Agnes Presents Cavalier – A Million Horses – (Drumpoet Community)
Dan Perkins
Not much is known about Agnès above the fact that he is a producer and DJ from Geneva – who has just added a substantial number to the highly respected Drumpoet Community discography. ‘A Million Horses’ is an ambitious piece of work that clocks in at 72 minutes, with a few interludes that hint at an avant garde approach. The music itself, mind, comes across as a Detroit techno-Chicago house hybrid, and a highly effective one at that, moving at either walking or dancing pace. Just occasionally Agnès decides to dispense with the kick drum altogether, but that doesn’t take away from the strong sense of rhythm pervading his tracks – the foot keeps tapping regardless. Tracks like ‘Kabardin’ and ‘Uzunyayla (Hallucinatory Narcosis)’ keep up the tension with soft, held strings in the upper foreground, while other numbers like ‘Kaimanawa’ are thick with atmosphere. Deepness abounds but the beats are tough and resolute – and there’s not a dud in sight, meaning the album is packed full of technological and emotional goodness.
