Repetition is something that’s all over the music. Verses and choruses repeat drum beats and basslines repeat, and riffs do too, the whole idea behind genres is based on a repetition of a certain arrangement that gives a certain musical vibe. IDM is a genre that utilizes repetition in a way that makes it safe to say that IDM is shamelessly repetitive. Repetition is IDM’s Achilles’ heel, and it can also be its saving grace. B. Moyano’s approach is a little unique.
B, Bruno Moyano is a composer, pianist, and producer from the town of Angoulême, France. His sole album, the gargantuan Father, has been released way back in 2020. Slept on for two years, it’s about time for this collection of original, groovy, interesting pieces to gain some traction. Father is an incredibly rich album. Full of classical IDM tropes, such as vintage synth drum kits, synth lead sounds, and even familiar-sounding pads and atmospherics, the music of this album does not sound fresh and inventive in the way you expect fresh and inventive music to be, the pieces lean instead, on meticulously crafted atmospheres, with delicate, sensible, and sensual arrangements, that are pristine, tender and effortless. Add to that the factor of familiarity in the sounds and the hypnotic effect of the shameless repetition for a final result that’s purely accessible, light, and enjoyable, in spite of the lengthy runtime.
T.136 and ‘Hello!’ Make an amazing introductory duo. With 2 distinct Latin grooves that run throughout the pieces, T.136 is quick and hectic, based on a nervous percussion and synthetic, driving leads that are manic and undecided, while Hello is much more melodic, tender, and sweet. The spaced phrases that make up the main motif of Hello are emotive and full of contented hope, and an upward modulation in the middle adds a lift that heightens all the feelings. A truly enjoyable sound. I Miss You is pure IDM. No fuss. This 7-minute monster hypnotizes completely before its first chord change happens, around the 2-minute mark, by then, hungry for a change, the piece takes you for a rollercoaster. With an inspired composition, this piece of driving IDM is one of the most rewarding listens I’ve heard in a very long time. The outro is impeccably melodic and exquisitely atmospheric. A delight.
Dream With Me has a really familiar chord progression that sounds sweet and tender. The heavy melancholia sets in after an elongated ambient intro, and what it adds is a melodic context to the dreamy ambiance. An airy, expansive, and contemplative piece. The pumping rhythms of the title track are again, no-fuss-IDM. Accentuated by a quirky, and somewhat eerie piano melody, the sound in the first half is a little unsettling, then it continues to grow outwards, until an outro that’s insanely puffy and comforting. Yearning and hopeful, Father is yet another contemplative composition that’s rich, lush, and intricate. The closing duo, I Love You and My Girl, blend seamlessly into each other. I Love You is Pink Floyd if they did IDM. The agonized synth leads are heartfelt, and the sensational progression sounds like it would fit perfectly somewhere on The Division Bell before it seamlessly morphs into the closing 10-minute symphony of ambiance that is My Girl.
- Moyano’s Father is a long slept-on collection of sweet, lovingly made IDM. This IDM, unusually, is actually intelligent, using trademark repetition to bolster and empower fully fleshed-out compositions and arrangements. Bruno Moyano is a talented musician who does it all well, achieving a sound that’s equally classic, brand new, and in both cases, uniquely his own.
