Pleq - Ballet Mechanic (Basses Frequences, 2011)

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Minimalism when applied to ambient music has its advantages and detriments: it can unsheathe subtleties that couldn't be incorporated in any other way, yet it can also erase the line of definition between artists underneath the umbrella, making it difficult to distinguish this subdued release from that subdued release. A few select artists manage to be excluded from that latter circle, though: Kyle Bobby Dunn, Gregg Kowalsky, and as proven by his latest full-length, Bartosz Dziadosz (aka Pleq) weave in great depth to compensate the repose.

Ballet Mechanic begins static yet endearing with its title track, a 10-minute cyclical plagency, with two polar frequencies corresponding with one another. The bass is resonant, yet the treble hisses and crackles, founding not only a gripping contrast, but an immersive harmony as well. As mentioned a few months ago on the topic of the Good Night single release, the piece coincided with its remixes incredibly well; this cohesion is made no different in the case of Ballet Mechanic, placidly transitioning into the humming and sputtering of "That Is Really The End."

Like a fellow ambient album released this year, Tim Hecker's consistently stellar Ravedeath, 1972, Ballet Mechanic retains a concord between organic and synthetic textures. Rather than creating an unbalanced clash, the natural and digital realms mingle into utopian surroundings. Though more in favor of an electronic sound source, Dziadosz generates sounds that are incredibly acoustic-like, most notably on the 27-minute closer "The Harvest."

Another characteristic shared between Pleq and Hecker is their mindset when composing full-lengths: though separated into movements, their albums function as inclusive units. Single pieces isolated from the album, much like "Good Night (Glitch Version)," sound perfect on their own, they're just as-- if not-- more ideal when heard in succession. Over the length and breadth of these 70 minutes, Pleq's compositions refrain from reaching an definitive apogee, and instead embody grainy transmissions of gradual whirs and drones; an obscured signal of what is, at its root, human.

[Pleq Myspace]
[Buy Ballet Mechanic from Basses Frequences]

Pleq - Good Night (Basses Frequences, 2010)

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Bartosz Dziadosz's Pleq alias has been active for nearly three years, yet has remained a prolific force since 2007 with various digital and CD(-R) releases alongside collaborations with Canadian composer Segue. Pleq's work is generally regarded as IDM, making use of both synthetic and organic sounds to spawn otherworldly textures backed by sparse rhythms. His latest offering on the Basses Frequencies imprint is one of his deepest outings into ambient music.

Good Night, though a single, the three remixes following its centerpiece provide the equal balance of diversity and consistency that a full-length offering would strive for. "Good Night" has a cold, yearning disposition with spacious piano phrases that exemplify the scenery alluded to in its title. The three remixes aren't just reinterpretations of the opener, but are as far from the original as the boundaries allow. Each track encapsulates the same mood, yet is counteracted by elements that are unique to each contributor: Philippe Lamy's subtly crackling found sound, Pjusk's meditative guitar reversals, and offthesky's digitized passages.

Across the board, Pleq's Good Night is an exceptionally solid release-- even more so by the standards of singles. The original and its remixes effortlessly meld together and negate the sentiment that a reworking will always be triumphed by the music that it's based on. Pleq's work is stellar and engaging in its own right, and it's novel to see it in the context of other artists' aesthetics that are not only loyal to the original, but even rival it.

[Pleq Myspace]
[Buy Good Night from Basses Frequences]