Feardrop
"Ce ne sont finalement pas les jeux sur l'équilibre fragile du rythme et des
noyaux mélodiques qui peuvent totalement définir les années de recherche de
Jonathan Forde dans delphium. Plus ou moins contrastée, sa musique a construit
sa couleur et ses rugosités grâce à ces constantes remises en combat des deux
forces, de l'abrasion qui naît des frictions. Et c'est la séduction vitriolée
qui reste la seule véritable gagnante. Rythmes lourds et cassés, souvent impressionnés
par un breakbeat rouillé et plombé, basses et synthétiseurs granuleux, important
frauduleusement une lumière impure, pour la première fois cette dualité n'impose
pas ses reliefs dans la musique de delphium. Si l'on excepte les premières minutes
de l'album Nowhere left to fall, qui comme les tours d'un poste frontière,
rappellent les règles en vigueur sur la plus grande partie du territoire, on
s'introduit ensuite par un parcelle presque vierge, où la pulsation se manifeste
sous une forme naine, quasi absente. Ce sont les champs de drones, d'harmoniques
ne rompant pas avec le spectre sombre de delphium, des populations presque anarchiques
de discrets mouvements métalliques, des grésillements hertziens comme une primitive
expression insectoïde : le champ vivant d'une toundra qui s'étend. Il s'agit
bien des travaux les plus ambiants de delphium, d'une progression au ras du
sol et contre un vent glacé, loin d'un minimalisme auquel Jonathan Forde échappe
obstinément - si ce n'est à celui de la forme. Dans le champ de vision, d'écoute,
la vie est très présente, pourtant réduite, les mouvements incessants, malgré
leur économie d'envergure. Splendide inspection du terreau de sa musique, qui
culmine dans une vague cosmique vers le milieu du disque (rompant à son tour
par une partie de relief accidenté plus coutumière de ses exercices), Nowhere
left to fall est pour delphium un moment de grâce.
A noter également la sortie de Good morning heartache, un E.P. CD sur
Moloko+, reprenant plusieurs excercices rythmiques du morceau titre". (Denis
Boyer) (Feardrop n°11, été 2004)
Staalplaat
Delphium - Nowher Left To Fall (CDR by Hibou Records)
"Since a couple of years Delphium is active on the front of forceful electronic
rhythmical music - loud and aggressive but also dubby and ambient at times.
For this new, the fifth release, Delphium does things a bit differentely. Instead
of having a couple of seperate tracks, there is one lenghty track, sixty four
minutes in total, but it's divided in twenty five subsections -each with their
own title - which are hard to tell apart. It seems to me that Delphium, aka
Jonathan Forde from the UK, is in a more monotonous mood than before. Emphasis
lies here for a great deal on the use of metallic percussion, which are fed
through a bunch of synths and sound processors, occassionally filled up with
pounding bass and/or a rhythm machine. This is Delphium in a more loud and aggressive
mood and less in an ambient and/or dubby mood. At times a bit hasty put together,
me thinks, but especially in the fewer softer moments quite a nice release.
Massive blast..." (FdW) (Staalplaat, Vital weekly n°402)
Black
"Das mittlerweile 4. Album des Drum’n’Bass Bastards aus England, mischt den
gebrochenen Beats diesmal noch mehr dunkle Schwere bei, aber leider auch noch
mehr atmosphärische Klischees mit synthetischen Streichern, Frauengesang und
Industrialsounds. Manchmal hört es sich schon nach 1994 im Gothicclub um die
Ecke an (das Cover mit Totenköpfen über einer gezeichneten, verkommenen Straße
steuert da auch nicht unbedingt gegen dieses mich beschleichende Gefühl an),
wenn, ja wenn da nicht die zackigen Beats wären und die unorthodoxe Herangehensweise
an den Groove. Sich schüttelnde Beats und rasselnde Rhythmen, heulende Synthetik,
die in dunklen Echos schwimmt, manchmal so komisch daneben liegende Basslines,
die einen immer mal wieder aufhorchen lassen, Subbässe, die sich über hektische
Elektronik schleppen. DELPHIUM hat’s schon drauf. Sphärische Instrumentals und
groovender Breakbeat. Nur die Finger vom Pathos nehmen sollte er. Das haben
wir nun schon zur Genüge gehört." (TÔ) (Black #32)
Feardrop
"C'est sur le jeune label français Hibou que Jonathan Forde alias delphium vient
de se poser, qu'il propose un nouveau voyage en terre grise et qu'il opère ses
nouvelles manipulations douloureuses entre séduction et venin (mais devrait-il
en être autrement ?). Dans cet univers, ce sont toujours les basses qui ont
le plus beau rôle, appuyées par de puissantes machines rythmiques roulant en
breakbeats concassants ou en lourdes éclosions acides. Pour habiller cette machinerie,
et c'est là tout l'art de delphium, les effets et les mélodies sont convoqués,
illustrant le dilemme interne, le combat incessant entre la lumière et l'obscurité
- c'est souvent la seconde qui est gagnante. Dans les vrombissements, les échos,
les rares interventions synthétiques, les quelques voix féminines qui voguent
sur certains morceaux (Sara Ayers et Pixie), on ressent l'héritage digéré des
expériences de Cabaret Voltaire ou Coil sur la musique populaire. Et dans son
appropriation, delphium s'est tracé un chemin qu'il est pratiquement le seul
à visiter, aux bordures épineuses et à la végétation irradiée". (Denis Boyer)
(Feardrop n°10, été 2003)
D-SIDE
"Aussi inclassable qu'atypique, la musique de Jonathan Forde, alias Delphium,
n'a de cesse de se renouveler et de surprendre l'auditeur par surprise, le plus
souvent au sein d'un même album. Il en va de Dead on the Inside, son nouvel
album réalisé pour le jeune label français Hibou, comme de ses prédécesseurs,
et au fil des douze titres de Dead on the Inside, on est ballotté entre dub
industriel, foisonnement d'insectes électroniques, techno tribale déconstruite
et musique orchestrale, le tout dans un chambardement orchestré par des voix
féminines menaçantes. Décidément réfractaire à tout assagissement, Delphium
gagne au contraire en inquiétante étrangeté au fur et à mesure que les années
passent... A ce rythme-là, Jonathan Forde n'est pas près de se retrouver Dead
on the Inside !" (Jean-François Micard) (D-SIDE magazine, n°17, juillet-août
2003)
Independant Electronic Music
"The long awaited new Delphium album changed my view of this band again. Jonathan
Forde runs Delphium solely for the 10 years. I was familiar only with his "Snowhill-X"
EP released by Drone Records, but he also had some tapes, more vinyl records,
and 3 CDs released by Moloko+, Fario and Outsider labels. For this new album,
the new label was born - Hibou Records, it's the first release in their catalogue.
The main goal of "Dead On The Inside" is that it combines very successfully
brave club-oriented rhythms like drum'n'bass/clicks'n'cuts, industrial soundpalette
and gothic atmosphere - it's hard to imagine these heterogeneous entities melted
together, but the final work is quite expressive and completed. Some tracks
using female voices and vocals that resuscitate the dead city atmosphere captured
on the sleeve by the french painter. All tracks are surprisingly manifold, changing
in tempo - the mood is varying from paranoid claustrophoby of "Bug Fucked" to
majestic dark mass in "A Look At Tomorrow". Each piece has its own object of
note: the positive/negative emotion contest evolving in "Green Lane", raw metal
guitar work in "Deepwoundsbleedthorns", shizoid jazzy inflexions of "No Return"...
But the common features are dark orchestral samples and groovy bassline - for
what we love all Delphium works".
Gonzo Circus
Delphium - Dead On The Inside - (HIBOU)
"Zeker drie jaar hebben we erop moeten wachten, maar de vierde Delphium cd (de
split met Mimetic Kino meegerekend) 'Dead On The Inside' is eindelijk een feit
op het kersverse Franse label Hibou. De Brit Jonathan Forde die achter het project
schuil gaat heeft altijd een hang naar het duistere gehad en giet dat meestal
in een mal van mysterieuze, duistere ambient met industrial en drum 'n' bass
invloeden. Deze aanpak is op de nieuwe cd nog steeds van kracht, maar het klinkt
nog dreigender, angstaanjagender en vooral venijniger. De diepe ambient wordt
soms overstemd door knallende drum 'n' bass-partijen, gotische orkestraties,
zware muterende baslijnen en tribale ritmes. Het zou zo een jamsessie van Steroid
Maximus en The Third Eye Fondation kunnen zijn. Prachtig filmische onheispellendheid!"
(jwb) (Gonzo Circus 57, juni-juli 2003)
Immanence
Jonathan Forde interviewed by Gavin Lees, March 2003 (have a look at the "articles"
page)
Matière Brute
"Pour sa première sortie, le tout nouveau label normand, Hibou records, nous
propose le quatrième album du musicien anglais Jonathan Forde, plus connu sous
le nom de Delphium. Cet album se présente comme une série de titres éclectiques,
appuyés de temps à autres par des voix féminines. Le tout est néanmoins dominée
par une sorte de drum & bass dénaturée par une cohorte d'effets analogiques
et soutenue par des mélodies synthétiques tourmentées qui lui font prendre des
atours très dark ambient. Quelques interludes aux atmosphères industrielles
et claustrophobiques enferment plus encore l'auditeur dans ce petit théâtre
des horreurs. Delphium est véritablement dans son élément et ne vous en laissera
pas ressortir indemme. Dead on the inside n'a pas usurpé son nom". (YH) (Matière
Brute 2003)
Immanence
Delphium - Dead on the Inside, Hibou Records
"Dead on the Inside is the fourth full-length release from the British act Delphium,
and the first release for new French label, Hibou. It has been a few years since
Delphium’s last album, Nobody Sees the Monster in the Light of Day (released
in 1999 by Moloko Plus), but thankfully it has been worth the wait. Prior to
hearing the full album, I had experienced a few tasters in the form of compilation
tracks; “Bug Fucked” has previously appeared on Re:mote Core’s “:1” compilation
and “A New April” recently appeared on This.Co’s “Thisconnected”.
After a short, spoken intro, it is “Bug Fucked” that kicks off Delphium’s latest
offering in perfect style. With its “Everybody In The Place” drum loop and thundering
bassline, it sets the tone perfectly for the no-nonsense, hard-edged style that
they have adopted for this album; it grabs our attention and doesn’t let go
until we have well and truly lost ourselves in the music’s groove. This is then
followed by pitch-black ambient piece, “Them There Black Hills” which erupts
with muted flares of raw noise and eventually contorting itself into “In My
Final Days”. Like all the pieces on offer here, it is not an uplifting track;
a dirge of slow-breaks, bass and noise, it sounds like a mechanical funeral
procession, all the time offset by a furious fluttering of processed guitar.
The next track, “Thrash + Grunt” is possibly my favourite of the whole album.
Starting in an almost cringe worthy synth-folk style, it suddenly pulls itself
together with a tight breakbeat and a dark, but catchy string melody, all underpinned
by sharp, biting electronics that lend it an IDM tinge and create an effective
backbeat to the main loop, giving the track an edgy tempo. Following this, we
have “A New April” which is the first track of the album to contain vocals from
American singer, Sara Ayers who lends an ethnic texture to the song, perfectly
complimenting the ominous soundscapes underpinning the main beat and acidic
gurgles. She also contributes vocals and lyrics to the track “No Return” which
is probably the closest Delphium have ever come to a pop song: a floating ethereal
melody slips effortlessly over an engaging breakbeat and simplistic, yet effective
bassline. While this may sound rather flat and unexciting, it works remarkably
well, especially at the song’s chorus, where the break stutters and becomes
more cut-up, giving the listener that “deer in the headlights” feeling as Delphium
outsmart us and toy with our expectations.
Delphium have now found a full-time singer in Pixie, who contributes to one
track on Dead on the Inside, the deep-bass mover, “Deepwoundsbleedthorns”. Although
it is only a spoken-word role, her contribution nonetheless gives the song an
added dimension and a refrain, of sorts, to further the pop sensibilities that
the band are experimenting with on this album. The titular closing track, however,
completely erases any glossy sheen that we may wish to attribute to the album,
being as it is a nightmarish noisescape of heavy drones and screeching bursts
of processed metallic strings. It re-emphasises their aggravated stance as well
as showcasing their gleeful tendency to mess with the listener’s perceptions
and expectations.
Dead on the Inside is, I feel, Delphium’s best, and most coherent, release to
date. There is an overarching mood through every track that holds it all together
and makes it much more enjoyable as a full listening experience. The vocal elements
were a welcome surprise and added a lot of depth and warmth to the tracks in
question. Admirers of Delphium’s previous work will adore this, as should anyone
with a liking for bleak, obscure soundscapes and pounding drum ‘n’ bass beats,
a la Dystopia-era Silk Saw or early Venetian Snares". (Gavin Lees) 25.03.2k3
Staalplaat
Delphium - Dead on the inside (CD by Hibou Records)
"It's been a while since we last heard from our man Delphium. We have to hark
back to Vital Weekly 235 when we reviewed his previous CD on Moloko+. I have
no idea why there are such lenghty gaps between his releases, but maybe it's
better to have quality over quantaty. All of the elemnets found on his previous
CDs (and even more 7"s and other vinyl), are present here. Sampled drums from
records, sauced with his own blend of orchestral samples, dark synths and bass
playing. Like I wrote before, I don't know what I should appealling of his music,
as it contains all sorts of things one would normally see my digust, but maybe
it's naivety of the music of Delphium. He doesn't want to make the perfect beat,
the perfect drum & bass, breakcore or what have you got, but rather he wants
to shred your ears to pieces with monotonous blasts of ongoing noise, that happen
to take the ideas of drum & bass and breakbeat but loaded with orchestral samples
and heavy guitars (like on 'Deepwoundsbleedthorns' which also carries far away
female vocals). There are three tracks with female vocals, which are among the
most worked out on this CD. Maybe it's even a pun on real popmusic. Seeing that
this CD was already recorded three years ago, I wouldn't be too surprised if
these pieces are the forecasts of a new musical direction and the other nine
tracks a close down of his older style, because it carries too much similarities
with his previous releases". (Staalplaat, Vital weekly n°365)
The Ceiling
DELPHIUM- Dead On The Inside CD (Hibou, France)
"This most recent Delphium CD was at one point shelved with a track here and
there slipping out (including on our own Ceiling imprint), but happily the album
has now been released. This release finds Delphium at their most pleasantly
tuneful (collaborating with Sarah Ayers), or rhythmically abrasive, yet the
entire release is ultimately very accessible". (The Ceiling mail order catalogue,
May 2003)
Drone
Delphium - Dead on the inside (Hibou hib00, 2003)
"Endlich ein neuer longplayer vom DELPHIUM, hier weitaus aggressiver als bisher,
wobei die dunkle Grundstimmung geblieben ist. Rauhe und mitreissend trancig-dubbige
Stücke.
More agressive and powerful than before, this new album from DELPHIUM, although
the dark basic-mood is still there.. raw trance-dub-industrial pieces". (Drone
mail order catalogue, May 2003)
Industrial.org
"France has just witnessed the birth of a new label named Hibou with their first
release being "Dead on the Inside" by Delphium. This fourth full length is said
to offer up a mutated and complicated mix of "basslines, orchestral weirdness,
analog urban waves and tribal grooves" while still keeping a bit of an ambient
and industrial edge. The disc has 12 tracks total on offer and will set you
back €13 postage paid. Hibou are also putting out the call for those interested
in either wholesale lots or label trades and as an aside, they have a fairly
extensive distribution section worth taking a boo at". (2003-04-24)
Ambientrance
Delphium - Dead on the Inside (Hibou - 2003)
"A new label is born, and the first offspring from French Hibou Records is the
electro-industrial-esque darkness of Delphium, aka Englishman, Jonathan Forde
and a few friends... like Sara Ayers, who contributes a few words.... first
in spoken opener, * (0:05). The beat-riddled instrumental spray of Bug Fucked
may emit throbbing bass and booming kettles,
but it's hard to tell exactly what transpires. Cavernous clatter, insectoid
electronic chittering and misty echoes roll from In My Final Days, followed
by Thrash + Grunt whose low symphonic blurts are studded with twisty beat-patterns,
the two never quite gelling.
Take a moody Look at Tomorrow through slow-moving orchestral drones... still
edgy even w/o rhythms. Sassy-though-murky Deepwoundsbleedthorns growls and writhes,
whilst being pummeled with half-buried percussion and echoed upon by looped
vocals from Pixie. Ms. Ayers' voice then rings out over No Return's scattered
drum-spatters and buzz-rippling electrons. Moaning bass strings entwine with
higher strands to Invoke the Spirit (7:32) of beat-free cinemascope eerieness
before the title track grunges up the closing moments with tantalizing swirls
of gritty radiance. 12 tracks/51 minutes. Overall a raw, and I'm sure sincere,
effort of hits-n-misses, which will be something to build upon... C+" (Ambientrance
05.21.03)
Industrial.org
Reviewed by: moron
Delphium - Dead on the Inside (Hibou)
"Delphium is somewhat of a weird bird, one moment a busy electric chicken spazzing
about to broken breakbeats and weird synth mutterings while at other times a
rather plain pidgeon offering little but rehashed techno derivatives in the
form of lackadasical commercial flotsam. I've mostly enjoyed what I have heard
but the output trend seemed to be doomed towards that boring and mediocre so
this release is a welcomed kink in that downward slide. Welcomed because it
offers hope even if not fully realized.
The 12 tracks here take up about 50 minutes and include enough influences to
seem like a collaboration if not outright compilation. The tech step and jump
up rhythms have a strong showing still but mostly dissappeared is the awkward
off kilter stilt work of earlier efforts which means that little effort is required
to get into these tracks (with accordingly less reward). The dancier bits don't
suck exactly, there just doesn't seem to be that much effort put into them with
the same extended hammerhead type break running out of breath as it tries to
keep up with the far more interesting (if still monolithic) synth work. A 30
second dose in a car commercial would have you bobbing all over the place but
after several minutes the lack of development is no doubt a tad disappointing
to the otherwise hard working synth lines. What is a surprise however is that
the many of the crappiest mainstream 12" white label influences have been traded
in for of all things a large dose of ambient and textural work. By the third
track the release suddenly goes in for a costume change which is a oddball mix
of dark ambient and glacial digital hardcore that I rather like. The straight
up beats aren't that far behind however and by the 5th track we are back into
more traditional territory with some simple string work, a filtered whoosh and
canned beat box beats trying to paste together what has become a troubled relationship.
There's some hate sex and emotional bounce back after that which mostly cements
in the irrefutable existance here of a core dilemma: Delphium seems to either
have intense dislike for or absolute fear of drum programming. Almost every
rhythmic track seems to offer up but a single loop with all other efforts focussed
on melodic phrasing and the odd texture. Repetition and minimalism are just
dandy and can offer loads of intensity but the problem here is that the two
aspects are so disproportionate to each other that anything beyond the most
cursory glance shows off the seams like the most half-assed photoshop cutup
job stripping out the groom from a failed marriage snapshot. Sometimes less
is more and on "Dead on the Inside" if some sneaky gremlin had muted the drum
tracks without Delphium's knowledge we would have a disc full of emotive and
poignant pieces like the swells and tines of "A Look at Tomorrow" and "Invoke
The Spirit" instead of the mediocre C- that most of the material garners. This
CD should have been much better, rocking even but as much as I want to whole
heartedly embrace the sounds of summer offered by it I can't convince myself
that that canned margerine is actually a gifted slab of creamy butter. I just
hope that somebody will help Delphium find his way back to the trick and joke
shop before the next release". (2003-04-11)
Ad Noiseam
Delphium - Dead on the inside (Hibou)
"Delphium is back with a fourth album, this time mixing his infectious rhythms
with mid paced crunchy dark drum'n'bass as well as interesting tones and drones.
A varied, well composed and very solid album from this essential act. Recommended".
(Ad Noiseam mail order catalogue, Spring 2003)
Aquese Recordings
"The 4th Delphium album was released by French label, HIBOU on March 3rd 2003.
The title for the album is " Dead On The Inside ". American vocalist Sara Ayers
contributes to many of the tracks as does new permanent Delphium vocalist Pixie.
Soundwise; well, its 100% good tracks with 100% good production and actual proper
songs. Tracklisitng is as follows: "Bug Fucked", "No Return", "New April", "Black
hills", "Final Days", "A Look at Tomorrow", "Thrash + Grunt", "Deepwoundsbleedthorns",
"Green Lane With delphium", "Invoke The Spirit" & "Dead On The Inside". The
sound is angry and maybe more abrasive than the last album". (Aquese Recordings,
March 2003)