strains of electronic instrumental music, he strove "to create a soundtrack that would immediately bring to mind outer space." The first of the three singles released ahead of the full album, "L'abeille pourpre," captures this spirit with funky rhythms and an overjoyed interplay of different melodies, all tied together by wordless yet terminally catchy vocals. The second single, "Miami 2064," traverses through many different moods in its six-minute run-time: Starting off as neo-noir synth-wave piece, it then proceeds to pay its dues to the masters of the cosmic music tradition such as Tangerine Dream or, of course, Jean-Michel Jarre before slowly descending back to Earth with guitars and dreamy synthetic vocals, playfully punctuated by a plethora of wistful melodies. It is the perfect encapsulation of the open-ended approach Mario follows throughout the entire album, taking full creative license in regards to songwriting and arrangements. L'uomo e la natura rewards multiple listens not only emotionally, but also intellectually. "I also wanted to talk about politics and ecology, because it's impossible not to," Mario notes. Some of the track titles express this more openly than others and the two title tracks sung by Mario and Nina Savary use French and Italian lyrics, respectively. However, as a whole the album leaves things open to interpretation.
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CD
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KK 112CD
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Emmanuel Mario keeps moving. The further he travels, the more he sounds like someone who has finally arrived where he has always been supposed to be. After collaborations with artists like Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier or the group Holden, his last album as Astrobal took the French composer and drummer to Australasie in 2016 (KK 092LP). On his second album for the Berlin-based Karaoke Kalk, he ventures even further, eventually heading for L'Infini, l'Univers Et Les Mondes ("infinity, the universe and the worlds"). Leaving behind the more krautrock-inspired approach he followed on Australasie, Astrobal focuses on a way of storytelling that takes conventional pop songwriting as a point of departure, yet arrives in previously unknown places. Over the course of eleven songs, the multi-instrumentalist further perfects his craft of life-affirming, funk-infused synth pop. Drawing on the work of pioneers like Brian Eno or Yellow Magic Orchestra, '80s electronic funk music and blue-eyed soul, shoegaze, and the rich tradition of progressive music and kosmische in his native France, L'infini, l'univers Et Les Mondes indicates a major development in Mario's futuristic and decidedly cosmic approach to songwriting. At the heart of the "French psychedelic new age pop for the world", as he himself has dubbed his sound, always sits a rhythmic idea -- an irresistible groove that is being complemented with intricate synthesizer harmonies and bouncing bass lines. In the meanwhile, Mario's voice is drifting over the tightly woven compositions as if in zero gravity. Not quite lonely, intimate yet far away, occasionally in conversation with robots and other inhabitants of outer space he comes across on his journey. As a coherent narrative, L'infini, l'Univers Et Les Mondes tells a story of extraterrestrial excursions. As a musical statement however, it sees Astrobal coming home after more than two decades in the world of music, finding a niche for himself with a style that is as adventurous as it is thrilling.
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LP
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KK 112LP
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LP version. Includes printed inner sleeve; includes download code. Emmanuel Mario keeps moving. The further he travels, the more he sounds like someone who has finally arrived where he has always been supposed to be. After collaborations with artists like Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier or the group Holden, his last album as Astrobal took the French composer and drummer to Australasie in 2016 (KK 092LP). On his second album for the Berlin-based Karaoke Kalk, he ventures even further, eventually heading for L'Infini, l'Univers Et Les Mondes ("infinity, the universe and the worlds"). Leaving behind the more krautrock-inspired approach he followed on Australasie, Astrobal focuses on a way of storytelling that takes conventional pop songwriting as a point of departure, yet arrives in previously unknown places. Over the course of eleven songs, the multi-instrumentalist further perfects his craft of life-affirming, funk-infused synth pop. Drawing on the work of pioneers like Brian Eno or Yellow Magic Orchestra, '80s electronic funk music and blue-eyed soul, shoegaze, and the rich tradition of progressive music and kosmische in his native France, L'infini, l'univers Et Les Mondes indicates a major development in Mario's futuristic and decidedly cosmic approach to songwriting. At the heart of the "French psychedelic new age pop for the world", as he himself has dubbed his sound, always sits a rhythmic idea -- an irresistible groove that is being complemented with intricate synthesizer harmonies and bouncing bass lines. In the meanwhile, Mario's voice is drifting over the tightly woven compositions as if in zero gravity. Not quite lonely, intimate yet far away, occasionally in conversation with robots and other inhabitants of outer space he comes across on his journey. As a coherent narrative, L'infini, l'Univers Et Les Mondes tells a story of extraterrestrial excursions. As a musical statement however, it sees Astrobal coming home after more than two decades in the world of music, finding a niche for himself with a style that is as adventurous as it is thrilling.
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LP
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KK 092LP
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Emmanuel Mario aka Astrobal burst onto the scene in his native France through collaborations with some of the country's most cutting-edge artists, including Arnaud Fleurent-Didier, Holden, Institut, Iko Chérie. . . . Most notably, his work as a producer and drummer with Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier left an indelible mark, rendering some of the most singular work from the iconic French chanteuse. "Our blood runs hydrous with the seas / The essence of oceans spills through our veins." Laetitia Sadier matter-of-factly unfurls these words on the title-track of Astrobal's first full-length, and they prove prescient. The album is aqueous, each track a slow wave building before a momentous crash of sound, with clean lines and fluid form. Symphonic strings and ethereal ambient washes are married to buzzing synths and Astrobal's crisp, crackling drums. Take opening track "Everybody Loves the Sunrise": building slowly from Eno-esque synth gauze and swelling strings, it gradually layers in flutes, ricocheting drum snaps, and rubbery bass, crescendoing in a lush wall of sound before returning to its calm, Sunday-morning peacefulness. The funky flipside to this opening chill is the strutting cool of "Isao & IO." Floating in on a laid-back, Shuggie Otis-on-Quaaludes groove, Astrobal's wispy, French-accented vocals glide through crackling keys and chopped acoustic guitar, creating a melodic haze to get lost in. Though eclectic, Australasie never feels less than a cohesive vision, with the guiding principles of texture and fluidity uniting the disparate threads. From the loungey slink of "Rubycon" to the hymnal warmth of "Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis," Astrobal creates a universe one can swim around in; from start to finish, it is of a particular mood, all beholden to the vibe. It is an assured first full-length from an artist who has put in the time to find himself and build his own world. Includes download code.
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