Ominim’s Parisian signing Fabien G Brillant aka Music AutOmatik returns with Message from Mars, a further exploration of his unique brand of electronica first aired on his EP Melatonine last year.

This contemporary expression of French genre-defining work continues a tradition previously upheld by 90’s artists such as St.Germain and Air, and is an appealingly fresh look at the world of avant-garde electronica, or some might say, a relentlessly soothing slice of Martian pie.

Throughout this lounge-friendly long-player Brillant’s inspirationally innovative attitude shines through with a use of orchestral accompaniments that play alongside glitched hip-hop rhythms and heavily effected samples.

The album is a more melancholy affair than the previous Melotonine, and is introduced by Lesson 7 whose foreboding string pad supports sporadic vocal splashes and delicate piano flurries. Following on is Erektile – a pulsing 16^ths rhythm overlaid by harp samples later replaced by choral vocal samples (see listed youtube link for visual accompaniment).

The LP is typified by the track Dark Passenger whose winding string melody fills the space between listener and artist. However, amidst this darkness Brillant allows his more humorous side to occasionally escape on tracks like Ping Islands and Straightjacket, whose cut-up vocal samples create a circus performance atmosphere.

Title track Message From Mars pursues a more optimistic theme, yet still has a yearning/haunting feel constructed around intricate samples that play alongside a simple string accompaniment punctuated by guitar-like wah envelopes.

Finally Sumerian Life closes the album with a twisting and stretched ode to ambient electronica that adds yet another string to Brilliant’s sonic bow showcasing his seemingly bottomless well of creativity.

As an artist, Music AutOmatiK produces material that is emotionally stirring and hence possesses the rare talent of governing his listener’s mood. Fortunately for all of us, a video is in production for the title track Message from Mars, soon to be unveiled and will be followed up with some live dates across Europe – a number of which are set to take place in the UK.

Relevant Links:
www.musicautomatik.com
www.myspace.com/musicautomatik
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1m1A7UEtlA