CYLENE II [LP]

Cylene II is the new materialization of the collabora-
tion between Fran ois J. Bonnet & Stephen O'Malley,

initiated in 2018 and continued without interruption
since then, taking form in a myriad of contexts ranging
from common practice to recording sessions, concerts
and tours.
Cylene II bears witness to these different contexts,
offering a multifaceted sound signature developed

on different occasions (artist residencies in La Bec-
que, Switzerland and Modena, Italy, live performance

excerpts, a studio session at INA-GRM Studios in Paris).

The epic opening track "Four Rays (Anti Divide)" wel-
comes, for the first time, other musicians - in this

case a wind quintet - expanding the duo's sonic pal-
ette without betraying the fundamental component

of their music, namely the driving of sonic energy.
Elsewhere, Bonnet and O'Malley propel the energy
between themselves, extending the singular climate
that has characterized their musical development over
the past five years. Among their minimal presentation

of tones and resonances, as glacial harmonic inter-
sections slowly elevate with massive physicality to an

orchestral degree, new refinements become evident:
the music's relationship to silence, and a brightening
of the fine metallic edge glowing at its core.
For the listener, Cylene II is a sound that reaches from
the deep and scales up to the far firmament in its
careful motion, drawing emotions viscerally from the
chest, giving rise to the suggestibility of the soul. A
s ance of sorts for all who witness it, whether playing
or listening.