Hello all, hope everyone is well.
I’ve been casually listening to InFine by Jean Michel Jarre, dipping in and out as it were and gradually drawing it in.
“In D#7” by Arandel has particularly caught my attention (A few listens and I thought it would make an excellent soundtrack to a time lapse video for the London to Paris Eurostar trip – brilliantly directed and edited in my head by me – but I digress...).
I became more and more drawn in and fascinated by this track so, to a Arandel soundtrack drawn from Soundcloud, (mainly comprising of his album “In D”) I started to read up on this “mysterious” character. A silly conspiracy theory started to form in my head.
Ladies and Gentlemen of The Jury, I invite you to consider my case:
Exhibit A: Arandel’s profile on InFine... (http://www.infine-music.com/artist/13/arandel)
“Although the album In D is a UFO, its creator, more than a mere unidentified being, is above all a multi-instrumentalist who would like his true identity to remain in the background on this project”.
So Arandel has another identity does he? Hmm...
“Remaining anonymous to explore every given possibility, showing many facets to the world, all underpinned by experimental music: Arandel is a new workshop for this pop craftsman, brought up on krautrock, electro and New York minimalism”.
A pop craftsman? Brought up on krautrock, electro and New York minimalism? Hmm...
“...no MIDI was used and no samples or synthetic sounds either. ‘MIDI makes anything possible, as it gives the illusion of reality. It’s too easy to use it in the creative process, and the result usually sounds somewhat deceitful.’”
You have experience of using MIDI do you Arandel? Hmm...
“Arandel used only the instruments he had in his possession: minimum sound effects were used to the maximum effect. The project is sophisticated in its instrumentation yet was made using completely lo-fi techniques”
Lo-fi techniques? Existing instruments? Hmm
“Whilst up to then its creator had composed music with the ‘control freak’ approach of a perfectionist songwriter, Arandel is a project that is open to all kinds of input, variations and accidents, as they pave the way for more experimentation.”
So Arundel, you are French (probably), you have an alternate identity, you are a multi-instrumentalist, you adopted a low-fi “organic” approach to “In C”, you have experience of composing music with a control freak approach, you’ve used MIDI in the passed but think its too easy to use it in the creative process, you have an association with the InFine label?
Hmm...
Exhibit B: Another website...
http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews ... in-d-33510
“In D is an eclectic mix of electronic avant-garde noise, classical composition and minimal techno”.
Electronic avant-garde noise? Classical composition? Minimal techno? Hmm
“With little known about Arandel, his sound is typically European (specifically, French) – and that’s immediately discernible from the warm quality of the sound production, choice of instrumentation and perhaps even the toccata piano running through ‘#8′”.
Typically European, French, warm sound production? Hmm…
If only I had some audio evidence to present…
Exhibit C:
I invite “The Jury” to consider the following exhibit on Soundcloud...
In D#6
4.17 mins in – Is that Whispers of Life?
Exhibit D:
I invite “The Jury” to consider the following exhibit on Soundcloud...
PlayGround Mix 127 (an interesting Christmas mix by the way) –
13:43 mins in - The Abominable Snowman from Essentials and Rarities?
23:10 mins in - Metallic Souvenir from Printemps de Bourges?
Now, Ladies & Gentlemen of the Jury, I’m sure there is a strong case for the defence (La Defense – sorry), but I find the evidence presented to be compelling at the very least.
Please now retire to consider your verdict...
Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum
