Akufen

My Way

★★★½

Akufen, who also goes by his real name, Marc Leclair, has created one of my favorite releases of this century. With Musique Pour 3 Femmes Enceintes, Leclair helped merged modern electronic music with a very fluid and organic approach. On this earlier release it's not so organic, but there are many similarities. The whole clicky and glitchy style is very much present, but with more of a club feel. I could definitely see a few of these tracks being played to start a boiler room set. The whole thing feels kind of jumbled up and incoherent on certain points, a mashup of sorts that works pretty well though. And there are many types of "hooks" I guess you could call it, but those are very enjoyable and make these songs much more memorable. 

When you begin with "Even White Horizons", there's a certain unclear or misty quality about it, and the vocals cut through pretty clearly. Still I don't think it's a great opener and easily one of the weaker songs on this album. This is the first example of many where Akufen decides to utilize a country guitar into the sampling, pretty unique for this time and genre. "Installation" is more straightforward and emotionally driven with the piano keys, still the guitar comes in every now and then for a slight second. The temperature starts to rise a bit with "Skidoos", a more uptempo track that shows Akufen's signature sound as well as incorporating many more chopped vocal samples. Then Akufen goes into a more funky and experimental sound with "Deck the House" and "Wet Floors". Both incorporate that guitar and some heavy hitting beats but they go absolutely insane on the vocal samples, especially on "Wet Floors". You can think of it like a game, having a beat in the background and switching through radio channels to find one that fits perfectly but then having to switch back and forth so many times that it blends together in an unholy rhythmic fashion.

While this style is pretty innovative and interesting, it's not something that every club-goer would be willing to hear; maybe in Germany. And it doesn't really ask for a second listen from me either, it's a great concept but it can only do so much for me. But from then on basically, or from tracks seven to ten, Akufen scales back the experimentation and returns to his cloud filled aesthetic. This part of the album is a smooth ride and can provide for many background listens as well, it's very calming in a weird way. He also incorporates more of his strange but addictive vocal hooks; most effectively on the album's closer and self titled track "My Way". Which I guess is the summation of everything that Akufen has been doing up to this point; he's moving the genre forward and is being accepted by many, just by being himself in his approach to the music. 

I'm probably pushing it here but expecting too much or just going completely out of the way for what the music was for, but I think there's something deeper here especially when you compare to his later projects. I think Musique Pour 3 Femmes Enceintes is a praise and celebration of the organic and fluid world around us while My Way is more of the same praise and celebration of something that is almost exactly the opposite. The disjointed and chaotic nature of humanity and everyday life. I think I prefer the former, but this is still an interesting and very approachable concept and album. I'm sure many would enjoy this more as it does contain more of the head-nodding type of tracks that you would expect from him. A great morning listen no doubt. 

Favorite Song: Jeep Sex