arc Leclair’s first album under his own name has nothing to do with the minimal tech-funk of his Akufen and Horror Inc. aliases—it’s a sprawling concept record that maps a child’s journey from conception to birth. Opting for a more organic tonal palette, with heavy emphasis on traditional instrumentation, the record dwells in eclecticism, containing everything from austere digital rhythms, lush ambiences, and even a passing nod to jazz and the shuffling micro-edits that made his Akufen tracks so successful on the dancefloor.

Opening with the appropriately titled “1er Jour,” the album begins with rigorous beat programming that exudes a sensation of movement, building tension as its cold, almost inhuman cadences signal the very beginning’s of the child’s creation. This alien sound design is abandoned over the course of the ensuing tracks, and a more human touch overtakes the soundscape as deep ambient pads provide a buoyant foundation for glitched out percussive clattering and cavernous echo. By “64e Jour,” the album’s third track, piano phrases reminiscent of Steve Reich’s phase patterns emerge, and once “85e Jour” comes, we have nature sounds and samples of rainfall—the most passé of ambient noises—enter the mix.

These attempts at conveying the inner-space of the womb are the album’s weakest points. Despite their undeniable quality and beauty, it’s territory well-worn by the likes of Gas and Vladislav Delay. Leclair’s reliance on nature recordings not only causes the album to lapse into the formulaic, it also inhibits the listener from truly connecting the music to Leclair’s intended subject matter. It isn’t until the album’s midpoint at “114e Jour” that Musique pour 3 Femmes Enceintes really hits its stride. Coasting along on waves of sampled guitar, the amniotic explorations of the record’s first half give way to brisk minimal funk that integrates the dance sensibilities of Leclair’s pseudonyms with his atmospheric aims. Interspersed with shorter passages of ambient sound collage, each of the album’s later tracks sees Leclair experimenting with deep grooves that drive the album to greater and greater heights—“150e Jour” even flirts with house as a full on 4/4 bass kick enters the mix and “205e Jour” showcases a swinging jazz beat. With “236e Jour,” the album’s concluding track, Leclair turns in his most straightforward cut: cycling beat patterns reminiscent of African percussion push their way to the front, pushing out any element of ambience.

Despite its flaws, Musique pour 3 Femmes Enceintes is an engaging and well-executed song cycle that manages to achieve a completely fluid sonic narrative regardless of its apparently schizophrenic nature. Leclair has showcased yet another aspect of his formidable production talents while simultaneously exploring one of the most mysterious and intriguing elements of the human experience. Now, when’s the next Akufen LP coming out?