According to the author’s notes, Vincent Bergeron - Casse-tête de l’Existence is an attempt to breakdown traditional song writing, then reconstruct new forms and structures. This might remind you of many things, such as William S. Burroughs cutup technique, and at times Casse-tête de l’Existence recreates similar disorientating and dark experiences. Bergeron’s own voice appears on the tracks, and he has an instantly likable voice which is capable of a wide range of expression. This somehow gives his electronic experimentation a great impact, sometimes sections fall next to each other that seem ironic, sometimes as if he’s jeering at himself. This kind of inward twisting of the original material is prominent in the first two tracks La Naissance and Rêve-Réalité (histoire…).
The acoustic instrumentation in Communication-isolation is another interesting moment in Casse-tête de l’Existence. In this track, Bergeron uses less (obvious) effects processing and relies more on cut and paste techniques. Spiritualité-Profanité is more subtle, with a strong melodic line mimicked in the vocals and instrumentation. Here Bergeron appears to use cut and paste on purpose to create dramatic effects, something other musicians might learn a lesson from should they wish to create similar works.
Passé-présent-futur is one of tracks that’s grown on me most, with many different influences in terms of timbre. It draws attention to the strange mix of styles and eras Bergeron has explored in Casse-tête de l’Existence. And it’s due to this that, as a whole, the pieces have a complexity and timeless quality that makes revisiting the material both intriguing and enjoyable.