During the '90s, French electronic outfit
Lightwave
worked with
Hector Zazou
several times, and former
Tangerine Dream
member
Paul Haslinger
joined the group.
Cités Analogues
, however, was one of
's early cassette releases, recorded soon after their core lineup of
Christoph Harbonnier
and
Christian Wittman
was established. Recorded and mixed live in the studio, then produced and edited soon afterward, the effort was made using modular synthesizers, Roland sequencers, and digital effects. Subsequent
efforts ventured into neo-classical territory, and with some of them appearing on
Hearts of Space
sublabel
Fathom
, they might've been found in the new age section at record stores. This recording is a bit too dark, cold, and collage-like to fit in such a category. The bustling sounds of a crowded airport are heard near the beginning of the album, segueing into radio airwave noises and trickling analog synths. "Le Parvis" establishes a sinister groove, with sneaking electronic drums and synth playing approximating wild flute trills. Another passage of sampled crowd noise segues into "Agora," an extended, ambient reflection that feels like an escape from society in order to seek a tranquil, meditative space. Following a few brief pieces consisting of uneasy, haunted textures and more found sounds, "Cités Analogues" makes greater use of the duo's sequencers and drum machines, recalling
's rhythmic side while foreshadowing the type of cerebral ambient techno that would be much more common five years later, and adding a bit of analog crunch.
would go on to do bigger, more ambitious, and more accomplished things, but
is a set of promising early steps containing some innovative moments which sound slightly ahead of their time. ~ Paul Simpson