Pierre Bastien ~ Musiques Paralloïdres [Lowlands, 1998]

01 - Odovinil 3:47
02 - Omajosafir 10:38
03 - Le Décalajdésson 8:02
04 - Eloj Du Piqueupe 6:47
05 - Sinétic Santic 1:26
06 - Fonotek Edé 16:39



For the past 30 years, Pierre Bastien has been producing captivating sound loops with a mechanised orchestra he calls Mecanium. Artistically Bastien starts from a simple, but poetic idea: to combine traditional instruments and mechanical machines of his own invention. Something that has characterized him since he was only a child. The first instrument created by Bastien dates from when he was only ten years old: a two-string guitar constructed with the elements of the toy "Le Petit Physicien". When he was 15 he elaborates his first machine made up from a metronome flanked on the right by a cymbal and on the left by a small pulley.

Since then and during twenty years Bastien has constructed his own orchestra (Mecanium), formed by clever musical machinery constructed from meccano pieces and percussion instruments (drumsticks, bows, etc) that using temporisers and small electric motors they make musical instruments (percussion, string and wind) sound in a repetitive manner, as a loop ad infinitum. Hybrid sculptures, presented as sonorous installations that interpret series of small hypnotic musical compositions. Over this musical support, Bastien incorporates melodies with traditional instruments such as the trumpet or ethnic as the harp-lute dousso'n gouni from Mali, the rubab mandolin from Uzbekistan or the angklung from Indonesia.

But aside from being an unusual inventor, Pierre Bastien is a musician and a composer of enormous talent that has written music for string quartets or ballets. Aside from his solo works, he has always worked with great artists such as Dominique Bagouet (ballet), Pascal Comelade, Jac Berrocal, Jaki Liebezeit (Can), Robert Wyatt, Pierrick Sorin or Issey Miyake.' - source

'"Musiques Paralloidres" is a sound collage that pays tribute to the record player, a portable instrument that comes complete with its own case. A few singles are subjected to cursory treatment by several turntables that have been stripped of all but their primary function, that of reading grooves. Instead of slowly spiraling inwards towards the center of the disc and the mechanism that cuts the motor, their arms ignore the laws of inertia and gravity : they rise and fall in accordance with the variety of rhythmic patterns. Of course, the records on these turntables are revolving, but not always at the right speed. And whenever they are played backwards immediately afterward.

Following on from the mecanium, the author of these subversive collages is still composing with his screwdriver. But manual experimentation was not the only motivation behind this record. Cultural influences - adolescent parties and early musical discoveries ranging from John Cage's 'Imaginary Landscapes' to Gordons Monahan's 'Music from Nowhere' as well as Guy Debord's shifted films and Oulipo's S+7 method all played their part in generating the paralloïdrical music on this recording.' - Rahma Khazam

'turntablism' at its finest if you axe me. so listenable & hook-laden yule likely ferget yur listening to 'experimental musique' 'tall. naturally his innovative incorporation of exotique instrumentation makes these compositions owl the more potent. pierre blows improvisatory trumpet over much of this album in the most a sublime way. highest imaginable recommendation, the last traque specially. we dig repetition & some alien ramshackle jazz. 320 remerciements à le french connexion