Evelyne - Testpattern - VINYL LP

Evelyne / Masao bring TESTPATTERN to Dark Entries for the tag's first foray into vintage Japanese electronics. Masao Hiruma and Fumio Ichimura's project Testpattern is known for their Apres-Midi, a cult slab of synthpop perfection released by Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono's legendary Yen Records in 1982. While Hiruma and Ichimura parted ways following Apres-Midi, Hiruma's musical endeavors would continue after meeting French/American model and vocalist Evelyne Bennu in 1984 at a café bar where she would sit and write poetry. Their collaborative efforts as Evelyne/Masao were fruitful, and the duo first performed together in June 1984 on a television program called TOKYO ROCK TV. The album TESTPATTERN comprises seventeen songs recorded in Hiruma's home studio, which have never been released previously. The Evelyne/Masao duo continues building on the soundworld of Apres-Midi rich, sophisticated electronics with intricate yet minimalist production. Tracks like InchSakuramochiInch and InchBird IslandInch bear influence from Hosono most clearly, their soaring melodies revealing a subtly ironic redeployment of East Asian musical tropes. But TESTPATTERN is more than homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra. InchTabacInch and InchLe Soleil Se LeveInch display oddball sensibilities closer to Sky Records icons Asmus Tietchens or Cluster. Elsewhere, the project shows affinity for the punkier ethos of continental DIY electronics, like on the quirky InchAlien Go HomeInch and a positively skewed cover of InchSingin' in the Rain.Inch Bennu's vocals provide a common thread through these explorations, as she alternates deftly between New Wave deadpan and unhinged chanson singer-check her waxing maximally Francophone on InchAu Clair de Lune,Inch based on an 18th century French song. TESTPATTERN will be available on both double LP as well as CD, and includes a fold-out poster with lin