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Born in Tijuana in 1970, he is known for his minimalist electronic soundscapes being influenced by classical music and working with orchestral samples, microscopically detailed textures, sounds and rhythms.

We always seem to find rich pickings from the electronic/jazz/experimental community around the time of the Unsafe Festival (even Leaf’s own Sutekh album Born Again: Collected Remixes 2004-2005) and The Versailles Sessions is no exception. This is certainly ‘out there’ as all the tracks are recorded with 17th century baroque instruments (harpsichord, viola, flute, violin); well it was for a festival at the Château de Varseilles.

The title track is less of a ‘welcome’ - more of a trip to the dungeons. This is seriously dark stuff that gets more extreme with ‘Louis XIV’s Demons’ (like some torture chamber with a knife sharpener); a theme he returns to on ‘Death Of A Forest’. ‘A Lesson For The Future, Farewell To The Old Ways’ takes a different route as he uses real voices; this is a lot closer to the music of Steve Reich’s Daniel Variations at the time of the middle ages.

For all its darkness, think of this as a semi-acoustic Chaos Theory as ‘Spring In The Artificial Gardens’ is the most cinematically minimal. Best of the lot is ‘Lully’s “Turquerie” As Interpreted By An Advanced Script’ as very stripped down Circulus.

The Wire magazine is supporting the Murcof with BCN 216 concert next month showcasing Murcof’s next album Océano. Not only that, Oren “the Jimi Hendrix of the tuba” Marshall will be the support act; I was once asked, “How many experimental tuba albums do you need?” When it’s Mr. Marshall, you probably need all to them. This is something to get excited about!

Reviewed: Murcof - The Versailles Sessions (Leaf) Cat. No. BAY67CD Release date: October 2008
Tracklist:
1 Welcome To Versailles (11:30)
2 Louis XIV’s Demons (4:58)
3 A Lesson For The Future, Farewell To The Old Ways (7:54)
4 Death Of A Forest (6:44)
5 Spring In The Artificial Gardens (12:10)
6 Lully’s “Turquerie” As Interpreted By An Advanced Script (6:42)

Links
www.murcof.com
www.myspace.com/murcof
Murcof - FACT Magazine Mix Oct2008
www.thewire.co.uk - Murcof with BCN 216 & Flicker- The Wire sponsers the Mexican electronic composer’s CMN tour of a new suite accompanied by Spanish string ensemble BCN 216 and Flicker’s light show - support Oren Marshall Various 14-22 November 2008
www.theleaflabel.com
www.myspace.com/theleaflabel

Tour dates:
Fri 14 Nov 2008: South Street Arts Centre, Reading, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Sat 15 Nov 2008: Arnolfini, Bristol, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Sun 16 Nov 2008: Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Mon 17 Nov 2008: Duke of York’s Picture House, Brighton, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Tue 18 Nov 2008: The Bluecoat, Liverpool, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Wed 19 Nov 2008: Holywell Music Room, Oxford, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Thu 20 Nov 2008: Purcell Room, London, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Fri 21 Nov 2008: Arts Centre, Norwich, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Sat 22 Nov 2008: Sonic Arts Research Centre, Belfast, UK (feat. BCN 216 and Flicker, with Oren Marshall)
Sun 7 Dec 2008: The Basement, Beirut, LEBANON