Pheek - Intra (2017)

With this new opus, Pheek raises questions and evokes – without dictating them – emotions both delicate and abstract. He paints with a brush able to be both organic and icy, moving through paths that are possibly illuminated, or foggy, or dusty, or all of the above – resulting in unique images. The very densely harmonic passages of the project contrast with the slightly more atonal approach Pheek is also recognized for.

The immersive quality of any type of music that is difficult to technically analyze is very much present, and pleasure hits swiftly. The soft and granular chords that sprinkle, hide within or carry the different chapters of Intra go through muffled pop harmonies, deliciously ambient cinematic suspense and unusual yet tastefully warm jazz chords. The very fine sound design and spatialization make a strong case for stereo recordings. This is as binaurally detailed as it gets so one shouldn't shy away from giving headphones a go as a facet of the experience.The rhythmic palpitations and dialogues are in constant motion. They shape an ecosystem where acoustics and electronics converse, everything is measured yet mysterious, fluidity and respiration are maintained.

The humanity of the album is tangible yet its abstract nature allows for individual listening within the musical conversation. The poetry present in this work comes from its detachment from strict rules. Just like a good surreal cinema experience, it isn't organized predictably. Pheek often talks about approaching music as a collection of moments that will not happen again and indeed, even when the pieces clock around 20 minutes, summarizing the experience is no easy task. Where one might feel pebbles in contact with ice-cold liquids, another might see a slowly melting pearly surface, branches crackling on red embers, blurry but emotionally striking images or shadows of additional sounds emitted by one's mind.