Eliane Tapes is a series of music dedicated to the vast amount of work and the huge influence by Éliane Radigue.
For many musicians working in the field of drone (a term Radigue does not use for her music) and other forms of minimal music someway, known and unknown, the work of Eliane Radigue is an influence on what they are doing. With her work she did so many groundbreaking things that in modern electronic and electro-acoustic music her influence can’t be ignored.
For the 8th release on Eliane Tapes, Brussels based musician Pierre Gerard presents his solo album Full Yellow Cylinder.
It is not easy to draw inspiration
from a great figure of music …
i don’t have her talent or anything
like that …
But i still took the risk of trying
something …
Even to go through the window in the
eyes of some …
Too interested in poetry and the
hypnotic force that emerges from her
pieces …
Sometimes tinkered with implausible
machines and fragile …
Gigantic in our eyes that are stuck
blissfully behind our little screens …
Or instruments used as nobody …
The idea is even insurmountable …
But it’s also what inspires other things
in my little head …
– Pierre Gerard
Switching from cassettes to CDs is not only an environmentally speaking good choice, but also the better option for delicate music. Indeed, when you deal with music by Pierre Gerard. I have already reviewed some of his work, and noteworthy is the sometimes tranquil approach he takes. Somehow, I thought he was part of the world of improvised music, and his other new releases (no review) point in that direction, but the two pieces on ‘Full Yellow Cyllinder’ proved me wrong. The information is relatively sparse on the instruments used. Acoustic instruments, such as guitar and double bass, usually play a primary role. Still, here it’s more drone generators, sine waves or such, maybe because he wants to be in line with Eliane Radigue because that’s the Eliane in Eliane Tapes. Again, the music is not too loud and not too present and only shows itself when you turn up the volume. On the second piece, a lot of volume pumping is necessary as this is all very low in the frequency range and too low for me (too Bernard Günter-like, if you will, and I wasn’t a fan of either of that ultra-low volume approach). In the tradition of Radigue, the music is minimal and at times, there are very few changes, but during these 40 minutes there are enough scenery changes. There is also an occasional voice, low in the mix, reciting poetry. A least, that’s what I think it is. This is only on the first piece, and the second is all instrumental. The second is also the one that asks the most in terms of quietness, making me prefer the first one over this one. At the same time, I realise this is a consistent approach and fits the idea of this label. (FdW)
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(google translated:) When I started listening to Pierre Gerard’s two-part piece (each composition lasts exactly 20 minutes, i.e. 40 minutes in total), I was struck by…in fact, I didn’t understand anything — abstract suppressed buzzes-rumbles-whistles, which seemed to come not so much from frequency generators as from a malfunction in the technical equipment. The buzzing caused by overvoltage was an indication, which indicated a defect in the connections or wires. More of a physical side effect than a direct aesthetic intention. However, as I continued listening, the sonic horizon expanded, although yes, the character of the sounds continued to remain reduced and laconic. True, the verbal part was also interspersed, but its effect remained tertiary. It is important that the initially mechanical sound softened and turned into a pleasant hum — as if a self-ashamed machine was quietly purring or undulatingly droned somewhere in the corner; and the monotonous beeps woven into it amplify and transform in contextual monotony. Repeating and constantly alienating itself, thereby displacing and crumbling its original core. As the symbol of a machine that has been domesticated as a helper and taken on as a family member in the owner’s perception. The release is released by the Dutch record label Moving Furniture, originating from the section dedicated to the legacy and influence of the legendary French experimenter Eliane Radigue. 8.0/10
CD limited to 150 copies or digital available in our webshop
Or find the album in your prefered streaming service here:
Pierre Gerard
Improvisation in situ is the source of my music work (outdoor or architectural).
Over time I could qualify these searches as intuitive.
Minimalism with acoustic instruments and objects is at the centre of my first compositions/improvisations, as well as the abstract voice as of 2017. Things evolve and continue to surprise me every day.
Work on the object is strongly influenced by the presence of wood (assemblage/assembling, sculpture, installation) but also glass, leather, felt and other natural materials (if possible found or recycled).
The objects and abstract paintings can at times be similar to sound compositions in 2 or 3 dimensions.
Besides the intuition present here too, I keep a special attention for the encounter between human gesture and the form (organic, natural, accidental, intuitive, minimalist).Each of these disciplines can occupy the architectural space, place par excellence of the gesture and the shape _’the gesture in the shape’.
Storage of stolen images in the form of figurative paintings retraces, the human migrations mental and physical.
That can inspire my path or express my disagreement.