BELGITUNES: thems

For once, our BELGITUNES section will be devoted to a Frenchy who lives in Belgium. Indeed, the electronic music project thems, which is the stage nickname of solo producer Felix Muhlenbach, has started his musical path in France, in cities like Strasbourg or Dijon. As the artist mentions it, moving gave some color to his music. Therefore, it follows that his debut EP is named “Voyage”. In 5 tracks, thems is taking you places, like if you were watching the landscapes roll past through a train window.

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As Muhlenbach writes it on Facebook and explains it better than anyone else:

thems is an emotional wave. An intense voyage through powerful rhythms and deep analog pads. A subtle mix of aggressiveness and softness, this music is built by anger and hope. With their eyes closed, the listener floats in the air or under water, enveloped in deep blue. Visual and with a cinematic nature, thems‘ music is about presence and absence, with ghost-like warped voices and sonic textures.
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With “Voyage EP”, thems brings you on a musical journey, full of imagery, on the rails or through the skies. He often refers to the electronic or ambient atmospheres of Air, Brian Eno and even Kraftwerk, in “Riding Night”especially.

The track “La Premiere Danse” sounds a bit like an escape from a train station, where the wagons are progressively gathering speed on the rails. There is for sure something cold and nostalgic about this track.

“This is our lives” may reflect bad souvenirs, or maybe a sweet anger. The vocals are always pretty diluted in the emotional instrumentals and, although a lot of images come to your head, your feelings, and your interpretation can only be subjective.

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You can listen to the full EP on Soundcloud.Moreover, thems’ “Voyage EP” is available for free download via the Bandcamp profile of the artist. But you can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.