December - Unspoken Worlds Of Hope

French producer, December, returns to Tresor with An Accident In Favor Of Human Life, the second part of his Transform project, which continues the exploration of themes such as hybridisation and the boundaries of the self that were undertaken in June 2023’s What Remains of Us? Transform Part 2 finds December increasing the intensity of his output as the Industrial and electro influences in his musical crucible come to the fore adding a punching tungsten toughness to the beats, welded and riveted to myriad other sources including post punk, ambient, and musique concrète adding a more melodic and emotional edge than the darker hues of Part 1. The product of this is a collection of juddering and staccato pieces that call to mind steampunk as much as the glittering sci-fi most often invoked by electronic works. As per the first instalment, the cover art of In Favor Of Human Life continues the ongoing creative partnership between December and visual artist Marie Quéau whose photograph appears to show a human face that straddles the boundary between the familiar and unsettling. When Parts 1 & 2 are listened to consecutively, as a complete work, elements in one half reverberate into the other revealing a refined pattern and a landmark work by an artist coming to a new peak of creative power.