Beck-Fields - Élan vital - experimental electronics from the Philadelphia area (NOREMIXES)
The duo of Beck-Fields (Jeremy D. Beck, also of Rise Twain, and William Fields) return to NOREMIXES with another conceptual improvisational masterpiece. As always, Beck-Fields’ music is recorded in one take with no overdubs. Each one of the pieces on Élan Vital however, centers around a narrative providing a sonic representation of the cycle of life: emergence, flourishing, decline, death, and rebirth. William Fields provides the electronics, while Jeremy D. Beck delivers keyboards, vocals and additional electronic elements. The tracks on Élan Vital could make up one continuous listen from start to finish: a single repeat which would lead you into the next life cycle. It is epic in its scope and the dynamic arcs are rewarding. The album is more atmospheric then some of the other Beck-Fields music on the label with less emphasis on traditional electronic percussion. Album opener Teeming provides scattered clicks and pulses which loosely provide a downbeat, as does the follow up Bokeh, in which Beck’s vocals are flooded in spatial reverb. The beautifully haunting Passing is vintage Beck-Fields with intricate electronic flourishes and hyper processed vocals. Élan Vital continues this duo’s adeptness in creating improvisational music with heart and artistry.
