Thé Au Harem D'Archimède
Encyclopedia
Thé Au Harem D'Archimède is a 2004 studio album
by Ricardo Villalobos
. It was released by Perlon
on LP
and CD
.
The album's French
title, which translates into English
as "Tea In The Harem
of Archimedes
," is a reference to the Mehdi Charef
book Tea in the Harem
, as well as a pun
on the French phrase "Thereome D'Archimède," which is also the title of the album's four track. "Thereome D'Archimède" translates into English as "Theorem Of Archimedes," and refers to Archimedes' principle
.
, main performer
Cassy Britton - vocals on "Miami" and "True To Myself"
Rashad Becker - mastering
. Ron Schepper's review for Stylus Magazine
had a similarly mixed feel, noting the album's less accessible nature when compared to Alcachofa and stating that "Villalobos dives ever more deeply into percussive gumbo and leaves accessible hooks behind".
Resident Advisor
ranked Thé Au Harem D'Archimède 77th on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 00s.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Ricardo Villalobos
Ricardo Villalobos
Ricardo Villalobos is a Chilean-German electronic music producer and DJ. He is well-known for his work in the minimal techno and microhouse genres, and is one of the most significant figures in today's minimal techno scene....
. It was released by Perlon
Perlon
Perlon is an electronic music record label founded in Frankfurt, Germany, based in Berlin, and run by Zip and Markus Nikolai. It is a minimal techno and microhouse label whose sound features vocals and crispy sounds. Producers such as Ricardo Villalobos, Baby Ford, Stefan Goldmann, Luciano, Matt...
on LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
The album's French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
title, which translates into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Tea In The Harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
of Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
," is a reference to the Mehdi Charef
Mehdi Charef
Mehdi Charef is a French film director and screenwriter of Algerian descent. He has worked on eleven films between 1985 and 2007. His film Le thé au harem d'Archimède was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival...
book Tea in the Harem
Tea in the Harem
Tea in the Harem was a book written by Mehdi Charef, first published in 1983. In 1985 Charef also directed the film adaptation of the book. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival....
, as well as a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on the French phrase "Thereome D'Archimède," which is also the title of the album's four track. "Thereome D'Archimède" translates into English as "Theorem Of Archimedes," and refers to Archimedes' principle
Archimedes' principle
Archimedes' principle relates buoyancy to displacement. It is named after its discoverer, Archimedes of Syracuse.-Principle:Archimedes' treatise On floating bodies, proposition 5, states that...
.
CD
- "Hireklon" – 9:01
- "Serpentin" – 9:46
- "Forallseasons" – 4:27
- "Théorème D'Archimède" – 6:50
- "Hello Halo" – 8:12
- "Temenarc 2" – 6:01
- "Temenarc 1" – 7:27
- "Miami" – 9:00
- "True To Myself" – 14:18
Credits
Ricardo Villalobos - writer, producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, main performer
Cassy Britton - vocals on "Miami" and "True To Myself"
Rashad Becker - mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Reception
Reception was mixed to positive. Andy Kellman, writing for Allmusic, says that Villalobos is "perfectly content with forming luscious, pensively roiling, ten-minute grooves that double as some of the most organic-sounding electronic productions imaginable". A review for Dusted Magazine, by Jon Dale, lauded the album's unusual synthesis of sounds and influences, while noting that it was not as accessible as Villalobos' debut, AlcachofaAlcachofa (album)
Alcachofa is a full-length studio album released by Chilean-German producer Ricardo Villalobos on the German techno label Playhouse on September 19, 2003....
. Ron Schepper's review for Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
had a similarly mixed feel, noting the album's less accessible nature when compared to Alcachofa and stating that "Villalobos dives ever more deeply into percussive gumbo and leaves accessible hooks behind".
Resident Advisor
Resident Advisor
Resident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
ranked Thé Au Harem D'Archimède 77th on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 00s.