In 1998, Diane Labrosse and Martin Tétreault had released a CD with Ikue Mori (Île Bizarre, on Ambiances Magnétiques). Parasites is their first album as a duo. Recorded over two days in late August 2001, this music is made of sound samples provided by samplers and turntables. Tétreault also makes glitch-like noises and electrical hums with his disc-deprived instrument. Except for the ten-minute "A Coal Eye," all tracks are kept short and focus on a single mood or sound palette. The musicians weave an intimate, somewhat dark atmosphere. The humor often found in either's work is here limited to the track titles, mostly revolving around the theme of "parasites" -- from bugs to glitches. It all remains very abstract and lacks some personality. This kind of electronic-based free improv had become more and more widespread by 2001 (Poire_Z, Otomo Yoshihide, Ossatura, and a host of laptop musicians) and Parasites doesn't have anything particular to set it apart, even though the job is well-done. Still, "A Coal Eye" offers disturbingly interesting textures, and the very short pieces ("Caterpillar With Fur," "Stop Interfering!") are more colorful. This CD will satisfy fans of this particular style, but both artists have recorded better music, both separately and together. ~ François Couture