Another bookmark I’ve placed on my journey through 80s albums, Nyssa Musique appeared on my radar after seeing many trusted sources hype this record up as something special. While it may not be mind-blowing, their one record Comme Au Moulin is a fantastic record in the canon of weirdo jazz, “non-western” rhythms + textures and modern minimal composition.
Nyssa Musique was comprised of five talented musicians, all mostly coming from a more scholarly, institute and research-based background. Uniting as a whirlwind of strings, winds and percussion, their final product is a vivid depiction of sound oozing beyond borders. Zooming in on the title track, the group envisions a tense chase sequence, with nimble marimba and flute darting around growling cello and furious hand percussion. A little past the halfway mark the track enters some sort of hypnosis-drenched zone, with metallic sounds echoing into a seemingly endless space and the flute devolves into a disoriented, anti-melodic spiral. If you’re looking for a piece of the “fourth world” sound or are just down with some absolutely nasty string and mallet work, this is a good token to keep in your pocket.