Fléau is the solo project of Mathieu Mégemont (a.k.a Le Mage), also a member of the bands Year of No Light, VvvV, and AE.
His first eponymous album was released in 2015 by Anywave: seven darkly‑tinted tracks, recorded with only an array of analogue synths, dirtied with fuzz and drowned in spring reverb. Where the overall atmosphere evoked John Carpenter’s film-scores, some tracks were also reminiscent of Philip Glass’ minimalism. All this sustained by synthetic strings in the style of French producer Christophe, most prominent on the album’s anthemic finale Glass Cathedral.
His second album is witness to a more progressive direction. In opposition to the minimalist aesthetic of his first album, Fléau now imposes his will with a desire for the grandiose through five long narrative tracks, each one an acoustic short film projected directly on the listener’s imagination.
Brooding and complex, totally immersive, sometimes aggressive but mostly cerebral, Fléau’s music draws a labyrinthine course through the twilight hours. From snow driven paths to 10 lane highways we are steadily brought to the edge of a lonely precipice on the desolated horizon of the forthcoming apocalypse.
Fléau – Fléau (Anywave, 2015)
Limited edition cassette, 100 copies
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Fléau – II (Anywave, Atelier Ciseaux, 2018)
2 × 12”, Limited edition black vinyl – 200 copies
2 × 12”, Limited edition transparent vinyl and artist booklet by Raphaël Lugassy – 50 copies
