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8 Tracks: Of Brutalism with FKclub

 
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Brutalism is a style characterised by its monolithic appearance and raw concrete features. Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architect is considered to be the father of the architectural movement, which was popularised in the 1970s. Many consider it to be cold and harsh, but as French producer FKClub aka Mark Lapeyre remarks: the beauty is in its ugliness.

Lapeyre is heavily influenced by Brutalism, which is the inspiration for his latest album named after the style itself. Finding a home on Astrolab Recordings, the label that he previously contributed to with his La Décadanse project, the LP blends his love of both electronic and rock music and ponders the question of what it means to be human. 

Here he picks out 8 tracks that reflect on the Brutalist style…

Follow FKclub. Buy Brutalism. Photo credit: Music By Marina.

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Brian Eno - In Dark Trees

I’m a big fan of Eno, I love the way he multiplies layers of sound to create a unique instrument. ‘In dark trees’ could represent the starting point of my album ‘Brutalism’, it’s a track that could easily fit in.

  • Brian Eno - In Dark Trees

    I’m a big fan of Eno, I love the way he multiplies layers of sound to create a unique instrument. ‘In dark trees’ could represent the starting point of my album ‘Brutalism’, it’s a track that could easily fit in.

  • Nine Inch Nails - Piggy

    This track crystallises the definition of brutal; it starts very soft and the end is chaotic. Trent Reznor is the master of the deconstruction, he’s like an architect who can build a track without following the law of verse and chorus.

  • Retrovertigo - Mr. Bungle

    Every album needs its own romantic song, but when it ends like this, it’s even more romantic. I like it when there is ugliness in beauty, like in brutalist architecture; it’s cold but very attractive.

  • Howard Shore - Crash

    I’m obsessed with both the movie and the music. The guitars sound like knives thanks to the harmonizer effect. I can almost see the chrome of the car bumper when I listen to this opening music. Brutalism is a very pictorial album.

  • Jeff Mills - The Bells

    My introduction to techno music in the early 90s. I’ve decided to put it into this selection because of its dirty sound but also because every time I listen to it in my mind’s eye I can see workers in a busy factory.

  • Gang Gang Dance - Vacuum

    This track sounds like the noise of a city for me: loud, dissonant, dirty and beautiful. It’s the perfect brutalist track for me.

  • Bauhaus - Crowds

    We can associate Bauhaus and Brutalism because of their minimalism. Both styles don’t hide the structure and the materials used to build an infrastructure, and so does this band make its songs. I like making tracks like this, when you can hear the core of the song, without too much effect hiding it. Bauhaus have been a big influence for me.

  • Nina Hagen - Lorelei

    When I was 10, I saw a movie called “L’année des méduses” and this was the opening track. The movie takes place in the south of France in St. Tropez. I live in the south of France and the association of the sun, the beach, the holiday AND Nina Hagen was a real blast for me. That’s when my desire to make music burst forth.