Lyon, France-based five-piece Ashinoa will release their second album ‘L’Orée’ on March 25th via Fuzz Club Records. At times percussive and dancey, at others hypnotic and cinematic, the largely synthesiser-driven soundscapes of 'L’Orée' feel both of the past and the future. It’s the sound of two different worlds – a record capable of being as primal and ritualistic as it is synthesised and digitally manipulated. Where the band’s prior minimal Krautrock (see their 2019 ‘Sinie Sinie’ LP) might have brought to mind cold, dark post-industrial cities, ‘L’Orée’s kosmische experimentalism takes you instead on an instrumental journey through the natural wilderness via the medium of shape-shifting psychedelic electronics.
That ‘L’Orée’ explores a more natural and organic sound than heard on their previous releases owes largely to the environment it was made in. Recorded in a tucked-away house in the French countryside that bordered on a surrounding forest, Ashinoa recall sessions spent soaking up their surroundings with a number of collaborators coming in and out to perform on the record: “The house we recorded the album in was kind of in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by douglas pine trees. From this proximity to the forest, we wanted to take our soundscapes to a place we’ve never been before. Before we were surrounded by concrete, and then far from it. We were looking for a new listening place, to discover new intriguing sounds. We had laid down the basis of the album and then musician friends that would visit us at the time were invited to participate in the making of the album, each one of them bringing a touch of their own.”
Since forming in 2015, the French five-piece comprised of Chris Poincelot, Matteo Fabbri, Jérémy Labarre, Paul Renard and Ghazi Frini have been at the forefront of the alternative scene in their home city of Lyon. Initially associated with the city’s Misère Records movement and collective, the band have now signed to London-based label Fuzz Club Records (Night Beats, Tess Parks, The Underground Youth) for their latest. It follows the band's debut 'Sinie Sinie' LP and a vinyl-only release of the 'Koalibi' single as part of Fuzz Club's Reverb Conspiracy compilation series. Having toured around France on a number of occasions Ashinoa have also through the years shared stages with the likes of Metz, Flamingods, Tomaga, Warmduscher, Bo Ningen, Kikagaku Moyo, Minami Deutsch, The Holydrug Couple and many more.
