There is an ongoing quest to find something new under the vast banner of European experimental rock made in late sixties and early seventies. In amongst the well celebrated discs, the crate digging, the cross referencing, there is a fair amount of fluff and disappointment packaged up in killer sleeves…
So the pipe smoking, cravat and roll neck-sweatered duo of Besombe and Rizet on this sleeve doesn’t really convey the contents of this monster by Pôle. Despite the pastoral curveball of the sleeve, this album is littered with some of the most potent music I’ve heard. A perfect manifestation of the electronic side of krautrock – and it’s French!
This project spawned several off shoots (and a label) all worth finding and diving into deeply. However, Synthi Soit-il is the perfect distillation of the whole trip. One of the most perfectly lysergic tracks of all time. Forming a 22-minute ending to the outrageous double album Besombe/Rizet – Synthi Soit-il is completely demented perfection.
Built out of bleeping pulsing synth madness, slowly that cyborg style drumming rolls in and around before meshing into an incredible alien funk 5 minutes in. Several albums attempted to play this game but here, in France in 1975, late in the day for many, this hits the cosmic spot like little else ever managed.
Besombe/Rizet by Pôle is available here
obladada.com 