Search - Chris Fortier :: As Long As the Moment Exists

Think of it as a launchpad

LexAffection | Philadelphia, PA USA | 06/17/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Fortier, without argument, has covered all ground within the confines of the electronic dance music scene - all ground, that is, save producing his own artist album - until now, with the advent of "As Long As the Moment Exists," released on the prestigious EQ/Stomp label.



What is most intriguing about Fortier's solo flight is that it is perhaps the most difficult musical style that I have ever tried to write about. Thinking long and hard about artists for comparison whose styles have been smoothly blended together to form something wholly alien was an experience. Imagine the passionate ambience of Amethystium running concurrent with the spaciousness of Air. Add a dash of deep bass courtesy of the Tiefschwarz fame and the meticulously paced progressive nature of Anthony Pappa's Balance 006. A final pinch of subdued James Zabiela nastiness, and we find ourselves with the musical miscellany that is ALATME.



As Long As the Moment Exists is a commendable album, but is not without its caveats.



I want to begin with the good. The album pushes boundaries, and for this reason, is sure to attract the attention of both seasoned fans of Fortier's work and those new to him. In the same manner that One+One introduced a style of electronic dance music that some found hard to categorize, so too does Fortier craft some interesting beats, echoic female vocals, and hard (but nicely "padded around the edges") 4/4 beats. Synthesizers seem to wail and mourn, sculpting a mildly haunting backdrop leaving the beats to prevail. At various points his percussion reminded me of Steve Lawler's heavily tribal-influenced "Lights Out Vol. 2," which was exciting - though as quickly as tribal enters tribal exits into a foray of ambient, synth-driven deluges of sound. This album would be sublime for a relaxed, several hour drive home from the club at 5 A.M. Fortier employs countless aural goodies including subtle chimes, ghostly synthesizers, tribal percussion, cultivated ambience and bass with tremendous reverb. Lastly, the album is comprised of fifteen unmixed tracks, which makes it an ideal album for DJs to experiment with - and lord knows there are plenty of materials in the lab with this release!



Several disappointments lock arms with the album's accomplishments, though. The largest caveat I would point out is that the album taken in its entirety is quite anticlimactic. Sometimes Fortier trudges through innovative electronic technology with the pace of a dehydrated camel, and only on rare occasions do the tempo, energy and passion seem to exude from his music. In other words, if one were to listen to the album in its entirety from beginning to end, it would be a very long ~70 minutes. There is also a lack of the technical innovation that I have seen popping up amongst even the most popular DJs in recent months. Fortier takes fewer chances with his finely-honed technical skills on this album than perhaps he should have. However, it may well be prudent to `play it safe' with one's very first debut artist album; this leaves the distinct possibility that Fortier's next solo production will be more of a smash than its predecessor. Several complete standouts include "Don't Hide What You Believe" and "Fantastic Diversion."



For Chris Fortier and fans alike, "As Long As The Moment Exists" is a fine accomplishment. Eyeing it from the perspective of the genre as a whole, it is an album glued in musical purgatory: Neither `great' nor `awful,' I found it simply a collection of tracks that should serve as a viable platform for Fortier's (hopefully) burgeoning solo career.



~Lex"

There was a variety to this album of the wrong kind

Feminist Review blog | worldwide | 09/23/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Fortier is an accomplished DJ with 15 years experience and over 100 original productions. In 1998, his re-working of Delirium's "Silence" cemented his international reputation as an artist who explores the full gamut of the underground music scene, from house to electro. His July 2007 solo debut, As Long as the Moment Exists, continues this trend using all manner of electronic sounds.



The track that starts the album, "Sunday is a Travel Day," really belies the mindset Fortier was in when he designed this album; he started sketching out ideas for it while traveling on one of his many tours. Its driving beats and mellow sounds could soothe even the crankiest of traffic jam victims. The other tracks start to pick up the pace and, unfortunately, many of them start to blend together. Tracks that are the most distinguishable are those that use non-electronic sounds, such as voice (tracks 4 & 7) and the piano (track 2). These are not necessarily the best songs on the disc, but they are the most memorable. In fact, I think I would have liked track 7, "Believe," better, without the Run Lola Run-type spoken word. More enjoyable was "Stay Tuned," a fast, dance-driven track, which, despite its limited range of sound, caused involuntary butt shaking in this reviewer - a rough task since I listened to the album lying down.



One of the most interesting tracks was "Waste Not, Want Not," which has its roots in a funk sound, utilizing a wah-wah guitar sound and a varied beat that sounds like tap dancing. The final track returns to the successful formula of the first and is again the type of relaxing groove that keeps you up but not agitated. All in all, there was a variety to this album of the wrong kind. Many of the sounds and overall tracks sounded similar, but there were definitely superior variations and those that seemed to be earlier drafts of the same song or replicas not as carefully wrought."