The name Karbé Dinel may not be immediately familiar to even dedicated followers of experimental music, but this mysterious artist delivers a contribution to the MMXX series that stands proudly alongside the more celebrated names in the roster. Indeed, part of the pleasure of a curated series like this lies in the discoveries, the artists whose work might otherwise have escaped attention but who reveal themselves, given the platform, as fully formed creative voices with something essential to offer.
Dinel's piece unfolds with a sense of ritual and purpose, sounds that seem drawn from both acoustic and electronic sources combining into something that resists easy categorization. There are moments that suggest prepared instruments, others that evoke the crackle and hiss of decaying recording media, still others where pure electronic tones emerge from the murk with startling clarity. The overall effect is one of excavation, of unearthing sounds that have been buried and allowing them to speak again. The MMXX series has consistently demonstrated Matière Mémoire's curatorial acumen, their ability to identify artists whose work resonates with the label's broader aesthetic while offering something genuinely individual. Dinel's contribution exemplifies this approach, a release that feels entirely at home in the series while standing on its own merits as a work of considerable imagination and skill. One hopes this will not be the last we hear from this intriguing artist.