French techno virtuoso Gesaffelstein has become a hot commodity over the past year or so not only due to his unique, avant-garde sound, but also his high-profile tie-ins – and his soundtrack for French film drama Maryland (which also goes by the title Disorder) will make for a novel means of putting his music in the ears of an even wider audience. After a momentous countdown, he’s released the first track from the effort in the form of “A Pledge.”
The track features Gesaffelstein’s distinctly French take on the less-is-more sensibilities of second-wave Detroit techno artists like Richie Hawtin. Sound design elements that are but a step up from midi quality tell a seven-minute story of serene dissonance, building to a suspenseful peak before feathering back down into the shadows.
The only shortcoming of the track is that it works a lot better in the context of a film score than it does on its own – but then again, French hipster house duo Justice used to put out much more self-indulgent tracks than “A Pledge” and everyone still called them geniuses. Seeing as how this first release is only but a taste of the whole effort, it will still be interesting to see what Gesaffelstein brings to the table.
The full Maryland (Disorder) soundtrack by Gesaffelstein will be available as a double heavyweight vinyl available for pre-order on September 24th, but in the meantime, take a look at the tracklist below.
Side A:
Maryland Theme
Disorder
Trauma
Side B:
Theme for Jessie
Failures
Espial
Pronoia
Side C:
Ultra Violence
Something has Changed
Distrust
A Pledge
Side D:
Human Nature
Conspiracy Origins
Wall of Memories
Aleph