BeNe GeSSeRiT
The Record Store Day EP
EE Tapes

Here's a new slab of 7 inch vinyl from EE Tapes, the 11th in the row. The former 10 are summarised in another EE Tapes review in this menu. The 11th was supposed to be launched on Record Store Day in April, but was delayed at the record plant and arrived at the EE Tapes headquarters a week later. And it took even more time to find its way to the Luna Towers. But the timing really doesn't matter as long as the contents are worth waiting for. And it is. Six never previously released tracks and one that found its way to a cassette compilation nearly 30 years ago, all of them recorded and mixed in the late 1980s by Alain Neffe. We have visited Alain and his wife Nadine Bal that make up the duo on quite a few previous occasions. You'll find out more about BeNe GeSSeRiT and the music in our Neffe interview and several reviews of historic and contemporary recordings by the duo in earlier menus, for instance this historic live album.

The EE Tapes boss has detected three potential hits on the EP: "LeS BiJouX" labelled Arabian disco is cheerful and snappy and sure has a slight oriental flavour. Synth-pop with lyrics whispered in serious voice by Alain, aka B. Ghola, for a change. The seriousness might reflect the lyrics by Charles Baudelaire. I leave that to the French speaking masses out there to decide. It was probably recorded before the duo hit upon the idea to record an entire album, Les Vleurs Du Bal, exclusively with Baudelaire lyrics taken from his poetry collection of almost the same name, though less humorous. "STRaKS" labelled electro rock is a merry and funny synth instrumental. The word 'straks' means immediate in Flamish (and also in Norwegian). And yes, the track is rather quick and an immediate favourite. "aN iNSaNe RaBBiT" is a seasick waltzy affair, with hysterical vocals after a while. Quite insane, indeed! Here are also two short vocal offerings that probably work better for those who master the French language than me.

"ChoSeS eT iDées Ne SoNT Qu'iLLuSioN (first mix)" illustrates again that the duo stems from the label called Insane Music Contact. It starts quite moody and almost normal with spoken words, keyboards and saxophone, but soon evolve into a quite insane mix of short sampled keyboards and vocal segments. The final track "GuiLTy" is slow and moody, but with a disharmonic keyboard (and vocals, too!) it preserves the seasickness from the waltzy rabbit. To a quite sensational and hysterical effect.

The Record Store Day EP might not the perfect introduction to the musical whereabouts of BeNe GeSSeRiT, at least if you don't master the noble French language. But for those who do, for the curious and the addicts it certainly adds some welcomed new dimensions to the BG cannon!

Copyright © 2015 JP