Terra Incognita, the latest album by Akusmi, is a captivating journey through a musical landscape that feels both familiar and utterly new. Composer Pascal Bideau, based in London, has crafted an album that draws from a myriad of influences, creating a unique and immersive soundscape. With a diverse ensemble, including tabla maestro Sarathy Korwar, Senegalese multi-instrumentalist Dudú Kouate, harpist Marysia Osu, and composer Daniel Brandt, Bideau presents a 38-minute exploration of genre-agnostic grooves.
The album's opening track, the nearly 11-minute epic "Terra Incognita," sets the tone for the entire record. It's a mesmerizing piece that begins with low piano notes, sustained woodwinds, and a rainstick, gradually building into a harmonious tangle of sounds. The track's ambient haze and gentle rhythm create a sense of drifting through a vast, unexplored terrain, reminiscent of Harmonia's cyclical drift and Alice Coltrane's stargazing elegies. But what makes this composition truly intriguing is its unpredictability, a testament to Bideau's skill as a record collector and his vision for a utopian musical realm.
Bideau's debut album, Fleeting Future, released in 2022, hinted at the direction Terra Incognita would take. The complex electroacoustic grids on that record opened into ever-expanding crescendos, and the liner notes' reference to Jon Hassell's "Fourth World" concept further emphasizes the album's scope. However, Terra Incognita takes a different approach, focusing on the present-day borderless Pangaea where sounds and ideas from diverse cultures merge into something entirely new.
One of the most notable aspects of the album is Bideau's saxophone playing. He channels the expansive style of Gary Bartz and Wayne Shorter, as heard on the track "Club Subterranea." His serpentine phrasing, combined with the angular bed of synths, balafon, and metronomic hi-hats, creates a destabilizing pulse, akin to gusts of wind through tall grass. Later, on "Drongo's Flute," his saxophone leads slice through a thicket of flutes and harp, making way for Kouate and Korwar's polyrhythmic percussion, which builds into a towering matrix.
The album also incorporates elements of trance music from around the globe. "Rain Dance" blends the circular repetition of Moroccan gnawa with Berlin School synthesis, resulting in a swirling, earthen kosmische that is both overwhelming and mesmerizing. "Pleine Lune" showcases squirming saxophones that threaten to burst across the stereo field, but Kouate's precise timekeeping cymbals keep the composition together, creating a captivating push-pull effect.
The closer, "Dawning Dusk," is a highlight, featuring Kouate's vocals and a beatific churn that replicates the joy and power of group singing. This track, with its mille-feuille layers, is a testament to the album's ability to evoke a sense of community and celebration through music.
In my opinion, Terra Incognita is a masterpiece that showcases Bideau's talent for blending diverse musical influences into a cohesive and captivating whole. It's a testament to the power of collaboration and the endless possibilities of musical exploration. This album is a must-listen for anyone seeking a unique and immersive musical experience.
