Radical Frame

ブラック・ブリティッシュ・ミュージックの最前線を切り拓く鬼才
18年の軌跡が結晶化した到達点として電子音楽の境界を越える孤高のサウンド・アートが完成

マーキュリー賞にもノミネートされる英国電子音楽の異端児、ActressことDarren Cunninghamが放つ最新作『Radical Frame』。デビュー作『Hazyville』から18年、DJ、プロデューサー、画家、作家、作曲家として多彩な表現を追求してきた彼の創造性が、ひとつの頂点へと結実した作品だ。

Actressはこれまで10作以上のアルバムを通じ、断片化されたビート、抽象的な電子音、ダンスフロアの熱量を再構築した独自の音響世界を築き上げてきた。本作でも、壊れたリズムの短いスケッチ、微細なサウンドの拡大解釈、異空間へと屈折するテクノ/エレクトロニック・ミュージックが展開される。

アルバムの核となる先行シングル「Overchord」では、ミニマルでありながら圧倒的な存在感を放つ音像を提示。さらにCASISDEADを迎えた「Live By You」や、プレストン出身のアーティストRainy Millerとの共演など、新たな響きとの出会いも作品に深みを与えている。

ブラック・ブリティッシュ・アヴァンギャルドの系譜を更新し続けるActress。その謎めいた美学と革新的な電子音響表現が凝縮された『Radical Frame』は、クラブ・ミュージック、現代音楽、サウンド・アートの境界を超えて響く、唯一無二の傑作である。

Radical Frame marks Actress return to Ninja Tune after several releases on other labels, including a reactivation of the producers own Werkdiscs imprint for a live collaboration with electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani. Beginning the album with two fragmentary pieces consisting of muffled, cut-up voices, its clear that the artist remains enigmatic as ever. "Live by You" features a guest verse by U.K. rapper CASISDEAD, whose bitter, unapologetic rhymes are initially presented starkly over sparse, eerie synth notes. After a few bars, the track erupts with overloaded grime bass and scattered handclaps, while the emcees voice is distorted and glitched-out beyond recognition. The song ends short of the two-minute mark, malfunctioning and burning out quickly but making a forceful impact. "Overchord" is much less intense, letting Ivor Novello Award-winning singer/songwriter Naomi Kimpenus sensuous voice float over calm, spaced-out pianos until a midtempo thump develops, as the extracted word "blue" repeats. "Withending" feels more intimate, opening with lovely piano ripples before a steady beat emerges, and slivered voices seem to have an incomprehensible conversation with the rhythm. Abstract techno track "Paris" stays within a minimal framework, making every whooshing bassline and reverberating piano stroke stand out. The expansive "Sheets" takes up the final 16 minutes of the album, opening with Rainy Miller questioning his current identity and admitting that he overthinks. A punchy, flickering rhythm and soothing waves of synths elevate the tracks mood into something much brighter than the melancholy lyrics imply. The confessional lyrics continue, eventually forming a bittersweet message of hope matching the music. Rushing aquatic waves eventually merge with the synth pads as the beats and lyrics disappear, eventually switching to much more ethereal vocals as the kick drum returns as a faint, rapid heartbeat. Neither the most club-friendly or accessible Actress release, Radical Frame lets brief, inscrutable experiments coexist with sublime reflections. ~ Paul Simpson