Eric Aldéa had been mentioning his will to work on an adaptation for machines and strings of “Spiral Insana”, a track recorded by Nurse with Wounds in 1986. Thrilled by the first extracts he had sent us, we soon committed ourselves to produce it.
At the same time, his encounter with Ivan Chiossone, a talented multi-instrumentalist who was then working on his first recording, induced him to broaden the scope of his initial project. This encounter has indeed quickly become a close collaboration for Ivan Chiossone has taken part in the creation and the development of the project. Finally, Narcophony is a piece of work of its own, inspired by “Spiral Insana” rather than a mere adaptation of it. 2 of the 5 tracks are co-signed by the two musicians and the third track, called “Léo”, is Chiossone’s own work.
This symbiosis, shared with all the guest musicians (including Franck Laurino and François Cuilleron, two former members of Bästard), enabled the duo to produce a magnificent record, alternating soothed atmospheres and the symphonic gushes of strings and organic sounds (oud, clarinets...). A superb voyage at the crossroads of contemporary and electronic creations. Purely and simply beautiful music.
After he heard this first record, Eric Aldéa and Ivan Chiossone were asked by Atiq Rahimi to compose the set from his movie "Earth and Ashes", an adaptation of his own novel.
They accompanied him to Kabul for 2 weeks in september 2003 and recorded there some solo works, traditionnal singing, a sufi group ... and bring back this sound bank to France.
They mixed it with the parts from afghan singer Massoud Raonak, Pierre Citron (flute), Franck Laurino, Hasmig Fau (cello) and François Cuilleron and of course their own parts.
The result is a very strong and beautiful music, using sounds rarely or never heard on this part of the world.
And if Atiq Rahimi decided to use just one track from this work in the final cut of his movie, we're sure you'll enjoy the 16 pieces of this digipak.
Narcophony is not done with visiting houses, haunted by the memories of these last thirty years most frantic musicians. After Nurse With Wound, they are getting down to the mind-expanding work of the most phenomenal San Francisco pop combo: The Residents.
Armed with a number of musicians balanced around the duet made by Eric Aldéa and Ivan Chiossone, with Christine Ott (collaborations with Radiohead, Yann Tiersen... - Ondes Martenot), François Cuilleron (ex-Bästard- guitars and violin) and Hasmig Fau (cello), Narcophony recycles 13 tracks chosen among the very first works of The Residents (from 1974 to 1985) with the same characteristic unrestrained energy of the avant-garde band.
Reached by the playfulness of contemporary Kraftwerk, the band turns on an amazing switch from analogical to acoustic. Keeping most of the patterns for the timeless Ondes Martenot (father of electronic music), the band takes up the mischievous orchestrations with impulsive strings and other intrusions of rare instruments. A weird masterstroke that intensifies the most resourceful period of The Residents.
From “Mystical “Festival of Death” to fleeting adventures of “Vileness Fats”, “Narcophony play The Residents” makes a far-reaching diversion. Taking over highly condensed “Commercial Album”, (1980), they dissect its pop hits each of them being heightened by an extra minute, and enter the world’s saddest songs hall of fame with cult track “Hello Skinny”.
To revisit American music’s history through a series, was one of The Residents ambitious projects, stopped while in progress. Narcophony keeps the magic up with “Jambalaya” by Hank Williams, and makes it slide in an unlikely acrobatic way.
Narcophony also made a new version of another abortive plan: fiery “Whatever happened to Vileness Fats”, the ardent soundtrack to a feature-length film put on hold, eventually finds, here an unexpected outcome.
As The Residents did before with The Beatles on their first album “meet The Residents” (1974), Narcophony, as a master, plays with raw material and carries on a history full with vivid developments, with the same agitation as their elders from Texas once did. |
