La Démesure Du Pas – Migratory Music: Nomadic Recordings

Ormo

French sound artistes Matthieu Prial and Christophe Havard have been exploring the possibilities of recording sound on the move in the form of walking concerts or just generally playing whilst in the elements for a few years now, and the final fruits of their work together have been captured on this new disc.

Both have been recording separately for some time, but this is the conclusion of a series of outdoor recording sessions undertaken last year. The duo plus friends have recorded in various parts of France; a submarine base in Saint-Nazaire, a staircase under a coastal path and other more open spaces, taking with them various reed instruments and then utilising whatever they might find along the way.

Migratory Music is an album for those people who don’t wear headphones while walking. I am often out and about and constantly puzzling at people who are insulated from the noises around them by their own soundtrack. I always feel that they are missing out, even if it is just birdsong or tractor noise; but what ‘Migratory Music’ attempts to do is to add something to the everyday, to give it a different context and to try and put the listener somewhere unexpected with results that are surprising and not always comfortable.

The sound of walking and the cry of birds, a single tone on a whistle; these are the introduction and immediately evoke a rural setting. It is like a pleasant stroll with the drone of planes overhead, although the panning effect of bells definitely gives the impression of gradual movement. The constant background drone is a familiar feeling where, although there is no obvious noise, it is never actually quiet. Add to that the burr of a clarinet like a hive of bees, the cry of a sax like a stranded liner and the clink of stones like a spooked horse and suddenly the atmosphere starts to change, becoming oppressive.

The tracks move through feelings and seasons. A tapping like the settling of tent pegs couldn’t sound more summery, but seems miles from anywhere; while later we are far too close to the road, the drone of traffic oppressive in a different way but the dreamy sax leads us somewhere more tranquil. It feels as though part of the experiment is to see how the instruments change the ambience, with the sax often unsettling a previously calming situation as if warning us that the outdoors can’t always be trusted.

The different sounds of trudging, the different species of birds, it all goes towards impressions of varying weathers and diverse landscapes; but the sounds are obsessive at times and at one point towards the end, a sparse whistle drift gives the feeling of being led to the gallows. There are elements of the sort of freak folk plied by the likes of Sylvester Anfang, turning a light on the more hazardous aspects; people lurking in the undergrowth and dragging through water.

This is an interesting album that is not a straight travelogue, but something far more immersive and fresh details emerge with each listen.

-Mr Olivetti-