philippe cam: rotterdam

Philippe Cam is the Thomas Pynchon of the electronic music world. Little is known about him and only a couple of pictures have been put online since he emerged on this planet to write his first and only album in 2001. All that's known is that he worked as a sailor and that's it. If you dig deeper you might find out that he worked as a DJ in the beginning of the '90s in Brussels and began to study electronic music there and also began to write music for theaters and ballets. So what's new with his music? Basically, the art of filtering is still his passion. Maybe he can be less associated with techno and the themes of his new tracks emerge in a more distinctive pattern? The energy of his early techno days in Brussels have returned here in a fierce way with some of the tracks. The rhythmic movements are classy and stick with you. Whereas other tracks look for a distinctive relaxation of some kind. The album kicks off with the mellow and soothing "Cocoa Beach". A gentle beat that moves like bodies swaying in the hot summer sun. "Manga" feels like an acceleration to the moon, the contemplative moments come in spurts and hide in the intervals of the chords which are on the loose. "Short Summer" is heavy and violent. As intensive as it is, it knows when to stop and disappear. Be prepared for "Vermillions Sands", some Terry Riley might lure around the corner to offer you some oranges on a silver plate, but don't eat them. Maybe the best ambient track ever written. Rotterdam was home for Philippe Cam for a long time but not anymore. "Rotterdam" seems mechanical and rusty and spooky and divided. "Bis" is a short episode of a track, and before you can comment on it, it is already over. "The Game" is a mule of a track. It has a quiet stubborn sequence that bites and kicks you in the back without any change in near sight. "Ultimate Fly For Halloway" somehow orchestrates how you might feel after you climbed a 8000 meter high mountain and reached the top. "Last Track" is a true minimalistic piece of music that manages to make contact with other genres and does this with elegance, determination and a lot of soul. Cover art by Yvette Klein.