Flutronix: Review

Through a chance meeting on myspace, a unique duo was born. Brooklyn based Flutronix is a classically trained pair of outstanding flutists that have made the crossover into a widely appealing electroacoustic fusion. Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim are combining their passion for the flute and composition and forging a new way, creating more accessible pathways for people that may not otherwise know about classical music and engaging new audiences as a result.

I was pleased to receive a copy of their Kickstarter funded debut album. Mesmerized from the onset by the layers of sound in Joachim's piece "Crazy," the album delivers a diversity of styles in each track from electronica to hip-hop to reggae. As a fan of Steve Reich, I particularly enjoyed the loops in "Stacked" which is reminiscent of Reich's "Vermont Counterpoint."

This album was arranged to showcase the duo's multiple influences without tiring the listener. The vocals in "Aware" and "Wander" further showcase the duo's compositional and multimedia abilities to produce two intriguing duets between flute and voice. I also enjoyed the more virtuosic flute pieces, "Bit of Everything" and "Pray." For flutists, the licks sound so familiar (like Taffanel and Gaubert familiar) but made cool by pairing with electronica.

As a classical flutist with a non-musician spouse, I am constantly searching for music that will appeal to my husband while also being able to appreciate it for its artistic value. He enjoyed Flutronix's offerings as did my brother-in-law. I was excited to share this with them if for no other reason than to give them an example of great flute playing within a context they could appreciate.

I hope that Flutronix will continue this project, and that their creativity will inspire others to pursue their unique projects. You can purchase Flutronix's album from their website (http://www.flutronix.com/) in addition to iTunes and Amazon.

Check out these other links:

http://www.facebook.com/flutronix

http://www.wqxr.org/blogs/q2-blog/2010/jun/02/brooklyns-darmstadt-flutronix/

http://www.myspace.com/flutronix

http://www.youtube.com/user/flutronix