BAY OF FIGS show­cases new devel­op­ments in Marc Houle’s already min­i­mal pop genius. From the manic title track onward his sound con­tin­ues to develop from a rich bed of elec­tro pop and min­i­mal techno, with gems that stay in the groove or con­tort them­selves by design.

The arc­tic storm that is Bay of Figs sends a sim­ple yet effec­tive mes­sage through its haunt­ing and men­ac­ing drone. On the bounc­ing and loose Thirds In Trees, Marc drops in live claps and bass gui­tar in the melodic and hooky mood rem­i­nis­cent of the Kings­ley clas­sic Pop­corn. A clear fan of euro & indus­trial atti­tudes from decades past, Black Jack 13 claps and bends with elec­tro fever, rat­tling around erratic effects and synth lines all under four min­utes time. One of the more intense tracks in Houles live sets is the square-wave melody of Edamame. But its Items and Things that high­lights Houles musi­cian­ship for synth pop while also reveal­ing his obvi­ous con­tri­bu­tion another side project, Run Stop Restore (the trio with Magda and Troy Pierce). Houles arrange­ments, melodies and choice effects cre­ate easy instru­men­tals that hold their own beauty with­out vocal attachments.

Houle has also remixed Slams Kill The Pain sin­gle (fea­tur­ing Dot Alli­son) and Turbo Dreams by Ellen Allien & Appa­rat. Between DJs cham­pi­oning his work in clubs and after-parties or mak­ing it an essen­tial addi­tion on mix albums from pro­duc­ers like Slam or Loco Dice, Houle is work­ing his way to the top. His live per­for­mances from Europe to the US have dou­bled the impact, as show­cased on tour in the US dur­ing May 2007 for the min2MAX bus tour.