Christophe Bailleau & Pulse Emitter - Gaz Giant (2018)

Recorded early 2017 in Belgium and in the United States, Gaz Giant debuts the stunning initial collaborations between two contemporary greats of exploratory synthesizer music: Daryl Groetsch and Christophe Bailleau. Although the pair are physically separated by 8,000 km (5,000 miles), here the duo come off as inherently linked by instinct, prowess, and engaged curiosity. As Pulse Emitter, Groetsch has charted new paths of celestial kosmische musik released on Digitalis, Immune, Cosmic Winnetou, and many more. Bailleau has surveyed his own unique but equally expansive cosmic music, best heard on banner works issued by Cosmic Winnetou, Somehow Recordings, and more.

Issued on Sacred Phrases, Gaz Giant also brings with it a sense of homecoming or familiarity, given each artist’s appearances on the label in the past. While both Groetsch and Bailleau have released solo works by their respective projects on the label, each has participated in fruitful collaborations, too. 11H60 found Bailleau working with Didier Nietzsche, and Water Bureau saw Groetsch working with fellow PacNW synth cosmonaut Norm Chambers (aka Panabrite, Jürgen Müller, and Spiral Index).

Opener “Meringue” careens with glacial drift not unlike Biosphere’s dives deep into the substrata. “Ancient” sketches a slow moving and surreal scene of synthetic naturalism, recalling the headier excursions helmed by Roedelius or Ash Ra, but with a firm grasp on modern textured ambient music. “Globe Jazbud” shows a lighter, more playful zone littered with vibrant pockets of sound and soothing, generative spirals of sound.

“Night Market Cruisers” and “Tropical Fish” offer glitched and oddly humid tonal floats through space, while “Gaz Giant” foils manipulated tape speeds with a fluid froth of percussive textures and aquatic, almost dripping synth notes. “Think Cloud” closes things out with an open-ended and wide-eyed gaze toward the horizon. It’s a striking and stirring debut for what will hopefully be a prolific collaboration.