BAZIN, ALEXANDRE - Oceans / Dream-Land

"Alexandre Bazin is a member of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales, better known as the GRM, for which he writes documentaries about music for the radio. Due to his background as a classical and jazz pianist, Alexandre Bazin is also passionate about instrumental music by the likes of Steve Reich, Erik Satie, Brian Eno. This album attempts to synthesize these two worlds that are so dear to the composer, either in symbiosis or in opposition to one another with simple and loose melodies as its main theme. The use of analog synthesizers and acoustic sounds are at the heart of the composer's creative process. "Oceans" was written for marimba, piano, and Buchla Music Easel, in four movements around the theme of the ocean. Simple and loose melodies, played on piano and Buchla. They rotate around the marimba which evokes breathing and the rhythm of the swell. Suspended melodies reminiscent of generative music although in this case they are an improvisation around a simple motif. The piece was performed by Alexandre Bazin on piano, Buchla Music Easel and marimba, as well as Gabriel Benlolo on marimba, a member of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra. "The Deserter": Not escaping a situation to flee but to be physically freed from it. The response manifests itself through the breath, heartbeat and the act of running. Beyond a moral necessity, it becomes a physical necessity that cannot be contained. Your natural defenses provoke this sudden urge. Your body cannot be contained through inaction. Our bodies in action escape all control, in order to free ourselves from the time that is limited to us. A piece for percussion, electric organ, and Buchla Music Easel. "Dream-Land": A piece that borrows its titles from Edgar Allan Poe's poem. In the spirit of the GRM's acousmatic works, such as "L'Enfer" by Bernard Parmegiani or "Suite pour Edgar Poe" by Guy Reibel. Alexandre Bazin, a member of the GRM, wrote music inspired by this mysterious, perhaps imaginary land, at the edge of the human spirit, where a lonesome traveler walks among the shadows, advancing through harsh and hostile nature." - Cassauna.