- Through the lens of a fantasy RPG, Simo Cell gets a bit more personal (and serious) on his debut album.
- Simo Cell has had the same light-hearted approach to dance music as people like Bruce, Ploy and Beneath. Artists who want to spruce up broken techno's usual dark and brooding temperament with either a bit of character, a collectible item or some stage presence: Bruce had his much-loved Get Loose! w/ Bruce> show, Ploy brands lighters (and hair) to promote his Deaf Test parties and Beneath's droll MCing at No Symbols was (for me anyway) a firm highlight of his career. Parisian producer Simo Cell's own tricks fit right in. His 2021 EP YES.DJ came with a tongue-in-cheek karaoke video for the title track—the lyrics go "yes" and "DJ"— as well as a fanzine featuring photos of drinks tokens he'd collected from DJing around the world.
He gives his debut album Cuspide Des Sirènes an equally immersive context, dressing it up in an RPG-style fantasy where, in his own words, "The protagonist (me) embarks on a quest to find the hidden lake and confront his own demons, in order to understand and master his own power." It sounds sort of serious, which is the key difference between this album and his past EPs—here he's not just making "titanium plated bangers" (as YES.DJ's Bandcamp page puts it), he's taking us on a journey.
Acoustic instruments help to make the tone grand and moody. Jabs of brass and sinister keys on "Blow The Conch" have all the drama of a video game boss battle, while on the downtempo "Erotica," long waves of sub-bass take over from a staggering piano crescendo like someone climbing a never-ending staircase. The low-ends also help to make Cuspide Des Sirènes sound appropriately epic. "Surface/Sirens" has great, undulating dunes of bass before it settles into a slow mo trap rhythm and every shudder on the trip-hop of "Rainbow Dance" sounds delightfully faint, like it's on its last legs.
Because of the long, journeying feel to the album, Simo Cell's characteristically bright sparks of energy are fewer and far between here. "Rapids" is one of the few remotely silly tracks, reminding me of Hudson Mohawke's "Cbat" with its bubbly mallets and swilling synths. And the helium-voiced critters that rudely interrupt the ambient theme of "Behind The Waterfall" could well be Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove after she's been turned into a cat. "One minute, two minute, three minute, pause," they say, with a hint of ballroom sass in there somewhere.
In terms of the storyline, those vocals could well be the friendly Sirènes the title refers to and who Simo Cell explains "teach him various chants." Elsewhere, the vocals are more menacing, calling back to his "Drums From The West" collab with Hodge. Both "Where You From" and "Leave Me Alone" repeat their titles over and over until they're either nagging or pleading. Only the bright EDM pads and spidery clicks on "Where You From" match them (with the freakish dexterity of those fingers from Ghost In The Shell), perhaps suggesting our hero manages to fend off his demons in the end.
This quest idea gives Simo Cell's music purpose past the usual dry humour (which may not have held up for the duration of an LP). By still giving it a playful, video game context he's freed himself up to draw out his music into something epic and grandiose, and even make it more personal. If we take the idea of confronting his own demons literally and think about the voices on "Leave Me Alone" and "Where U From," then maybe Simo Cell is alluding to his own issues with anxiety or imposter syndrome. So Cuspide des Sirènes isn't just another way to find the funny in club music, it's also the opposite—an opportunity for Simo Cell to go a little deeper into himself.
Tracklist01. Prelude To A Quest
02. Blow The Conch
03. Rapids
04. Behind The Waterfall
05. Polite Rudboi
06. Surface/Sirens
07. Hypnotized
08. Leave Me Alone
09. Where U From
10. Erotica
11. Rainbow Dance
12. Grand-Lieu