What we wrote at the time…

Jean-Philippe Gross is a young French electro-acoustic improviser, kicking about a mixing board, cheap mics, small speakers and an analog synth, and with a honed interest in feedback. I first heard him on a trio recording with Will Guthrie (percussion) and Ferran Fages (acoustic turntable) passed on by Ben Drew at the LMC, and although it wasn’t much heralded at the time, it feels like one of the best secret electro-acoustic albums of last year. It’s a short 20 minute piece, put together seamlessly, shifting gear in all the right places and beautifully paced. It’s teeming with arcing electric feedback, and agricultural/ machine clatter, dense organic static and dusty rumblings, quavering bursts of pneumatic breath and what could be some form of inspired blowtorching.