Ilitch

Ilitch

10 Suicides

Superior Viaduct

In 1980, Ilitch mastermind Thierry Müller released his second LP, 10 Suicides, on the French imprint S.C.O.P.A. Unlike his debut Periodikmindtrouble (also available from Superior Viaduct), which featured intricately layered instrumentals, 10 Suicides explores a more art-damaged pop sensibility. While distorted guitars and atmospheric synth workouts remain a part of Müller’s signature sound, several songs credit the mysterious Ruth Ellyeri, who was not an actual person, but rather Müller’s female alter-ego.  Opening track “Elle Voulait Que Je Sois Drôle” shows Ilitch’s new direction with overloaded vocoders, driving Moog basslines and soft, Eno-like melodic flourishes. The androgynous vocals on “Waiting For Mabelle (Je Ne Viendrais Pas)” resemble an upbeat Gregorian chant bent through a 20th Century lens. 10 Suicides is a staggeringly personal album that still sounds years ahead of its time. This first-time vinyl reissue comes with 16-page booklet and is recommended for fans of Ghédalia Tazartès, Chris & Cosey and Monoton.

Ilitch

Periodikmindtrouble

Superior Viaduct

In the mid-1970s, Parisian composer and multi-instrumentalist Thierry Müller began operating primarily under the Ilitch moniker. Juxtaposing dark, electronic soundscapes and solo guitar improvisations, Ilitch created some of the most enduring music of the era. It comes as no surprise that Nurse With Wound included Müller on their famed list of influential avant-garde artists. Originally released on Oxygene Records in 1978, Ilitch’s debut Periodikmindtrouble was a shot across the bow for the French underground scene. Comprised of instrumental four-track recordings made in Müller’s dorm room, the album features gritty tape loops, analog synth swells and angst-ridden guitars. “Sequence 4” fills the stereo field with eerie harmonium and kosmische textures, while the side-long title track is a bona fide organ soliloquy, exploring both abrasive and ambient sonorities. “Derriere La Fenetre (Behind the Window)” dives deeper into acoustic patterns to reveal the expressive quality of Müller’s singular style. Periodikmindtrouble lays the groundwork for an impressive body of work that has grown only more unsettling over the past three decades.  This first-time vinyl reissue comes packaged in a gatefold jacket and is recommended for fans of Cluster, Fripp / Eno and Heldon.