Lac Seul

(This article’s English version was produced with AI-assisted translation)

"Outsider house," or "lo-fi house" if you prefer, is one of those phenomena that sprouted in the undergrowth of 2010s clubbing, only to quietly fade away with the turn of the decade. Or at least, that’s what we thought. Its alchemy boils down to a few elements: the mechanical pulse of 4/4 intersects with vaporwave coordinates, yielding a nostalgic, tactile, and at the same time liquid sound—raw yet luminous ("Under The Wing Of Time"). It’s a style that found its natural habitat on the web: YouTube channels with glitchy aesthetics, vintage VHS commercials framing tracks that evoke the ’90s with a fresh patina, reshaping house as a domestic ritual rather than a tribal dance for the club.

As the decade turned, most outsider activity seemed to dissolve, morphing into new electro and breakbeat mutations. Lac Seul’s return is a precious drift along the blurred boundary between dreamlike atmospheres and nostalgia ("Divine Light"), but also an act of expressive awareness that distances itself from the rawness of L.I.E.S.—a key label for the genre—in favor of a more meditative, atmospheric aesthetic ("Floating Figure"). Elegant in its dialogue between lo-fi and ambient house, "Destinations" marks the fourth chapter in the discography of the U.S. duo composed of Tile Plazas and Jarred Carrigan, the latter also co-founder of Jungle Gym Records, a label that has shaped a sound suspended between ambient-club rituals and new-age mysticism.

The work, in itself, doesn’t open new perspectives within the duo’s universe, but it redefines its lexicon, leaving behind the downtempo whispers and dub techno shades of their early releases. A strategic renunciation in favor of a stripped-down aesthetic, yet meticulous in its tonal care. "Destinations" is the new landing point of a project that knows its own breath: as in the title track, the beats are skillfully embedded, the grooves hypnotic. The listening experience flows seamlessly, and dwelling on the album’s lack of memorability would be pointless—it’s a gentle yet enveloping stream, a work that doesn’t seek to impose itself, and for that very reason, manages to settle over time.

09/03/2025