EP Review: Waves

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Aron Ottignon is a Paris-based Kiwi Electronica/Jazz musician, and his new release Waves is a 3 song instrumental EP featuring the production know-how of Berlin-based Kiwi musician, Rodi Kirk (Scratch 22), along with the steel pan drumming expertise of Samuel Dubois.

The comparison is probably inescapable, but Ottignon’s new release has aspects that sound like a heavier, more musically dense and less melancholic Yann Tiersen piece. The truly unique aspect of his EP though, is that Ottignon’s piano parts are off-the-cuff improvised over Kirk and Dubois’ pre-set rhythms, adding an amazing dynamic and brevity to the overall sound.

Waves as a whole is more of an appetite whetter than anything, Waves the single is followed by Waves (A La Reunion) (a more drum-filled version of the initial piece) and then Jungle (My personal favourite) finishes of the collection. Each piece is an easy stand alone, but truly the EP feels like place holder until the intended album is released (Due late 2015, but no confirmed date as yet).

The production is brilliant, whilst the mix is obviously dense, it does not feel too busy and there is enough space between instruments to appreciate the individual aspects as they come together.