Warren Walker is now taking an important symbolic step by releasing his first solo album, (n)Traverse.

Abandoning his saxophone, Warren Walker here gives free rein to his passion for modular synthesizers. All of the music in (n)Traverse was indeed generated without multitracks or overdubs via its modular setup –. “I improvised a lot, especially with regard to the effects used and the processing of sound samples,” says Walker. There’s always a lot of improvisation with a modular synth because it’s a very difficult device to control.”

Conceived between April and July 2020, the album contains 17 tracks, all driven by sound files transmitted via WhatsApp by musician friends. Each song title – except for the introductory song – refers to one of these friends. Recorded solo, the disc is thus nevertheless very populated, imbued with quivering and inspiring presences.

Concise and dense, evolving and (very) suggestive, the 17 pieces follow one another in a cleverly uneven flow of remarkable clarity. Appearing as spontaneous as it is sophisticated, the ensemble oscillates throughout between electronica, ambient, minimalist jazz, concrete music and soundscaping. We sometimes think of adventurous laboratory workers such as Plaid, Matmos or Mouse on Mars, but no comparison is lasting as this music vibrates with its own deeply personal dynamic.

Sound crossing with a strong introspective content (as the title of the album implies), (n)Traverse will also be deployed live. Knowing that it is impossible to play the record identically, Warren Walker takes up the saxophone and develops a technique allowing him to reproduce certain elements and exercise a minimum of control over the whole. “Having said that, for me, the most exciting thing about a modular synth is that you never know exactly what is going to happen. What matters most is the ability to react live to the sounds generated by the system, to go in new directions. »

While waiting to be able to follow him on his live expedition, carrying great promise, we can already accompany him in his exploration on disc, thrilling from start to finish. – Jerome Provencal