We’ve just received a wonderful debut album by IOA BEDUNEAU, a modular musician and sound artist based in southern France who has been exploring music in innovative ways—from creating intricate automated performance installations to hand-building electronics. Inspired by the “Cléron Trumpet”—a masterpiece that fuses France’s historic trumpet-making craftsmanship with modern design—this unique work employs modular synthesizers to construct soundscapes and design timbres, drawing on the instrument’s structure and airflow dynamics. Featuring tracks like “Bêtes Heureuses” (sample 1)—rhythmic and mystical modular electronics that evoke a microcosm—and “Cloches & Trompes” (sample 3), where ritualistic gongs echo in a round, this beautiful album creates a meticulously latticed soundscape. It’s an incredible release that arrived just in the nick of time for the end of the year. (Original Japanese text by Akie)