Harmonie à l'envers

Harmonie à l'envers
Studio album by Peir'Cussions
Recorded	14 January 2023
Released	17 January 2023
Studio	"Marie-Thérèse", Lyon
Genre	Experimental
Length	28:47
Producer(s)	Peir'Cussions

Harmonie à l'envers (french for Harmony in reverse) is the debut studio album of Telesphore Bartolomee, under the musical nickname of "Peir'Cussions". It was recorded three days before its release, on 14 January 2023, and regroups, in its majority, improvisation songs and experimental music, using only kalimba and djembe. The album was released on 17 January 2023 on the SoundCloud platform.

Context

Since his childhood and early adolescence, when he wrote poems in prose and then in verse, Telesphore had always an admiration for composers and musicians. Without necessarily dreaming of being one, he wondered whether he could compose original songs or music. To him, everything seemed to be already invented. He couldn't see himself composing anything that would be innovative and/or appealing.

At the end of the 2010s, he discovered the Pink Floyd album Ummagumma, which is made up of mostly improvised compositions. This album, although very chaotic in appearance, was a revelation for him. Around 2021, it was the performance of the same band in Pompeii in 1971, for the piece A Saucerful of Secrets, that stunned him. He understood that music could be made by letting go and letting his fingers and body speak.

Bartolomee's inspiration also came from the group Diarchy, appreciating particularly musicians who are unknown to the general public, with very modest means, but who can composes some great atmosphere into their musics.

Concept and recording

On 14 January 2023, borrowing the kalimba of a friend of him in his residence, Telesphore began to learn the famous C418 piece, Haggstrom. Following a few attempts to reproduce music he liked, Telesphore realised that he could record himself and try some improvisations on this instrument he had not known an hour before. The first eights songs were recorded with him improvising on the kalimba, then he took a djembe (which was in a side room) and pursuied the improvisations during four other tracks, by hitting the african drum (and all others objects surrounding him) with pencils and by experimenting some random beats. After twelve recordings, Bartolomée came up with the idea to make an album from this.

Release and note of intent

The official release of Harmonie à l'envers was made on 17 January 2023. In less than three hours, the second track, Au milieu du silence, received three listens.

The following text was delivered with the album, in the same time of its release :

I assume that I have made a very naive kind of music. Maybe you'll think that I had the illusion of making a grandiose, ambitious album... But no, not at all, it was just for fun that I did it. After all, isn't it fun to be able to say that you've released a "real-fake" musical album? More seriously, in "Harmonie à l'envers" I present my first personal expressions linked to the notion of improvisation. I was inspired by what Nick Mason created with "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party", in "Ummagumma", the 4th Pink Floyd album. But I get my influence (for the kalimba) from Catherine Weidemann, a citharist. I should add that this is the very first time I play the kalimba... In short, think of this "album" as you wish. Personally, I had fun and I don't get any vanity from my experimental "music". Thank you for your attention and good listening, anyway!

Tracks and facts

1. Improvisation (3:08)

2. Au milieu du silence (1:55)

In the middle of the silence is an improvised song inspired by the silence which was surrounding Telesphore, while he was playing the kalimba alone.

3. Désir (3:59)

Desire deals with Telesphore' expression of his desire to be considered like a musician-composer. That is why, a main theme seems to be developped throughout the song. Desire was meant to be played as it was a structured instrumental. It is the longest track of this album.

4. Incongru (2:34)

Incongruous was named after the appearing of an unexpected vocal, which is beginning the song, when the three previous songs were directly beginned with the kalimba.

5. Hommage à Lindy (3:54)

Tribute to Lindy is, in fact, the complete recording of Telesphore trying to reproduce, on the kalimba, the theme of "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party - Part 1 : Entrance", played in 1968 by Lindy Mason (the Nick Mason's wife) on a transverse flute. This song is brighten by some other notes and shorts improvised tunes, which were intended to be in the same range of notes than "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party - Part 1 : Entrance". It's the second longest track of the album.

6. Ne traînons pas (1:35)

Let's not dawdle is a short tune caracterised by the main idea of enjoying the kalimba until the return of Bartolomee's friend, whose moment wasn't yet known. That is why it is played very quickly.

7. Fol Désir (2:01)

Mad Desire is the first track of the Peir'Cussions repertoire to nearly re-take a theme already composed. The name was intended to be "Desire 2" or "Desire - Pt. II", but Telesphore judges it to be "too classical" and chooses a more subtile name. The old-french term "Fol" was added to the first title, to express (and to introduce), the desire of Bartolomee to be a drummer, like his idol, Nick Mason. That's why Mad Desire is the sole track of the album Harmonie à l'envers to combine the kalimba and the percussions. Those percussions were produced by hitting the table surface (and more objects) with pencils.

8. Et Après (1:47)

And After is the last track to contain an improvisation on kalimba. It seems that it has been named after a thought of Bartolomee : "And after this one, I'm giving back the kalimba to my friend".

9. Avant (1:58)

Before is the first track of Harmonie à l'envers to be entirely improvised with the djembe. The title refers to the kind of music that mankind should have played before Antiquity.

10. Percussion ratée (1:32)

Failed percussion begins with an interpretation of the final drum section of "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party - Part 2 - Entertainment". It is pursuied by improvised beats, made with pencils hitting the djembe skin. This particular sound of this "pencil-hitting" movement was discovered by Bartolomee during the recording, which explains why we can hear, from 33 to 46 seconds, that Telesphore is taking time to comprehend the sound. It is the shortest track of the album.

11. Le Nouvel Essai (1:44)

For this "New Trial", Telesphore puts his phone (his recording tool) under the djembe. It results that this beating song is a bit different than the others, because the recorded sounds were perceived under a new angle.

12. Ce besoin de battre (2:35)

This Need to Beat is the conclusive track of Harmonie à l'envers. It is the last time that Telesphore had to express his great desire to play drums and percussions, at a professionnal level. To illustrate this, he strikes his pencils again on the djembe and on the various surfaces around it, such as the legs of an iron chair, for example.

Nick Mason, the Pink Floyd drummer, 1968. His musical work (mainly on "Ummagumma"), had a strong influence on the improvisation of Peir'Cussions

The cover

Captured by Telesphore himself, the photographic cover is representing his left hand, clutching on the kalimba case. According to him, this picture is talking about the Telesphore's will to practicing more music (in spite of his artistic preferences on drawing and painting), with the aim of obtaining the sense of musicality, which he seems to be fervently and vainly seeking with this compilation of improvised tracks. As they have been placed in the order in which they were recorded, they do not, at first sight, have any coherence or harmony, despite the use of two distinct instruments.

This is also how the title of the album was found. Since this album could be harmonious, but is apparently not in the same time, it could only be an "Harmony in reverse".

Aftermath

Considering the impending departure from micronationalism of Telesphore, this latter had declared that "Harmonie à l'envers" should be his sole musical album under the micronational obedience. However, the publication of other songs on SoundCloud, without being reported on MicroWiki, isn't excluded.