Philippe Petit – Modulisme Session 051 2nd Year BD

Modulisme

To celebrate the second anniversary of the Modulisme facility that Philippe Petit has established, he decided to forego the usual improvisation technique and attempt a series of compositions that would perhaps show another route for him and give some further impetus to the already exploratory process of a true world citizen.

Although it is spread across ten separate pieces, these have a tendency to bleed into one another, the overall rush of colours and ideas flooding the open mind and transporting the listener to places unknown and unconsidered. It always feels like an attempt at communication though, whatever Philippe does; but it is usually unexpected, as if we had appeared in a place where we could speak with insects and understand their perspectives. The listener has to change their preconceptions and allow whichever parallel world we are now inhabiting to overwhelm us.

It feels like some sort of strange alchemy; the fabrication of new materials that defies our simple logic, communication beyond our everyday comprehension and which only constant exposure will help to gain access. The familiarity of a passing car or a recognisably non-Anglophone voice briefly interrupts, but only goes to highlight how far in we are. In some pieces there is as much absence as presence and the listener’s imagination is left to fill in the gaps, painting whatever wild and clustered images may appear. When an external rhythm emerges from the apparently random succession, it feels a little like an imposition, as if outside forces are interceding in this ongoing union.

At times, it drifts in liminal obscurity as the roar of strings emerges from shadows, bursts of familiarity as machines vibrate, but with no constant. How these sounds are produced is one of those modular mysteries and I am quite happy with that. Some sound like live action, the rubbing of hands or the thrum of a piano, frustrated speech or heart monitors in unison like some strange hospital orchestra making a bid to communicate with the outside. It is interesting how a familiar sound draws you in; you can’t help but be aware of the clink of bottles or the sounds of a hardware shop stock room, a bed factory or a paint manufacturer; but these thoughts are only to be dashed as they merge in with other less obvious and alien constructions.

The shorter tracks explore the minutiae, burrowing into a single sound and exploring its full range of opportunities, learning its limits and then seeing how it can be integrated with other elements. Above all there is always a sense of distance of the unknown or barely considered, rarely looming but often hinting ominously and then disappearing from view. Voices drawn from the æther gather in the foreground while the background hints at movement, a brief admission of a connection with humanity; yet they seem to coax and taunt, attempting to draw you further into the unfolding mystery.

For me, Philippe has proven how far into his own field he has travelled, taking the short track format and manipulating it to his own ends. Thankfully, although these pieces are prepared, they lose none of his essence and once again the listener is taken on the kind of journey that usually only appears in dreams.

-Mr Olivetti-