Bertier - Osmose (live)

​Bertier

Osmose (live)
self-released; 2025

​​By ​Dino DiMuro
​

Bertier is the brainchild of Peirre Dungen of Brussells, Belgium. He and his players have released several albums and tracks, the most recent of which was called Machine ronde. This EP is actually four songs from that album performed live and captured to tape, appropriately titled Machine (Live). 

Pierre Van Den Dungen is listed as the singer and lyricist, with able assistance from Jean-François Assy, Geoffrey Hautvas, Yvan Rother and Lara Herbinia. Names are not linked to instruments but I’m hearing electric cello, electric and possibly acoustic guitar, and Dungen’s half-spoken lyrics in French. A lot of the effect here comes from the interaction of the amplified lyrics in a performing space with waves of gentle feedback, surprisingly close to the released versions of the songs. The notes indicate that these tracks were recorded and mixed in a fortnight, between June 2022 and spring 2023 at the Versari Studios of Paris by Yan Péchin.

“Machine ronde” opens with all the previously described sounds and the welcoming applause of the invited audience. What amazed me right off the bat was that you’d swear there’s a cello AND a violin, or that there’s two electric guitars with interlacing melodies. It’s very much a controlled chaos and a perfect backing for Dungen’s vocals, with harmonies by Lara Herbinia. The words are in French and I wasn’t able to easily translate them (as I am a stupid American) but the larger meaning appears to describe a machine that is part of a circular process, where the output of one stage feeds back into the input of another, creating a continuous loop (thanks, Google!). The loop analogy is a perfect fit! This track is a great opener and swept me along each time I played it.

“Gaia” more obviously features amplified acoustic guitar along with electric lead. Like the other tracks, this one is co-written with producer Yan Péchin. It begins more traditionally, but if anything becomes even more dramatic and cinematic as it moves along, filling the sonic space with swooping bent notes, sliding scales and wailing vocals. When I say cinematic, I really can see it as the backing music to a gothic, otherworldly Western a la Ry Cooder’s scores. 

“Osmose” feels like jangly, minor key dream pop, with the hums and overtones more in alignment with the tonal center and thus more traditionally beautiful, especially with Dungen and Herbinia sharing literally intimate vocal turns. In the middle section Herbinia’s voice perfectly melds with the cello and guitars. “Demande a john” somewhat continues the jangly feel of the previous track but then comes full circle into a turbulent hurricane of feedback and wailing lead guitar, a total show-stopper conclusion.

For me, approaching live versions of songs I wasn’t familiar with proved to be both interesting and rewarding. See what Bertier is all about!

Become A Fan

bertiermusique.com

Tweet