released December 14, 2017

The Press (most in Dutch ....) , scroll down for review(s) ) :

- " The guitar duo of Frank Crijns (Blast, Blast6tet) and Jacques Palincks (Palincks, Insect and Western Party, and others) combine their best experimental efforts here as Fraqx. The seven tracks here combine harsh, snarling, heavily effected electric guitars in various ways, making auditory chaos of the highest order, but the result here isn’t merely ambient fabric noise, the duo often create interesting sounds that make the listener think, "How are they doing that?" and graft those bits in with the rest, so the result is more a hybrid sonic experiment that fares well for those seeking a textural experience mixed with blasts of energetic creativity. The tracks are simply roman numerals, no titles per se, the opener is barely a minute long, and the closer is merely eight seconds in length. The five tracks between them stretch out between five and twelve minutes and deliver most of the blistering chaotic cacaphony along with many periods where they ease up on the accelerator (“IV,” "VI" for example) and allow some softer and more delicate sounds ease their way through the mix, before crashing in again, full volume. Most of this is essentially rhythmless free-form sonic experimentation, no measures, no melodies to speak of, altogether a very random collage of sounds that surprise the listener at every turn. I’m not sure if Fraqx will be a one-off or if there will be more to come from this collaboration, but either way the duo has managed to create an outstanding slab of brutal sonic chaos as a solid foundation for future endeavors, if they choose to do so."

Peter Thelen on : expose.org/index.php/articles/display/fraqx-fraqx-3.html

- " Bom, mas apenas para fãs ou admiradores do gênero :
Dupla de guitarristas Frank Crinjs (Blast) e Jacq Palinckx (Palinckxquartet) usam suas guitarras e dispositivos para explorar o máximo do experimentalismo em aproximadamente 40 minutos, se revezando em acordes, ruídos, loops, interações sonoras, manipulações e muitas outras surpresas. Os climas são abstratos, não há melodias ou harmonias, a ideia é a interação imediata dos dois músicos em criar de forma espontânea a música instantânea e improvisada. Espere por um turbilhão de ideias. "

R.Moraes in Prog Brasil : www.progbrasil.com.br/ExibeResenhas.php?eID=1817

- “ Holland meets Portugal. Two Dutch guitarists Frank Crijns and Jacq Palinckx create an energy-intensive duo to built this highly improvised disc in a context free of all sorts of patterns. And they decided to produce the album with Creative Sources Recordings, a Portuguese independent record company with a catalog full of innovative and curious ideas.
The result is this Fraqx, a high-energy record, where noise and free jazz collide in an oiled and tested set, in a perfect balance of energy and subversive charge equally distributed between the two guitarists who compete between themselves looking for who is the most creative. Seven tracks, sometimes very short as Fraqx VII (only 8 seconds), sometimes more complex and built as Fraqx V (12.44). Seven tracks characterized by a very strong energy. The risk in this type of records is that the epic gives way to a constructive weakness and that the music falls into clichés already known also for those who frequent the world of experimental music. But this is not this case. Frank Crijns and Jacq Palinckx are two excellent partners and this record is an excellent result of their levels of understanding and inter-play “.

Andrea Aguzzi on : neuguitars.com/2019/02/13/review-of-fraqx-by-frank-crijns-and-jacq-palinckx-creative-sources-recordings-2017-on-neuguitars-blog/

- " Fraqx, the Netherlands duo of guitarists Jacq Palinckx and Frank Crijns, both on electric guitar and "devices", debut their collaboration with this 7-part journey of rich deformations, from raw visceral energy to subdued experimentation, a diverse set of textures and powerful playing from two players with a long history of unusual improvisation. "

Squidco : www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=25034&Category_Code=CS

- " Op fascinerende wijze brengen een noisy geheel, dat klinkt als een ontspoord schermduel tussen Glen Branca en Sonic Youth, maar met het speelplezier en vernuft van Zappa en Palinckx. In zeven tracks van goed 36 minuten lang weten ze je daarmee in de houdgreep te nemen. Het levert een enerverend hoorspel op. "

J.W. Broek in : subjectivisten.nl/het-schaduwkabinet-week-02-2018/

- " In zeven, wederom titelloze stukken, creëren de twee hier met hun gitaren en een batterij effectpedalen en andere hulpmiddelen een vreemde en opwindende muzikale wereld. Zo is ‘III’ een aaneenschakeling van vreemde geluiden, klinkend als een talige dialoog tussen twee gitaristen en had ‘IV’ met zijn ambientachtige klanken niet misstaan op ‘Shade of Impulse’. En dan het bijna dertien minuten durende ‘V’ waarin de twee een vreemdsoortige soundtrack afleveren bij een film die het midden houdt tussen science-fiction, thriller en horror. Geen muziek voor op de nuchtere maag. Maar wel spannend en boeiend. Een goed idee, deze samenwerking, smaakt naar meer! "

Ben Taffijn in : www.nieuwenoten.nl?p=4609

- " An unhinged energy guides the wild journey on Fraqx’s self-titled debut. Strongly reminiscent of No Wave’s unruly raw energy the songs blast forth with complete abandon for politeness and civility. These chaotic cacophonies rumbles with tremendous force of nature like persistence. Over the course of the album unusual rhythms and grooves appear only to be dissected with the utmost of care. Glenn Branca’s presence is undeniable, for they go for a similar grandiose sweeping kind of style. Similarly, these are tracks that deserve the listener’s unconditional surrender while the blasts of noise and piercing sirens float above it all.
Introducing the album, the careful delicacy of "Fraqx I" sets the mood. Sort of a reverse buildup, "Fraqx II" dissects the groove, starting off with a wall of sound and removing everything until only an ominous near-funk remains. Wispy worlds rest on the periphery of the sound with "Fraqx III" where everything neatly merges into a singular whole. Throughout the piece they settle into an uncomfortable rhythm, even incorporating moments that feel almost industrial. By far one of the highlights comes with the careening "Fraqx IV". Within this singular piece Fraqx nicely embody a true sense of pure dread. Ambitious and sprawling "Fraqx V" opts for a minimalism at first before it grows into an unruly force of nature by the finale. Rather beautiful "Fraqx VI" chooses unusual textures giving it an abstract experimental feeling."-Beach Sloth "
In : www.beachsloth.com/fraqx-fraqx.html

- " Daarmee wordt een cd afgesloten waarop noisy experimenteerdrift, originele vondsten en spannend geïmproviseerd samenspel de hoofdmoot vormen. Twee gitaren met wat effecten en hulpmiddelen in de juiste handen, te weten die van Crijns en Palinckx, dat is alles wat nodig is voor een enerverende en intrigerende luisterervaring. "

Gert Derkx in : opduvel.com/2018/01/10/fraqx-fraqx/

- " De gitaristen Frank Crijns en Jacq Palinckx zijn al
jarenlang beeldbepalend in de Nederlandse avant-
rock. Gek genoeg hadden ze nog nooit als duo iets
opgenomen. Dat is met de uitgave van ‘Fraqx’ op-
gelost. De naam van het duo is een samentrekking
van hun beider namen, en in de muziek gaan ze
volledig in elkaar op. Wat we in een zevental im-
provisaties horen, lijkt uit de koker van één enkel
muzikaal brein te komen. Crijns en Palinckx zijn
door de wol geverfd in het in extremo behandelen
van hun instrument. Met effectapparatuur, elektro-
nica en onorthodoxe speelmethoden (doekjes, stok-
jes, allerhande objecten) creëren ze abstracte
klanklandschappen die variëren van daverende
noise tot pointillisme om de stilte heen. Als luiste-
raar verbaas je je er regelmatig over dat de gitaar
de klankbron is van deze wonderbaarlijke muziek."

Herman te Loo in : www.jazzflits.nl/jazzflits16.01.pdf


VIDEOS ON You Tube :
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJe8FeWPvFc
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8g_WXRomOs

Special Thanks to : T.A.S. ( Marian, Silme and Coen ), Bram Wiersma, Moniek Smeets, Danny Wieggers, Martijn de Boer , Peggy Cremers and Rob Voermans !