STRANGE

Julian Julien is an eclectic-multifaceted jazzy rock musician whose career began in the early 90s with the publication of La tombe des lucioles and with soundtracky recording experiences. He released a few solo albums before to form the collective Fractal. These albums that range stylistically from progressive rockin standards (Zheul / RIO / Kosmische music) to soulful jazz (with eastern inflected tendencies) have been published during the last decade. As a musical writer Julian julien develops a radical aptitude for an unique combination of styles, marvelously creative and always surfing on the challenging side of music. Strange is the second offering after the release of the raga-ish-world jazzy outfit entitled Terre (2000). Published in 2006, Strange reveals Julian Julien's qualities as an instrumentalist but also his interest for experimental soundscaping composition. We can notice a particular approach to music which favors film scores and a cinematic sound aesthetism. The world inflected flavor we can hear on Terre is less substantial despite the presence of some relevant exotic-percussive improvised sound textures. The album captures the attention on soloing progressive rockin excursions, largely improvised and based on a strong repetitive rhythmical section. The improvised parts are always groovy, epic, hypnotically melodious. The inter-musical exchanges remind me the vigourously avant-gardist "krauty" dimension of Et-Cetera, Drum Circus (...) and the "landscape music" side of Alice Coltran. Expansive, quietly psychedelic, charmingly meditative with some compelling moments and great dynamics, Strange is beyond any classification and remains warmly recommended for the prog-leading audience.