On solos : Christian Vasseur, acoustic guitars and archlute; Olivier Lautem, Jacques Deregnaucourt and Benjamin Mraz, sound ingineers. On duets with cello : Jean-Christophe Lannoy, cello; Patrice Kubiack, sound ingineer. On "Morphée absent", Marie Caroline Lebriez and Claude Burvenich, guitars; Laure Chailloux, accordion; Timothée Couteau, cello; Mahdad Moussazadeh, sound ingineer. On Wargame : Mr Agata (Anne Sortino, violin; Louise Bronx, DJ; Cédric Duhem, gong and Christian Vasseur electric guitar).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two albums (Alam and Poèmes saturniens) on Humming Conch in may! Christian Vasseur : nylon flamenca guitar, steel strings parlor guitar, ten nylon strings guitar, eleven strings alto guitar, indian zither, archlute and voice. Benjamin Mraz and Jacques Deregnaucourt : sound ingineer.
Mr. Agata, also known as Christian Vasseur plus fellows, released their first album on Dog Eared Records : La vie d’un homme. A one of a kind album from one Christian Vasseur, who seems to have no interest in sitting still long enough to be pigeonholed into any recognizable genre. Fine music for a lighthearted tragicomedy, a versatile troupe of carnival masks going up and down on a funeral carousel that sometimes threatens to spin out of control… but always snaps back into masterly form. E. Padilla
Influences
My numerous influences include impressionists French composers such as Debussy or Fauré, progressive rock bands such as King Crimson, John Dowland, American composers - Villa Lobos, Egberto Gismonti, Charles Ives - folk music - especially from Andalusia - and great improvisers, Ralph Towner and Fred Frith... And also: Eric Satie, John Cage, Aaron Copland, Conlon Nancarrow, Georges Crumb, Steve Reich, Luc Ferrari, Maurice Ohana, Gustav Mahler, Dimitri Chostakovitch, Benjamin Britten, Nino Rota, Robert Wyatt, Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Caetano Veloso, Baden Powell, Anouar Brahem, Glenn Gould; David Lynch, Kitano Takeshi, Andreï Tarkovsky, Clint Eastwood; Arthur Rimbaud, Ghérasim Luca, Fernando Pessoa; Zoran Music, Andy Goldworthy, Bill Viola... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Les influences sont multiples, allant des compositeurs impressionnistes français (Debussy, Fauré) aux groupes de rock progressif (King Crimson) en passant par John Dowland, les compositeurs américains (Villa Lobos, Egberto Gismonti, Charles Ives), les musiques traditionnelles (andalouses en particulier) et les grands improvisateurs comme Ralph Towner et Fred Frith...
Et puis Eric Satie, John Cage, Aaron Copland, Conlon Nancarrow, Georges Crumb, Steve Reich, Luc Ferrari, Maurice Ohana, Gustav Mahler, Dimitri Chostakovitch, Benjamin Britten, Nino Rota, Robert Wyatt, Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Caetano Veloso, Baden Powell, Anouar Brahem, Glenn Gould; David Lynch, Kitano Takeshi, Andreï Tarkovsky, Clint Eastwood; Arthur Rimbaud, Ghérasim Luca, Fernando Pessoa; Zoran Music, Andy Goldworthy, Bill Viola...
Sounds Like
Captain Beefheart's Ten Commandments For Guitarists
1. LISTEN TO THE BIRDS That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.
2. YOUR GUITAR IS NOT REALLY A GUITAR Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.
3. PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A BUSH Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush doesn't shake, eat another piece of bread.
4. WALK WITH THE DEVIL Old delta blues players referred to amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts demons and devils. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.
5. IF YOU'RE GUILTY OF THINKING, YOU'RE OUT If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.
6. NEVER POINT YOUR GUITAR AT ANYONE Your instrument has more power than lightning. Just hit a big chord, then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.
7. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CHURCH KEY You must carry your key and use it when called upon. That's your part of the bargain. Like One String Sam. He was a Detroit street musician in the fifties who played a homemade instrument. His song "I Need A Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another church key holder is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty making you want to look up her dress to see how he's doing it.
8. DON'T WIPE THE SWEAT OFF YOUR INSTRUMENT You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.
9. KEEP YOUR GUITAR IN A DARK PLACE When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure to put a saucer of water in with it.
10. YOU GOTTA HAVE A HOOD FOR YOUR ENGINE Wear a hat when you play and keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a wet paper towel around it to make it grow.
The Christian Vasseur' music borrows as much from classical tradition as from popular music. It is free of any form of dogma. As a polymorphic musician h every often takes part into interdisciplinary events where music combines itself with other artistic media, such as photography, video, dance and theatre.
In theatrical events, his music acts as a counterpoint to the text, creating an extra voice, sometimes melodic, sometimes dissonant or noisy, based on the requirements of the staging, where acoustic and electronic sounds usually intermingle.
On top of solo concerts,he usually plays in a duet with cello player Jean-Christophe Lannoy (N’Gaddi), with guitar player Philippe Lenglet (Soliloques en loque, free improvisation), with belgian guitar player Gilbert Isbin (Bubble Fauna, free improvisation), with electronic music composer Denis Streibig (Les Chromonautes) or in Djuwel trio with singer and lute player Habib Guerroumi and Jean-Christophe Lannoy (album on Playa Sound label). He founded the band Mr Agata which plays tinny electro hardbarock opera music (La vie d'un homme on Dog Eared records). With the comedian musician Patrick Sourdeval he founded the duet Chamane/Shamane.
La musique de Christian Vasseur doit autant à la tradition classique qu'à l'expression populaire. Elle est libre de tout dogme. Musicien polymorphe, il participe régulièrement à des manifestations interdisciplinaires où la musique est confrontée à d’autres pratiques artistiques : photographie, vidéo, danse et théâtre.
Au théâtre sa musique est un contrepoint au texte, une autre voix(e), mélodique, dissonnante ou bruitiste selon les nécessités dramaturgiques. Les sonorités acoustiques sont souvent combinées à l'électronique.
Christian Vasseur se produit en solo ainsi qu'en duo avec le violoncelliste Jean-Christophe Lannoy (N’Gaddi), avec le guitariste Philippe Lenglet (Soliloques en loque, improvisation libre), avec le guitariste belge Gilbert Isbin (Bubble Fauna, improvisation libre), avec le compositeur de musique électronique Denis Streibig (Les Chromonautes), il joue avec le chanteur luthiste Habib Guerroumi et Jean-Christophe Lannoy au sein du trio Djuwel (album sur le label Playa Sound). Il a créé le groupe Mr Agata qui joue une musique électro hard baroque (La vie d'un homme sur le label Dog Eared Records). Il a créé le duo Chamane/Shamane avec le comédien musicien Patrick Sourdeval.
Dix ans après son premier album, Sidi Touré vient de terminer l'enregistrement de son prochain album "Koïma". En attendant sa sortie deux morceaux sont en écoute sur son myspace.
I know.....i just figured no one can download mp3s anymore.........so just mail me if you would like a free copy of 'Locked To Magnetic Skylines' - a funky 11 track remix including the amazing new tracks 'Never THe Twain Shall Meet' and 'The Milk In Heaven'.............
You will also get this cd free if you order a copy of the amazin 'Mirrors of the Speaker' albyum (£5each -just mail me).
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