First discovered in 2004 by the Coredump label, Raoul Sinier (then going by the name of "Ra") has gone a long way. Armed with his very personal blend of gritty electronics and hip hop and his dark but playful painting and videos, this Paris-based artist showcase with his third full length album an incisive grim fairytale of spicy beats, devilish little clicks and suave melodies. Welcome to the brain kitchen.

It's all a matter of recipe with Raoul Sinier: he had designed the "Ultrafood" 12" with Mad EP, had told the story of the "Huge Samurai Radish" late in 2006, which all culminates in the core of it all, a "Brain Kitchen" in which the man is alone behind the pans and decks.

Announced with "Huge Samurai Radish", in which his tracks got remixed by such varied artists as Datach'I and La Caution, Wisp and Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire, "Brain Kitchen" sees the electronic, strange hip hop structures of Raoul Sinier's previous "Wxfdswxc2" album (Sublight Records) marinate in richer, more straighter melodies. Sliced and fried, the beats leave the foreground to evocative and tasty theme. No matter the audience of a crowned frog, a tiny robot or a two legged radish, here are the kind of tracks you might tap the rhythm to, or hum in the shower.

Once again highly coherent and impossible to link to anything else, Raoul Sinier demonstrates his talent and creating a coherent, accessible whole out of incisive elements. Sometimes dark, often playful, "Brain Kitchen" is the new playground for adventurous cooks and listeners alike.



Here's the video to "Brain Kitchen", also by Raoul Sinier (double click for a better view)


Coming as a perfect reading companion to "Brain Kitchen", a free 24 pages pdf magazine is now available for download here. Featuring illustrations by Raoul Sinier as well as other artists inspired by his music, an interview, some drafts and three short stories, it should help everybody grasp better the intricate and playful universe of Raoul Sinier.