SYLLYK " Ascendre A L'Ombre Du Vent "CD

Syllyk is Eric La Casa, and whether it stands for all Syllyk work or not, this disc seems to enjoy a freer hand with manipulating and tainting environmental recordings with studio work and editing. A rainstorm and oceanfront tide suddenly disappears as a gong tones. And then its into strange and minimal territory that will always give way to location recordings...wind in trees, the wind, a strong and rapid increase in power, almost as if one is "ascending" into the funnel of a titanic stormcloud, sucked eventually into outer space. Comes in a heavy jacket, with booklets of text, all wrapped in a piece of textured artpaper and sliding sleeve. Nice.
Catalogue Manifold 2000

This is one of those records where the sources of l sound remain quite elusive. Waves of static fcould be synthesized or processed ocean or highway sounds. What sounds like splashing water could just that or something else. This is a fine, slow-moving piece, with hints of metallic percussion, faint drones, and shifting dynamics, Recommended. (JR) ND 20 1998

It has been silent for a couple of years around this Syllyk, and suddenly two releases fall upon the doorstep. Already a while ago we reviewed the Syllyk split CD with Koji Marutani. And now their own full length CD. This is a concept CD dealing with 'the wind'. The sounds you will hear are not just 'the wind', but also sounds brought forward by wind. One of that is the sea shore and more undefinable droning sounds. Bells hanging in the wind. This is soundscaping at it's best. If ever ambient needed to go in a particular direction then this might be it. Not the bubbly world of digital drums, but recording the ambience around you. The piece by Syllyk works slowly on the mindl close your eyes, and lie down. Time will slowly disappear on you. Like washes on the shore the CD will unfold itself. Needles to say that the CD is styllish packed in natural paper... (FdW) VITAL 44 1996

Syllyk is Eric La Casa (music) and Sylvie La Casa (artwork), from Paris, who work on field recordings and sound manipulations. On this record are used : field recordings of the wind, bells, waves, silence, drone,...a really beautiful and subtle work. In a special paper packaging. Very good.
Namskeio, suisse

Syllyk (Eric La Casa and Sylvie Laroche) is a group that gives new meaning to the concept of ambient music. The full length recording, ...Ascendre, a I'ombre du vent (1IAscend, in the shadow of the wind"), was released in 1996 and is an exploration of natural-sounds (water flowing, dripping, sand, wind, broken leaves. . .?), harsh white noise (possibly sand or fine glass particles being poured over a surface doubling as a contact microphone. . .!) and gong-Iike harmonics (likely from a Tibetan prayer bowl). Ascendre is the last in of a trilogy of works concerning the inherent musicality of nature. I find myself completely absorbed in this world, and while the description of textures may resemble the standard Ilsound artist's" palette, Syllyk transcend the usual trappings of such experiments. The fact that this 64-minute singular work can continue to hold your attention is no small achievement. Ascendre becomes a world as engrossing and fascinating as some of Schaeffer's or Xenakis' electro-acoustic masterpieces. The organic flow of events and juxtaposition of very slowly evolving timbres is mesmerizing. Clearly this work, and most likely the entire trilogy, are important milestones in the art of organized sound. Very recommended. Opprobrium #5, July 1998

SYLLYK " Ascendre, à l'ombre du vent" la légende des Voix LDVOO9. ERIC LA CASA "Milie et trois souffles d'écorce ou La dernière forèt en marche"
Après sa série des "Ouroboros" (numéros 3, 4 et 5) sur le split CD "Otherwise" à côté du japonais Koji Marutani, où il continuait, avec succès, son exploration des situations sonores naturelles, Eric LA CASA / SYLL YK s'attaque à des formes plus longues, avec peu d'éléments sonores, et dans une grande concentration d'espaces et de tensions. Comme chez Eric Cordier, on a une dimension presqu'animale du son, On a une impression de transparence de la manipulation, on n'assiste jamais à un déploiement technologique.
Il s'agit, à mon avis, d'une musique engagée dans la mesure où c'est une traduction d'une réflexion sur le sonore et plus loin que lui, sur le monde en général: être capable de l'écouter pour mieux le connaître, pour mieux le vivre...
Pour finir, citons le grand maître Soufi Hazrat Inayat Khan, "Le désir de chaque personne, quelque soit sa classe sociale ou son âge, a toujours été et sera toujours le même: la musique, qu'elle soit technique ou non, théorique ou non, doit toucher l'esprit en profondeur." Jérôme NOETINGER, Revue & Corrigée 32, 1997

SYLLYK/ ALAIN BASSO

"le Temps des Soupirs/Entraves Evanescentes" CD EP [ Dedali Opera ] Similar to Mille is the Syllyk recording, Le temps des soupirs (which roughly translates as "The time of the sighs", or "Concerning one's last breath"), in which the La Casa sound is built entirely upon an exploration of life and death as emanating from the sound of the human breath. At nearly 11 minutes, the track is a gradual transformation out of silence to a distant, whistle-like repetitive breathing pattern that ultimately builds into a raging fire of crackle and decay. Philosophical meandering will bring about journeys through the Big Bang to God's breath and the nature of life. Also coupled with the Syllyk track on this Dedali Opera recording from 1997 is a more straightforward electro-acoustic track (it has a certain inescapable MIDI flavour…) by French sound artist, Alain Basso. For me, Basso's sound labyrinth never really goes anywhere (I guess that's the point ?), but sonically it is fairly interesting. Both tracks ultimately make this CD EP a nice acquisition. -Damon
Opprobrium #5, July 1998

Other-wise

Syllyk / Koji Marutani.This CD presents "Ouroboros 3-4" (1994) by Eric La Casa: "ecological fables whose purpoge are not totally in the universe of the [able, nor in ecology. I plainly desire to develop acoustic histories, in phase with the History of the soundscape." The material is taken from French soundscapes, re-composed, but nol subject to any furlher electroacoustic manipulat1on. "It is a question of reinvesting the Reality, the Time, as to develop a sensible listening, not a thearingt, of the world. " The resulting poetics of environmental sounds makes listening worth the effort. Koji Marutani "Scenes 1-2" (1995) are the result of a search for where music tends': yet "alI I have realised so far, is that we had better release ourselves from various fictions around music by music journalisms and make our ears truly as open to sounds as possible."
The new soundscape newsletter 3, 1997

The contents of this CD can best be classified as "Envirorunental Music". On this 72-minutes CD the tracks-Scenes 1&2" by Koji Man.ttani are surrounded by thrce pieces of the Paris formation Syllyk ("Ouroborus 3-5"), consisting of Eric La Casa and La Casa Sylvie, Following bis sampler contributions to Mesmer's Variations this is nowtliè-serond release by Marutani, on this occasion on bis newly-created Digital Narcis label. Many years ago Syllyk alr~y reccrded a CD, which is no longer available, for the ltalian Musica Maxima Magnetica Label; this was strongly influenced by "Classic Industrial" and cannot be put at all in relation ta the current CD. Whereas Syllyk use only pure field recordings of a nature used partly by men and of a transformed nature, Marutani combines sucb recordings, among others from Tokyo, Kyota, Isaka, Nagasaki, London, Paris, and Rome, whicb synthetic elements and unfinisbed melodies, sometimes using slight feedback effects. In addition to not very typical sounds of a city one can hear conversations, voices, Steps, quietness(!), birds, etc. No, I am not a complete fool recommending such a record (maybe only a slight fool?). What makes more sense, in a time where, at least from an acoustic point of view, everything is possible, than coming back to envirorunental noise as a source of sound, either from an environment changed by men or an unspoiled environment. ln the same way I can get far away countries into my home and enjoy these countries by looking at photos (I don't have a TV) I can now get sounds of the outer world into my living room on a rainy win~r day. Tecbnic makes this possible. And why not? And why should I not lis~n ta the mumbling of a river, which I enjoyed during a walk through the woods, at horne as weIl, instead of lis~ning for the ~nth time to a Skirmy Pupp}' Clone? A record which is worth its money. A CD full of surprises, quiet but interesting, simply only interesting and in some parts beautiful. A CD recorded in excellent quality and with fascinating dynamics. But now let Marumni talk: "During the last few years
I have produced sounds, looking for music, the sound of ourtime; a timeduring which all musical styles, old and new, are loosing their original force and aré only being consumed.
1 am sorry to admit that l still have not discovered what this sound rea1ly looks like. What
I have discovered so far is that we have ta distance ourselves from many fictions surrounding music and that we have to open our ears as far as possible to aIl sounds. It is simple for you to do so. You only have to sit in front of your speakers and listen or you go out with a DA T recorder in your hands. Then your ears will hear the sounds differendy, ' other-wise ' . " Syllyk is trying to discover and to portray the relation men-nature, of men which changes his "natural" environment but which cannot become "unnatural" by this process because men himself is a product of "natural" evolution, a product which has increased evolution and produced new parts. Insread of describing in detail the scenic action of this episodic product
I recommend: Buy and listen ! (New Life magazine, Germany)