Ars Sonor - 124C 41+ // NMMREM XXV

Ars Sonor is a project headed by Laetitia Schteinberg. Laetitia has lately become a bit of an internet sensation following the news of her being forced to leave Sweden back to Russia. Her being a transwoman it is causing a serious threat to her well-being (http://www.change.org/Petitionen/save-laetitia-a-transwoman-being-deportated-to-russia).

Musically her main project Ars Sonor is some sort of industrial ambient project. Tracks have lucid ambience but also steady beatwork and often vary between ethereal and ethereally sinister sounds. I love the fact that Dmitry Vlasov from Meklabor makes an appearance in two remixes as these two go together like peas and carrots.

124C 41+ has been released by three weblabels in 2012, Sirona-Records and Sounds From Inside Out as a free download webrelease, and the now defunct Dark Meadow Recordings as a CDR. The title of the album is likely taken from an influental Science Fiction novel Ralph 124C 41+ by Hugo Gernsback; wordplay from "One to foresee for one another".

The album consists of 10 tracks. Some tracks have just ambience and some have hypnotic beatwork to go with it. The beats are used tastily, only Hold My Hand picks up tempo to technical beats. There are whiffs of dark ambient dubstep too, The Shed is a clear cut example of it (don't expect any pop hooks). Three of the 10 tracks are infact the same track The Saints remixed. However, it does not really matter as two of those remixes sound entirely different and the third re-uses the elements freshly.

124C 41+ is a good and smooth album, though not all too memorable or catchy. But occasionally it stands out; usually that is when there is a hypnotic beat on effect. Best examples are Disintegration, Hold My Hand and The Saints [New Flesh Mix]. Also The Saints [Oil Mix by Meklabor] has very stylish melodywork. All of these influence spontaneous head nodding.

I've been pairing 124C 41+ with a horror novel and it is a good symbiosis, definitely not for the faint of heart. In fact, 124C 41+ works too good with a horror novel, I've had a few nights of constant anxiousness because of this combo. I just stopped the album before the finisher cause I need to relax. Also lovely background music for nightly bunker exploring!

7+/10

Free download:
http://archive.org/details/siro394ArsSonor-124c41
http://sfio.bandcamp.com/album/124c-41-lp (name your price in case you want to donate)