Legend has it that producer Gerry Vergult accidentally put recordings of singer and accordionist Dirk Seghers and multi-instrumentalist Gerrit Valckenaers on one and the same tape. The chance result sounded convincing, a collaboration was obvious: In 1988, »8 Neo-Pathetic Scenes« was the debut of Adult Fantasies on Antler Records. One year later, after its merger with Subway, it became the central hub of the New Beat, which was born from the synthesis of EBM and synth rock. But the music of Adult Fantasies is hardly to be dealt with with genre terms, correspondingly awkward attributions seem like »experimental art rock with EBM influences«. Scenic but reduced, melodic but relaxed, calm but intense, as suggestive as hypnotic – mutually limiting or contradictory attributes seem to be the most suitable to characterize the idiosyncratic songs of Valckenaers and Seghers. A hint of Velvet Underground, the solo albums of Nico and David Sylvian, acts like Dali’s Car or Tuxedomoon may be considered points of reference – and yet they miss the point, which can perhaps best be described as an intersection of atmospheric ambient electronics, gamelan-inspired tribal and francophone chanson tradition. With »Towers Of Silence«, Stroom releases a compilation which, as a cross-section of the three Adult Fantasies albums released until 1994, provides an overview of the oeuvre of this fascinating duo. 12 quiet, slow dark wave songs, played with a minimal music attitude on synthesizers as well as on jazz instruments borrowed from world music, invite to discover. Exceptionally deserving Reissue.
Ben Bertrand
Relic Radiation
STROOM 〰