Hierophany - Иерофания by Yannick Franck

"A very refined disc of challenging drone music" Frans de Waard, VITAL WEEKLY

"Ein zeitloses Meisterwerk" KULTURTERRORISMUS

"I find Hierophany to be nothing less than a masterpiece. Not a typical, carelessly produced drone piece and certainly not a typical "relax and listen to the birds" field recordings work. Great sound, perfectly composed and produced." Yiorgis Sakellariou / Mecha/Orga

"Une basse souterraine, prenante, une seconde qui se pose sur la première… Et ainsi de suite. Eloignez tout claustrophobe, même léger, de la musique de Yannick Franck. On ne sait pas ce qu’elle veut et on sait encore moins ce qu’elle cache (un fourmillement, une rivière, une friche industrielle, un appel à l’évacuation ?).

Ce que l’on sait, par contre, ou plutôt ce que l’on apprendra, c’est que le traitement qu’il inflige aux sons qu’il renferme dans ses archives, leur empilement et leur accentuation met en branle une formidable machine à moudre et les sons, et les sources, et les récepteurs que nous sommes. Loin du noise de son trio Y.E.R.M.O., le Belge se fait ici redresseur de sorts et créateur d’ambiance suffocante : nous sommes de sa hiérophanie, et comment!" Le son du grisli

"Yannick Franck’s Hierophany describes a ritualistic journey of an individual emerging into the world.
By establishing two distinct fields within “Mausoleum,” Yannick sets the theme for the entire album’s composition. In the foreground a loud, deep, and low-fi resonance isolates the listener within some dark internal chamber. There is a warmth within the moderate frequency of electronic drones and buzzings of Yannick’s electronic output that suggests an active hibernation, each breath feels to be steadily strengthening. Through the muffling walls of this chamber, a complex and spontaneous field of sound hints at the world beyond. The precise locations are ambiguous. At times the metallic scraping, the quickening and chaotic rhythms, and human voices—a collage of electronics and field recordings that—suggest a close proximity to the inner chamber and resemble the acoustics of a factory or a train station. When these sounds are softened and slowed down, it seems that the chamber has been isolated—as though stored in the undercarriage of a plane or ship. These alternating soundscapes suggest that the chamber is moving somehow through different territories, unaffected and undisturbed. This strong dichotomy—between inside and outside/near and far—seems to absolve within “Dive.” Here, through a lengthening of resonance, the deep-pitched and confining space of the chamber seems to fall away, and the steady pulses of breath become exploratory and bewildered. The space which Yannick describes is massive—such as the towering walls of a gothic cathedral—and filled with harmonious chimes and the communal chants of a human choir which surround and immerse the listener. A thematic rise in pitch during this track emphasizes the ethereality of this space. It is filled with a sacred light. The comfort of “Dive” is confounded within the last few minutes of the album. “Dying Down” departs from the sonorous space of the track directly proceeding, yet it does not quite return to the profane sobriety of the first track. Hierophany closes with crisp field recordings taken while wandering through and brushing against the urban environment. It is here that the individual has arrived with the renewed energy of a fresh start. The bass of the embryonic chamber of the first track is completely shed, as the thematic tones seem to find a medial regulation. Yet, it becomes clear here that the freedom alluded to in the middle track might have been a deception: the presence of any resonance implies a boundary, even if barely perceivable. As the frame enlarges within Hierophany to encompass the entire world, the individual blurs into it. The last moments are preludial: is this courage or sacrifice?" Amelia Ishmael


Amelia Ishmael is an independent curator whose work investigates the cross-disciplinary relations between music and visual arts. Her exhibitions and film/video screenings include .blacK~SSStaTic_darK~fuZZZ_dOOm~glitCH. and Black Thorns in the White Cube. She is also the author of the monthly interview column “Transmission” featured on Art21.


label presentation:

"In such conservative genre like ambient there is not easy to find something to discover, but the music of Yannick Franck can change this widespread prejudice. Infuenced by recent trip to Russia and the orthodox culture, he composed the continuous suite of three movements, showing his personal vision of the ancient rite.

Antibody label