I’ve always enjoyed the electroacoustic & ambient work of Luc Ferrari.
Musique concrete maintains a whole other level of respect and coolness in France – maybe it’s due to protectionist broadcast policies, or IRCAM, or their fashion sensibility, or something deep in the Gallic character like the predilection for heavy creams and bureaucracy. (usually my record crate contains at least one LP of what sounds like creaking wood or squirrels gnawing at a piano – doesn’t always get played, but it’s good to have something like that around).
Ferrari made seductive work, which continues to pulls the ear in. Even at the most experimental/abstract moments there’s usually a placid spirit inside it.
This is from a recent release, Archives Génétiquement Modifiées / Société II.
Says the label:
[audio:Luc_Ferrari_untitled5.mp3]…Mr.Ferrari revisited aspects of his early concepts and compositional strategies to create wholly new works. The result here is a very bizarre, sensual, and beautifully-paced electroacoustic work of aural memories and (re)collections created by Mr. Ferrari utilizing sounds from his vast archive of musical activities.
Album artwork includes a naked lady from 1923 clutching an oud/lute as she sits atop a Pioneer CD-J 1000 CD player, and Mr Ferrari’s large finger stabbing a button. This is one of the few moments where I like “gear shots”, the uncool cool of the CD player, from Ferrari to funk carioca…
nice, ferarri was great. Never heard this one but that album cover is great. I guess his disc with Otomo Yoshihide is supposed to be pretty nice as far as a later one goes.
In terms of other forms of music concret, Dick el Demasiado’s music is like cumbia concret.
He’s always looking sharp as well, I saw him at the Tate Modern, and like the photo above he’s a well dressed cat. If there was an electroaccoustic fashion comp he’d win hands down.
Also, gotta give it up for Pierre Henri’s Concret dance record Machine Danse
http://www.discogs.com/Pierre-Henry-Machine-Danse/release/171203
Shits bananas
great stuff, i always associate dense hip hop with musique concrete but for booty bouncing.
this may be unprofessional but if you could contact me regarding a possible entry in a magazine comp being put together that could use a rupture ferrari homage of sorts.
thank you! very insightful blog.