Chris Fortier, without argument, has covered all ground within the confines of the electronic dance music scene – all ground, that is, save producing his own artist album. Until now, with the advent of “As Long As the Moment Exists” to be released on the prestigious EQ/Stomp label.
What is most intriguing about Fortier’s solo flight is that it is perhaps the most difficult musical style that I have ever had to classify. Thinking long and hard about artists whose styles have been smoothly blended together to form something wholly alien was indeed an interesting experience. Imagine the passionate ambience of Amethystium running concurrent with the spaciousness of Air. Add a dash of moving and deep bass courtesy of the Tiefschwarz fame and the meticulously paced progressive nature of Anthony Pappa’s Balance 006. A final pinch of uncharacteristically subdued James Zabiela nastiness, and we find ourselves with the euphonious miscellany that is ALAtME.
As Long As the Moment Exists is a commendable album, but is not without its caveats.
Let us begin with the good. The album pushes boundaries, and for this reason, is sure to attract the attention of both seasoned fans of Fortier’s work and those new to him. In the same manner that One+One introduced a style of electronic dance music that is admittedly hard to categorize, so too does Fortier craft some interesting beats, echoic female vocals, and hard (but “padded around the edges”) 4/4 time signature beats. Synthesizers seem to wail mourn, sculpting a mildly haunting backdrop whilst the beats prevail. At various points his percussive excursions reminded me of Steve Lawler’s heavily tribal-influenced “Lights Out Vol. 2,” which was exciting – however, as quickly as tribal enters tribal exits into a foray of overly ambient, synth-driven deluges of sound. This album would be absolutely sublime for a relaxed, several hour drive home from the club at 5 A.M., especially if the bass were accentuated. Fortier employs countless aural goodies including subtle chimes, ghostly synthesizers, tribal percussion, cultivated ambience and bass with tremendous reverb. Lastly, the album is comprised of fifteen unmixed tracks, which makes it an ideal album for DJs to experiment with – and lord knows there are plenty of materials in the lab with this release!
Several disappointments lock arms with the album’s accomplishments, though. The largest caveat I would point out is that the album taken in its entirety is extremely subdued, like a sloth. Fortier slithers through incredibly innovative electronic technology with the pace of a dehydrated camel, and only on rare occasions do the tempo, energy and passion seem to exude from his music. In other words, if one were to listen to the album in its entirety from beginning to end, it would be a very difficult ~70 minutes to endure. There is also a lack of the technical innovation that I have seen popping up amongst even the newest DJs in recent months. Fortier takes fewer chances with his finely-honed technical skills on this album than perhaps he should have. However, it may well be prudent to `play it safe’ with one’s very first debut artist album; this leaves the distinct possibility that Fortier’s next solo production will be more of a smash than its predecessor.
While I will never understand what compelled Chris to name the tracks the way he did, I will point out several complete standouts such as “Don’t Hide What You Believe” and “Fantastic Diversion.” For Chris Fortier and fans alike, “As Long As The Moment Exists” is a fine accomplishment. Eyeing it from the perspective of the genre as a whole, it is an album in musical purgatory: Neither `good’ nor `bad,’ I find it simply a collection of tracks that should serve as a viable platform for Fortier’s burgeoning solo career.
-James Woodruff
