Description
A cult classic that blends synth-pop and experimental folk, born from the DIY spirit of 1980s France and featuring a percussionist who stood out even among the members of Fille Qui Mousse, receives its first vinyl reissue ✓
Released in 1986, L'Empire Des Sons is a recording of sounds that arrived far too early from the French underground scene. Percussionist Dominique Lentin, who was active in cutting-edge groups such as Dagon and Fille Qui Mousse, and vocalist Bipé Redon formed the group after meeting through a performing arts project. Accompanied by the surreal and fragmented lyrical world woven by Bipé, Dominique intuitively constructed percussion, marimbas, and synthesizers, creating a one-of-a-kind sonic landscape.
Coexisting theatrical direction and home-recording intimacy, its sound is like a sonic postcard delivered from a fantasy world. Ethnic-instrumental sounds and cheap electronic noises blend vividly, exuding a charm that transcends time and genre. Remastered from the original tapes, the intricate layers of sound have been reproduced with greater dimension and intensity. This is a precious release that allows you to savor the essence of French underground art, which has been passed down among collectors for years as a "lost treasure" ◎
A1. Venise
A2. Mais Où Est Donc Ornicar?
A3. Antilope
A4. Celles De La Haute Mer
A5. Opium
B1. Voyage Autour De Ma Tête
B2. Le Trapéziste
B3. Moitié Panthère
B4. L'Année De La Comète
B5. Quand Nos Pères Étaient Des Poissons
An elusive cult gem resurfaces through Glossy Mistakes. Originally released in 1986, L'Empire Des Sons is an otherworldly blend of synth pop, folk experimentation, and cinematic percussive layers-dreamlike, poetic, and wildly ahead of its time.
L'Empire Des Sons was a fleeting yet powerful transmission from the fringes of the French underground-an album that blurred genre lines and evaded easy classification. Fusing experimental folk, lo-fi synth pop, and avant-garde textures, the record exists in its own sonic universe: poetic, layered, and fiercely independent.
Formed in Saint-Étienne by percussionist and composer Dominique Lentin (Dagon, Fille Qui Mousse) and first-time vocalist Bipé Redon, L'Empire Des Sons emerged from the vibrant DIY spirit of the early 1980s. Their paths crossed during the interdisciplinary project L'Opéra Quotidien, and what followed was an intuitive, deeply collaborative process. "I would bring in lyrics and my voice," Bipé recalled, "and Dominique would shape the music around the atmosphere or rhythm suggested by the words."
The result is a collection of songs that feel both meticulously constructed and completely free. Ethnic percussion, marimbas, xylophones, and synthesizers dance around Bipé's surreal, fragmented lyrics-little sonic postcards from imagined worlds. There's a theatricality here, but it never feels forced; rather, it's playful, intimate, and raw.
Despite their inventiveness, L'Empire Des Sons remained a well-kept secret-circulating only in select avant-garde circles and eventually becoming an extremely sought-after collector's item.
Now, thanks to Glossy Mistakes, this lost artifact returns to the world with new life: remastered from the original tapes, pressed on vinyl for the first time with extended liner notes.
L'Empire Des Sons was never meant to be boxed in. Like the quote from Brian Eno that opens their liner notes-"For the world to be interesting, you have to be manipulating it all the time"-their music resists stasis. It evolves, shifts, surprises. And now, it finally gets the audience it always deserved.
