Music

Here’s a list of ALL of my recordings (2012-2024). Many are quite embarrassing. Some are pretty good!

Everything you hear is just me in the studio, home studio or a bedroom around Europe, playing or programming most intruments, except occasional female vocals by Léa Charrière, Nina Llorca and Eva Buchet. If some instrument isn't played by myself, the source is specified.

All songs, words and music by Ivan Angelè, unless it says otherwise.

They're all free for the taking. If you'd like to record and sell your own version of any of these songs, you have my advance permission, and I'd love to hear the final result!

I didn't include here the 10 production pieces I did for WotNot Library in 2021-2022. You can listen to those through Cavendish Music's website. It's under my Louis Fean pseudonym.

Some music is available on the streaming platforms listed below, though much less than what you find on this page.

My Favorites

Elle(s)

March 2024 : Maybe my top favorite. I had the idea to re-use those lyrics from 2019 to make a new version for my EP Te connaître. Though I didn't finish it in time for the release in October 2023. I then released it as a single and as part of Te connaître (The Remixes). Eva preciously contributed as a vocal coach/producer, helping me with the chorus melodies to perform and pitch-correct them. I revisted the lyrics too, and particularly happy with the second verse, which is also my favorite part overall: I love how the instrumental gets spacious and soft, in contrast with the busier chorus. Love that kora! Mastered by Kelly Hibbert.

E s p a c e

March 2024 : A song about space (not the one with space ships). The instrumental is Saul Goodman, from 2021. I revisited it a bit, and love the add-ons, like the vocal topline played by that synth. Eva upped the game with her beautiful vocal improvisations. I now realise how her vocals are a metaphore for the masculine's principle (space) allowing the feminine's principle (creativity) to express herself. How beautiful! One of my favorite.

Tendresse (Slow House Remix)

October 2023 : This is the remix of Tendresse (which was like a remix of Caresses). It's repetitive, but I couldn't force myself to make it another way. I just had to manage the beautiful theme melody to not make it annoying by playing too often, and sometimes partially, like it's teasing the listener. I smile when I realise how often I added girls laughs in my music. Couldn't be otherwise! It's like an ode to the female spirit for all the joy and inspiration in my life.

Caresses (feat. Sainte-Alice & Ms. Sticks)

October 2023 : Compared to the first version, Eva (Sainte-Alice) added some vocals and I tweaked the instrumental a bit.

Acqua

June 2023 : Another one for my never-released album. I could make an EP out of those few album songs I released. Eva (Sainte-Alice) helped a lot. Firstly by validating the song and encouraging me to finish it. Then with those sweet vocals. I like how the instrumental merges many of my musical influences. I particuarly love the LD You Surge's preset in the chorus, its simple motif and how it drifts to the back with the reverb. Vocal mix and full track master by Kelly Hibbert.

Celle qui danse dans mes rêves

March 2021 : « Night. The usual urban scenery scrolls through the bus window. Some sparks of street lights keep me alert in my half-sleep. I get off the bus to get in another vehicle. I cross path with some other people and I can hear the keys in their pockets and bags colliding with other objects. Those sounds merge into a kind of chime. I look up in the sky and see so many stars. How come the city is so dark tonight? I settle in the new vehicle and I feel like time slows down. We're lifting. I look through the window to verify. I see a shadow detaching from the ocean of darkness. It comes closer to the street lamp. It's a woman. She starts to dance timidly, but progressively with passion and freedom like nobody's watching. It seems like I'm the only one who sees her. Who is she? She's so gracious and carefree. I get off. I want to dance with her. I try to catch her. She laughs and then runs away, still dancing and jumping from place to place. I try to follow her. At times we look each other in the eyes. We're playing. I've never felt so much joy. » As described by Morgane, the girl who inspired my song Elle(s).) That's her laugh right before the drop (then it's Joséphine's laugh and talk, also heard in Fall Alive, for which Morgane chose the title). You see why I love her? I shared my music to her, she told me what she saw while listening to the whole piece several, sometimes several times. She sees a story that the music tells her. I wish she was still part of my life. One of my favorite piece for its originality and how it changes. The drum pattern from the second part is a stollen idea from London-based broken beat prince Beringei (who remixed Si je te regarde three years later).

Fall Alive (Dentro)

October 2021 : Finished at the end of 2020. The female vocals are from Joséphine, casually recorded when we just met. I hosted her for a few days (Couchsurfing). She was singing a cover (can't remember the title). One of my favorite piece. Such a lush vibe! The drum pattern at the final drop is inspired by HITMAN GO by Geneva rapper Makala. Got played on radio (BBC Introducing the West).

Tartaruga

January 2023 : One of the weirdest and funniest song I've ever done, about a serious modern-world issue. And one of my favorite. Might be difficult to enjoy, because it's so slow! I did it in purpose: it's a song about slowing down (once again). So I started with the slowest tempo I ever used (60bpm). Because of that, it was challenging to make it interesting enough for me. I feel that the slower it is, the less groovy it is. And the groove is what I loved and searched in music for most of my life. The thing that makes me move. I love the bass guitar in that amazing breakdown, made with my dad's acoustic guitar, played in a similar way I did in earlier pieces. The main bass is from that paperboard tube I used in the holy moment in 2017. The main melodic theme is from a gamelan loop. I then played and programmed that theme with different virtual instruments (like the kora). It's one of my best arrangements I think. The chorus is singed from the perspective of my 80-year old self. All vocals are me. Had loads of fun on this song, like playing the organ solo and the piano bits on a real grand piano. I love the reggae vibe. And the style and instrumentation makes me think of Contact Field Orchestra. I splurged it in October 2021, while staying for three beautiful weeks in Giens Peninsula. Three weeks focused on my relaxation-themed album..

Tartaruga (instrumental)

I thought some folks might enjoy the instrumental version better.

Peu de choses

January 2023 : It was supposed to be the second track of my album, after Tartaruga. Those are the only 2 songs I ever performed live, March 2022 (beside Ralentir & Viajar in 2017). The chorus topline reminds me of a 2000s song I can't remember the title nor the artist. While I was writing this page, Tjomme by Jose Gonzalez randomly played and I felt it has also a similar topline! Most lyrics in the verses are like golden rules for me. Chorus lyrics are jokey, though I was half-serious about it for a while. I love all about this piece. Some guitar bits are from Antoine Chapel, recorded in Onex, where I grew up. As I write this in September 2024 I smile because I realise how I expressed principles of my Ayurveda Prakriti (Vata-Kapha).

Sur la route du chill

January 2021 - They said about it : "Definitely something I’d stick on in the mornings to chill out to" / "Love this. Chill house? But who cares. Just good music. Sounds like something Gilles Peterson or Benji B might play." Love that percussions loop! I had to make something with it. So glad I added sprinkles of that 2010 video of my 2-year old niece, in such a different mood compared to what I did in yaya. Love my beatboxing in the breakdown, which I then converted from audio to MIDI and applied it to a drum kit to make it play my beatbox rhythm. Once again, I used that old trumpet recording from JeanJass' trumpet player (2015).

Last Weekend with You

June 2022 : Track 12 of 1day1song vol. 2. Love love love this! One of the many splurges I did with the same template on Maschine MK2 in July and August 2020, just after coming back from my six months in England. I was in Belmont-sur-Lausanne at my friend's house beautifully overlooking Lac Léman. I wanted to make an EP with the best of those splurges. I did only two sessions on it before finishing it during 1day1song. I love the contrast between the kalimba, bass, synths. In love with that Surge preset called LD You. I used it A LOT in my music. It's part of my signature sound. It inspired so many melodies. I dig so much how it sounds with Valhalla VintageVerb or Supermassive (this one is a free plugin effect). Also love the touch from Phonec2.

Doin' Fine

October 2017 : Part of the Rodalquilar Sessions EP. I'm rediscovering those lyrics' wisdom. Here there's just Pierre Citron's on vocals, doing a featuring with Alan Watts and Richard Linklater. I basically remixed the original idea of bristol chords. Love the groove, drum samples and playfulness! Specially like the last part, with that woozy-woohey synth sound in the background.

Ralentir

October 2017 : Part of the Rodalquilar Sessions EP. After the intro of my January album, I also start this EP with my unconscious self telling me to slow down. Quite hironic as I was actually burning out. Check out the music video.

the holy moment

January 2017 : What a beautiful intro! Still feeling that talk from Caveh Zahedi in Waking Life (2001). Might my favorite piece under the name Gelivan. The idea started in 2015 with the theme made from the sound of untaping a paperboard tube. There's so much in this piece. My nieces, my 2010s buddies, birds from Sicily at dawn, flute and voices of Bulgarian Women songs and more. I remember a magical moment of deep peace as I was working on this in December 2016 in Lisbon, just after a 10-day vipassana retreat. I think that moment got embodied in the music. Love the kalimba: it's the little Hokema B5 in Am. Recorded straight through my old MacBook's built-in microphone. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

(almost) ALL recordings, newest to oldest - FOR ARCHIVE'S SAKE

Younger Next Year (English Version)

August 2024 : Full English version of the song described below.

Younger Next Year (French Version)

August 2024 : Instrumental born in November 2021. I think I started it with the intention to make a song about working out, to include it in my album. So I already had the title. Then Eva really liked it and asked to sing on it. I gave her carte-blanche. I love so much the energy. I'm happy I did at least one UK Garage song, tough it's 10-20bpm slower than classic UKG. Love that whistle-like synth melody! Could only exist because of a splurge mindset and practice, where I just play carefree without trying to do something absolutely nice and perfect.

Caresses (Drum & Bass Remix)

June 2024 : Caresses got three remixes. Here's the one I co-produced with Eva and Yoni Collier who was the master behind the machine, as a drum & bass veteran expert. Eva recorded new vocals for this version, inspired by the sample Yoni brought in from an old CD of samples. All the remixes are because of Eva. She's the one who suggested I should do uptempo remixes of my songs. I first splurged some remixes, including a drum & bass one for Caresses. But I was starting to feel exhausted and annoyed to make music. So that's how I ended up asking for remixes.

Black Spot (Orchestral Variation)

May 2024 : I made the original version in 2020 (that was a collaboration I started from my original splurge), following a sync brief for tension music I found online. I did this orchestral variation for my friend Sam for his mystery/horror stories YouTube channel. I wanted to use this one as the theme. Though the channel isn't available yet. It was challenging to work on this as Sam reached out just after I decided to stop making music. I had fun though.

Elle(s)

E s p a c e

Tendresse (Slow House Remix)

Caresses (feat. Sainte-Alice & Ms. Sticks)

October 2023 : Compared to the first version, Eva (Sainte-Alice) added some vocals and I tweaked the instrumental a bit.

Maçon (instrumental for Jim White)

September 2023 : This is/was supposed to be the instrumental for a French rapper. I was trying to adapt a splurge from July 2021 to his vocals recorded on a completely different instrumental. Though there were issues with the harmonies and I wasn't able to fix it in the instrumental. I didn't listen to it for a year and now I realise it's so good! If I could stop time for 10 years I think I'd partner with a rapper to be his beatmaker-composer.

Inconvénients (Costals D&B Remix)

August 2023 : JeanJass is one of my favorite rappers. Absolutely loved his trip hop beats on the Doudoune en été album. I felt they would work well as a drum & bass version. I struggled with the other remix and let it go. This one came out easy. Love that crazy synth in the background of the chorus.

Acqua

Les passantes (feat. Nevae)

April 2023 : Revised version from the first one. I've recorded my vocals again, with slightly different placements (timing and flows) and edited the instrumental a bit.

Peu de choses

Severance Main Titles Remix

January 2023 : I had to remix Severance's opening credits! Here's a hip hop version. I learned to play it, thanks to my girlfriend who could correct the chords that I got slightly wrong first. Loved to play with the final sound design effect and make a little melody out of it. Can't wait for season 2!!

Trapped by Love (feat. LLOSTBOO)

January 2023 : It's like three songs in one. I splurged this in October 2019. It's a kind of cover of Manu Chao's song of the same title, with lyrics from the follwing song on his second album (which might be my #1 favorite album all-time forever). In April 2019, during the road trip to Rodalquilar, we had to stop in Tarragona because of a flat tire. That's where I met a young French girl named Nina. Thanks to Tinder/Instagram, and her openness and curiosity to meet up. I think she was 16 or 17 back then. She was on a school exchange. We met on the beach with her school friends. The most stylish girl I ever met, creatively picking up second-hand clothes for her garde-robe. I went to Avignon, near where she lived, in November 2019, to record her vocals in my Couchsurfing host house. We can hear my host's kid in the background. Nina wanted to be alone in the room, not even her boyfriend was allowed. She said she loved the music, but didn't seem happy with her vocals at any point. I picked up the best bits of her performances and made my best to arrange and mix everything as good as I could. Many people told me how they loved it. She's been singing for a band. But I feel that she did her best performance in that stranger's room alone in November 2019. Maybe because she was alone, completely free to do sing how she felt? And with the band, she probably have directives which makes her less free, and maybe she's never been alone to record the vocals. Writing this, I realise that she wasn't happy with her performance on this song because she's never been so vulnerable. With her band, they often rely on auto-tuning to pitch-correct, and maybe as a creative decision for their style. But sometimes it denatures the voice. So maybe she got used to hear her voice perfectlly-artificially in pitch and couldn't accept the natural-vulnerable-beautiful version of herself. I used many drum loops. I love Théophile's trumpet from a 2015 recording session we did, using the same pocket mic I used for Nina's vocals (Yamaha Pocketrak PR7). Keys in the first part are from a DECAP sample pack. Guitar loop in the second part is from loopman's website. Small bits sampled from Herefore by Parcels (love that song, amazing band).

Music of Wellness (Costals UKG Remix)

January 2023 : I got blown away by the Apple TV Series Severance. I love everything about the show, including the music. I love the secondary elements I added around the main theme. Some of them actually add to the feeling of the show I think. I also used a sound from the Main Titles.

Tartaruga

Tartaruga (instrumental)

I thought some folks might enjoy the instrumental version better.

L'envers du...des corps (Original Documentary Soundtrack)

In spring 2021, I did this soundtrack for my friend Clémentine's short documentary. I also worked in the editing room with her, which was highly enjoyable. I got involved in the video editing and she got involved in the music. It’s very important to me to get to know the film-maker, the film itself, to feel moved by it, to spend time with the film-maker – not only working but also chilling, talking about light and deep topics, playing. That's what we did. Most of Libre et ancré existed prior the film. The three other pieces were made explicitely for the documentary. I did the final mixes and tweaks in 2022 and released it in December that year.

Décor intérieur (Dreampad Theme)

September 2022 : I used Clémentine's steel tongue drum, a gift from her brother. I played it with my fingers. Very natural as I didn't loop anything. I recorded myself playing for those three minutes, in Clémentine's family holiday house in Giens Peninsula. Then played the bass and piano in Ableton Live.

Libre et ancré

September 2022 : Created in my daily music practice before the film project, in November 2020. Splurge #880. It was an exercise where I was imitating Ritual by Illum Sphere. I basically sampled the composition (not the master recording) and later got the license from the publisher of the original work, splitting the writer’s share with the original composer. I think I proposed a bunch of pre-made music to Clémentine and she loved the splurge that became Libre et ancré. Following her suggestions for the use of the music in her film, I made edits and finished the production of that piece accordingly. So this piece started the momentum of the creative process in the editing room. I love that it was a girl I met through Clémentine who shared Ritual with me. And I met her at the ecstatic dance where I DJed, organised and invited by Clémentine. So without knowing it, she started the creation of her documentary's music theme, two years earlier.

Le corps à nu

September 2022 : Made for a specific vulnerable part of the film which needed an extra female energy. I first programmed the piano chords and exported it as a video – in sync with the part of the film where it plays – and sent it to Léa (Ms. Sticks who sings on my songs Caresses/Tendresse) and asked her to improvise some humming over the piano, while watching the scene from the film. Not sure if she did many takes, but think I got just two files and used them both in layering. Because of the film’s theme and 100% of the characters being women, it felt important to involve a woman in the making of this music.

Libre et ancré (Costalenvers remix)

September 2022 : Made specifically to go with the final dance and end credits. I mixed together stems from Libre et ancré and Décor intérieur. Luckily, both the kalimba and the steel tongue drum were in the same key – everything was perfect and felt effortless.

1day1song vol. 2 (June 2022)

After the intense first edition of 1day1song in 2020, I felt the burn-out coming early on, also because I was livestreaming all the sessions. So I changed the rules. Instead of creating a new piece and releasing it the same day for the 30 days of the month (like I did in 2020), I added the flexibility to also work on existing ideas for 2-3 days as well as resting on weekends. It allowed some great pieces to come to life. My girlfriend joined me on four pieces. Below I share the most interesting ones. You can listen to the 20 tracks on Bandcamp.

L'homme de l'âme (cover)

June 2022 : Track 20 of 1day1song vol. 2. Lyrics written by Pierre Citron. That was my introduction into his world, in 2014 I think. I love the original. I love to perform it. Love my instrumental too! So cool to play those simple chords on Eva's electric guitar. I don't play much guitar really, but I improvised with the chords from A horse with no name for which the fingers are moving only on the second fret. I think that's what I did! Would like to record the vocals again someday – reworking the placements – and release it.

Lycéens parisiens à El Playazo (feat. Nevae)

June 2022 : Track 19 of 1day1song vol. 2. What a fun one! About the singing youths sample: I video-recorded those French teenagers doing their own tribal song on El Playazo beach in Rodalquilar in 2019. They were on school exchange. I first noticed them doing that far away from the rest of their mates. I loved it! I then asked if they could perform it again for me to video-take it. I think I told them I might incorporate it in my music someday. I used it in another piece as well in 2020. The organ loop comes from splurge #017, September 2018. The kazoo is played by Eva. I like how she imitated the boys' melody. It sounds a bit harsh though. I always felt there's a groove issue, that I think comes from the kicks' placements. The might need to be nudged a bit. Also, the shaker loops doesn't seem to work and might be slowing down the groove too. I think it's a great piece, it would deserve to be finished properly and released commercially.

Eastern Rigatoni

June 2022 : Track 15 of 1day1song vol. 2. Sounds like a Fatboy Slim song! It's me whistling. What a fun one! So me. That bass sounding like an upright one, is me with the classical guitar, playing hard. Contains samples from Cymatics and Ableton Live. The synth loop in the intro is from a 2017 splurge. I love that I was able to use it here. Always liked that bit. I also sampled Dhoop by Flower Travellin' Band.

Back to Portishead

June 2022 : Track 14 of 1day1song vol. 2. Inspired by the cradle of trip hop. The main guitar loop comes from the 70s Japanese Psychedelic Rock song Hunging Tree 首吊りの木 by J. A. Seazer (I sampled the outro). Trumpet from the 2015 recording session I did with Théophile Blanchon. Harmonica bits from 2019 recordings on a boat in London, with John Souffir. Arpeggiated guitar in the second part is myself in my appartment in 2015. I layered bits of the same recording, pitched up by 1 octave and edited in the groove.

Jamais loin

June 2022 : Track 13 of 1day1song vol. 2. Love the simple lyrics. Piano is by me. It's the e-piano I recorded in Rodalquilar, December 2016. Part of the bass is me with my dad's classical guitar, and the lower notes come from a Cymatics loop pack. Wah-wah guitar from a Live pack. Trumpet from that 2015 recording session I did with Théophile Blanchon, used heavily in many pieces. All drums and percussions from various sample packs.

Last Weekend with You

Besoin de rien

June 2022 : Track 11 of 1day1song vol. 2. Maybe the most hit-potential I ever created. Started in March. I did 15 sessions in spring, before the two sessions during 1day1song. That's why it sounds so advanced compared to the rest of 1day1song. Love the lyrics and the melodies, so true to me! Quirky and joyful. I remember the chorus topline and lyrics came to me while listening to the instrumental at the bus stop. Because I felt the song was such a good idea, I got a bit obsessed with it, trying to make it perfect, and maybe trying to fix that weren't broken. I wanted to remove the low percussion playing every first beat, which came from the SubBoomBass sequence that plays also the synth hook. I thought it wasn't very musical, and that a bass could take its place. Then I realised how the drum loop was taking too much space in the low end because of the high number of kick drums. I was also distracted by Mike Monday's feedback (my coach) during a coaching program. He suggested to play with the call/response of the hook, and use different responses for the same call. Great idea, but it could also be considered as over-creative and wasn't necessarily needed. I wish I could delegate it to someone else to rework it a bit and add a bassline. Still, I'm glad with this version.

Ton heure (draft)

June 2022 : Track 9 of 1day1song vol. 2. One of the many splurges I did with the same template on Maschine MK2 in July and August 2020 just after coming back from my six months in England. I was in Belmont-sur-Lausanne at my friend's house. I remember splurging in that wooden studio room while there was a thunderstorm. I love this instrumental, again with a nice contrast especially thanks to the steel drum. I love the lyrics theme too, though it needs to be edited, and vocal performance is average, though with effects and proper mix it might be good enough.

Jiggy Style

June 2022 : Track 8 of 1day1song vol. 2. The starting point for this one was the bassline in Gettin' Jiggy Wit It by Will Smith. I was about to not include it here, but when I listened back, I thought it's a very cool draft! I'd love to make a proper tune from it, and have fun writing lyrics and recording vocals.

Les passantes (feat. Nevae)

June 2022 : Track 5 of 1day1song vol. 2. Eva joined me with vocals and the guitar. Lyrics are from a poem by Antoine Pol that was put in music by Georges Brassens who found it in a poem collection at the flea market. Better version recorded and edited in April 2023.

Le corps d'abord

June 2022 : Track 4 of 1day1song vol. 2. This could be radio played with a bit more work. Love my vocal performance.

Virgin Forest

June 2022 : Track 2 of 1day1song vol. 2. Back then I was practicing playing keys with Melodics almost daily. I got inspired by a lesson with a simple video game soundtrack. So I applied what I learned from that lesson in this piece. I think I did a good job!

Détente animale

June 2022 : Track 1 of 1day1song vol. 2. Describing my perfect average day. I love how it came so easily, thanks to the time restriction. It's quite amazing the difference with the first song of 1day1song vol. 1 two years prior. Especially with the lyrics and vocals pretty well recorded. I love the tranquille vibe and the organic percussion (me tapping on the guitar's sand box – classic guitar from the 70s, made in Japan, a gift of a my dad's Spanish girlfriend).

Marcus Aurelius (maître de soi)

May 2022 : Idea born in December 2019. I worked on it in Spring 2020 (in Bristol), Spring 2021 and finally Spring 2022. Release decision came from a frustration of taking too much time to finish my album (which never came out). Loved to place samples from the very first episodes of Dragon Ball. So much wisedom from Kame Sennin. I think it's a great song, maybe the closest version of my true self.

Pam Beesly

November 2021 : Under my Arsene Kastanos pseudonym. Dropped an audio message from Manon, one of the three sweet girls who inspired Elle(s) in 2018-2019. What a lovely voice. Love the contrast and harmony between all elements.

Jim Halpert

November 2021 : Under my Arsene Kastanos pseudonym. For fans of Four Tet, Aphex Twin, Emancipator and... The Office? There's an element also present in Pam Beesly. It's that first percussive-melodic loop filtering in in the intro. That brings so much texture and life in itself. Highly inspiring to create around it. I did many splurges using that element, then selected the two best to finish and release them. Love the lead synth theme.

Fall Alive (Dentro)

Memories

August 2021 : In trying to make my music more sync-friendly, I took the instrumental from Tous feux éteints and collaborated with Daysun from Toronto for the vocals. We used "All Points Back To U (feat. Steve Spacek) by Nosaj Thing as a reference, as it got synced a few times in TV series in very different contexts. Vocals need pitch correction. I also changed the drum pattern to make it more accessible (and closer to the reference) and added one element that I LOVE that enters at 20 seconds and keeps growing. I love elements that act both as percussions and melodies at the same time. I love to revisit a piece of music a year or more after the first version.

Tendresse (feat. Ms. Sticks)

May 2021 : Made it in about 5 hours and 3 main sessions. I re-used female vocals from Caresses. I love to recycle the best elements from previous songs to see what else I can do with. Very pleased with this one. Last one of the 17 pieces I released in the first 18 weeks of 2021. Then I got sidetracked by covid and other musical projects (library music and documentary soundtrack).

Deux ans

March 2021 : For the instrumental I copied the arrangement and drum patterns from Big Shot by O.T. Genasis. All the instrument parts are by me, including sampling myself. This was when I was focused on sync-able music. I found the reference track on TAXI where I liked to pick up briefs to inspire my experiments (though without subscribing for the opportunities). Love the lyrics. So wise. So healing. With a pinch of fun.

Si je te regarde

April 2021 : I rushed this on the day of the release. I thought there was one part not working, the drop. It ended up being quite appreciated. I learned a lot by finishing this one. Love the quirky synth line.

Te connaître

April 2021 : Second most sensual song I release (after Caresses). Very simple. Love that, and the Addictive Drums (including the claps).

La Dolce Vita

March 2021 : Quite a fun one! Love how I mixed in the recording of my aunts and uncle in Italy, firstly used in a totally different context in matino-belmont in 2017. Also love the psychedelic guitars (loop from a Ableton Live pack). Splurge born in a caravan in Congresbury, near Bristol. First British WorkAway experience in spring 2020.

Celle qui danse dans mes rêves

Saul Goodman

March 2021 : I call this genre Lo-Feel-Good. The song I've created the quickest so far. And one of my favorite. Call me if you're in trouble. Or listen to this. It's all good man. I did this while staying in my hometown in Italy. Sitting in the middle of the bed in the attic. Completely improvised that scat part, straight in my MacBook built-in mic. So nice. Reworked it slightly in 2022-2023 for the song that became E s p a c e.

Oxygène 2.0

March 2021 : Remix of Oxygène, with also new lyrics. It's somehow better than the original, and somehow not as good. I like the vibe of the trumpet (still Théophile from 2015!), especially with that weird effect. The other male vocal in the background is a buddy improvising during a workshop I hosted.

Dreamer (Remix)

March 2021 : My take on reggeaton, a genre that I pretty much despise. I just used the basic kick-snare pattern from reggaeton. With a ps-trance kick drum, to emphasise the contrast. Lauren found me on reddit in the summer 2020. I was looking for singers. We didn't manage to finish a proper collaboration, but when I heard the intro/outro hook of Dreamer, it was obvious I had to do this remix. I LOVE her hook merging with my melodic theme. Eva told me I should make a sped-up version. I started that but never finished. Made it very fast.

Himantolophus Cosmicam

February 2021 : This is the soundtrack of the outer space football-fish. Get ready for a trip in my cosmic deep sea! First piece I attached to my Arsene Kastanos pseudonym for electronica-IDM instrumental music and also hybrid-cinematic. I used that main intro theme also in Tibre et Oronte and Celle qui danse dans mes rêves. That theme was born from a happy accident, while working on a live version of Oxygène. I also used pitched-down vocals from Lauren Fox from the song I remixed (see just above this one).

Caresses (feat. Ms. Sticks)

February 2021 : Without thinking it, I end up talking about my desire for women in most of my songs. I wonder what the topics will be when I'll get enough sensual satisfaction. I tried to do a voluptuous song. Did I succeed? There are some bits of Lauren Fox from L.A., talking on the phone with me. It was 7am for me, 11pm for her. She ended up falling asleep while I was reading her Baudelaire. Léa recorded her vocals with her phone. Reworked it slightly in 2023. Got remixed thrice in 2024.

Patience

February 2021 : The balafon melody was the key element to finish this song and was inspired by an iPhone alarm, as I woke up from a nap. Like other songs I did during this era, I used Addictive Drums 2 for drums and percussions. Here it's for secondary percussions. Sounding so good. Main drum is a drum loop.

Tout seul je me sens bien

February 2021 : Born January 16th on Giens Peninsula, Southern France. Seventh day of my three weeks of solitude there. This is the least calendar time from splurging the song to release. I love this. I'd like more of this. This song is to inspire you to cherish your own company and let your genius out. You can't elevate yourself without solitude (solitude means being with your higher self). Love the vibe!

Sur la route du chill

JTP (détends-toi)

January 2021 : Simple mood boost song in a jazzy vibe. All I'm saying here is: "we gotta relax". And apparently, she agrees (my friend Clémentine).

Comme chat (Michel Mosca)

January 2021 : Inspired by and sampling vocals and psycheledic guitars from La mouche by Michel Polnareff. Taken from his biggest album Polnarevolution released in 1972. 50% of the guitars in my song – in the last part – are from a sample pack though. Great match. Love the percussions and drum loop.

Tibre et Oronte

January 2021 : The music was born in splurge #714, May 2020. One of those iMaschine ideas. I captured the peaceful vibe of my two weeks in Hucknall (near Nottingham) for a WorkAway experience. Calming energy there. Loved the forest walks. Surrounded by layers of kalimba, I read the last two pages of the text Tibre et Oronte by Henry de Montherlant. Taken from his book Première Olympique - Le Paradis à l'ombre des épées (1924). Epic outro.

El Sueño del Tamarino

November 2020 : Such a fun ride! Loved making this, especially because of the main melody sound. It's a sequence preset (named Enhanced Forest – spot on!) from the free synth plugin Surge. I used it in many other pieces, some are on up this page. Sequence preset means it plays a sequence (a specific 1-note rhythm) as I press one key, which I can play at different pitches by switching key. And by playing two keys at the same time it gets magical, with also the rythm being slightly disrupted while staying somehow in the groove. You can hear how much fun I had doing that in the second part. I secretly wish this could be used one day in a video game or some other audiovisual project.

STBB694

June 24, 2020 : In the creative momentum of 1day1song (see below), I found myself creating this piece for that week's Stones Throw Beat Battle. It's my only participation. I found about STBB through Sixfingerz and played a few of his entries in Eclectic Soul. For each battle, the winner from the previous week's battle can set the rules for the next battle. They usually also provide one or more samples that participants must use. Had much fun doing this one in one session of 70 minutes.

Serenity Festival

June 23, 2020 : This is still at the splurge state (#736) made in one 40-min session. I tried to capture the vibe of a dream I just had. In that dream, I was in Ruston, England, where I stayed a few months earlier and loved it so much because of the tranquillity and slow pace (God bless a home without internet). I came out of the house to join a Balkan-like on-the-move festival passing through the village. There were live musicians walk-playing. The atmoshpere was so nourrishing! There weren't many people, so I could enjoy the space to dance freely. The music was pampering my soul and make my body feel light and floaty. So to reproduce that dream's feeling, I used another song of the Bulgarian Women Choir, like I did with Andalucìa. That instantely broughth the serene Eastern Europe vibes. Then the idea was to make a dancefloor oriented piece, but low-stimulation. It shouldn't be too exciting. I used a percussions-harmony loop provided by Barnaby Carter. I'd like to ask him to finish this idea. I think he'd be the perfect collaborator here.

1day1song vol. 1 (2020)

Every day of June 2020, I made and released one new piece of music. I was doing WorkAway around England. With WorkAway, one trades 4-5 hours 5 days a week of work in exchange of accomodation and meals. Because of the pandemic, t was difficult to find places where I could stay more than two weeks. So I moved a lot. Only in June, I was in Hucknall (not sure, might have left Hucknall end of May but it played a huge influence as that's where I started making those simple splurges with iMaschine), Newark, Nottingham, at two friends' in Bristol, Bruton. I ended up exhausted in July. This project plus the uncertainty of those times made me go back to Switzerland mid-July. I remember being so productive and happy during those six months. I share below 16 pieces out of the 30.

mostly water

June 1, 2020 : Track 1 of the 1day1song project. In the last days of May, I was practicing my splurges on iMaschine on my iPhone. I started many of the 1day1song tracks on iMaschine. Movie sample in the outro comes from Only Lover Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch).

calme

June 2, 2020 : Track 2 of the 1day1song project. It was nice to not overthink it and not add much else beside the elements from the iMaschine splurge. Love the kalimba vibe. Upright bass is what I like the least. It sounds cheap (sound from iMaschine). As I was working for my host, I didn't have much time to work on it. Which is a nice restriction. Movie sample in the outro from Waking Life.

images

June 3, 2020 : Track 3 of the 1day1song project. Love the Burial vibe! Sorry for the way-too-loud snare. Female vocal taken from the film Wings of Desire.

red pill

June 4, 2020 : Track 4 of the 1day1song project. I video-recorded those French teenagers doing their own tribal song on El Playazo beach in Rodalquilar in 2019. They were on school exchange. I first noticed them doing that far away from the rest of their mates. I loved it! I then asked if they could perform it again for me to video-take it. I think I told them I might incorporate it in my music someday. I used it in another piece as well. Still have to send them the result. That smart lady comes from this YouTube video. As I write this in 2024, I realise how nicely the kids song and the lady speech are related (at least to me).

Partir

June 6, 2020 : Track 6 of the 1day1song project. Love the lyrics and the message (to leave far away from what we know).

Port Arthur Road

June 7, 2020 : Track 7 of the 1day1song project. Named after the road of my host's house in Nottingham. I used the instruments I found in my bedroom, like that glockenspiel.

real life

June 8, 2020 : Track 8 of the 1day1song project. Here I also use the Casio keyboard from the Nottingham's bedroom. We even hear the sound of the keys being pressed. Loved my host's kid! That's him saying "you can survive without money" and "we eat too much, we don't need that much".

Jungle Rain

June 10, 2020 : Track 10 of the 1day1song project.Still that Casio sound and glockenspiel. As soon as I use more real instruments and make my music more organic, I find it more fun and interesting and it usually makes me keep it simple.

Joey

June 11, 2020 : Track 11 of the 1day1song project.Joey was the blue-eyes-red-hair Scottish girl who stayed at my hosts' for a few days. She was the friend of my host's daughter. I had a crush for her. But I frozen and wasn't able to make a move. Today I'd say: I didn't need to make a move. I was quite distracted by the attraction I felt. She ghosted me, obviously.

Last Bit of the Toothpaste

June 12, 2020 : Track 12 of the 1day1song project. Phone call with Mattic (we can hear in this piece), one of my favorite rappers. We thought we'd end-up make a music project together when time is right. I was honoured he liked my music and thought of collaborating. Always considered I was not ready, but I think we would do something nice if we meet. Then I stopped making music in 2024, so. Don't know!

Ciao

June 14, 2020 : Track 14 of the 1day1song project. Well, I did my cringy-crush-song... in Italian. Inspired by a track by Vanilla. I started improvising vocally over it. I think I even recorded first over Vanilla's track, and then produced my own instrumental, based on Vanilla's groove.

Bells of Life

June 15, 2020 : Track 15 of the 1day1song project. I asked my e-mail list to send me audio recordings I could use in my 1day1song project. That's how I got the church bells and the birds (from same recording, layered). I think some textures used as light percussions were also sent to me. Always fun to involve other people, one way or the other.

Clean Room

June 16, 2020 : Track 16 of the 1day1song project. I decided to keep an element from the previous day's piece to start the new one. Here is actually a newer version from end of 2021 in which I added sounds of me actually cleaning, which was super fun to make a rhythm out of it. It was thought to be part of my abandoned album project about relaxation.

Pas de secret

June 18, 2020 : Track 18 of the 1day1song project. The kalimba arpeggio always reminds me of Around The World by ATC. No wonder, as both are pretty much in the same key. Outro handpan is a recording from Mael Chauvet.

Sexy is the Devil

June 25, 2020 : Track 25 of the 1day1song project. I was back in Bristol when I did this. The female voice is my friend's flatmate. She was talking about a man haunting her, telling his voice was so sweet, though he's been physically aggressive towards her. Loved chopping her voice and make this music describing that man from my perspective of her story. The drum beat is sexy, though the synths are omnious.

RAF

June 28, 2020 : Track 28 of the 1day1song project. I like those 808 drums again. I like the gentle vibe with the kalimba. Vocals are from an interview of French rapper VALD.

Marcher

May 2020 : Bonus track to go with Tous feux éteints Bandcamp release. Made entirely on iMaschine in one session. I just re-arranged it slightly and final-mixed it on Ableton Live, adding that reversed bit at the end. One of the best kalimba layered progression I've ever written. Simple tune for a simple message.

Tous feux éteints

May 2020 : Late December 2019-early January 2020, just before leaving for England, I made loads of splurges based on kalimba layers I would improvise in the sessions. This is one of them. I was doing that sitting on the floor – surrounded by my setup – at my friend's Nico where I was living for a little while, before moving to England. Piano is also me, recorded at Barnaby's appartment in Bristol. I love that I sampled some percussions from a track by S.H.O.K.K. who was my favorite hard trance artist as a teen.

Playground EP

I was supposed to release this EP in April 2020 while living in England. I think the reason I retracted is because I pitched it to a blogger and she never got back, after actually inviting me pitch my music. That made me think that I was to scattered with my music and it wasn't the direction I wanted to take. Especially after doing Oxygène which felt to be the definition of my style, or my artist project with the new name Costals. Though I firstly saw this EP as a portfolio to showcase something different and freestyle. As I write this in 2024 with detachement, I can now appreciate the musical ideas and high playfulness of these 7 pieces. Early March 2020, I selected old ideas (splurges) from 2019 that made sense together somehow and decided to finish (abandon) on March 7 to release it (I was trying to release one project every 7th of each month). I did 4-6 sessions on each piece, from End of February to March 7th. I can hear the influence of living for a month with my friend Sam at his grand-parents house after in Ruston, Northern Yorkshire. No internet at home. Lots of wild life next door. Such a calming memory.

Primavera (Life in Ruston)

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP. Idea born in May 2019. Splurge #195. Love the vibe.

Squirello

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP.Sounds quite different from the other pieces in the EP because it was made mostly using Auxy on my iPhone. Most sounds are from Auxy too. Needs more silence to make more effective and pleasant.

Meravigliarsi. Sempre.

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP. Started April 2019. Splurge #190. Inspired and started by some play-time with Arcade, once again. Love the contrast between sounds, growing from the middle to the end.

Nostalgia

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP. Started April 2019. Splurge #184. Loved playing with the Arcade plugin. Highly inspiring. First sound we hear comes from Arcade. I think the sound starting at 1.30 is also from Arcade. What a courageous flip! That would probably turn off many listeners. That's why the EP is called Playground. Crazy shit can happen, doesn't have to be so serious.

Tree Hour

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP. Started March 2019. Splurge #149. I was using the sample template as the idea that became Santiago's Quest. That's why I choose some pieces to go together in the EP. There's a cohesion in the sounds. I sampled the guitar from Tree Hour by Nick Drake, which we can hardly recognise before 2 minutes. I love the movement of that omnious bass-synth. Could have played more with that and make it more satisfying, also thanks to more silence.

Santiago's Quest

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP. I think the name Santiago is inspired by The Alchemist story by Paulo Coelho. Somehow the oud loop (from a library) made me think of that story. Beside the oud, it's all me playing and programming.

See You At Tucker's

April 2020 : Part of the Playground EP. Started in October 2019. I sampled the soundtrack of San Junipero (by Clint Mansell). Maybe the best Black Mirror episode? The weird voice is a from a guy in the train, phone-talking. Quite random!

HOW SO GAMBIA

March 2020 : Sounds like a perfect follow-up of my 2017 album. Maybe like Body Knows and Andalucìa, but even more aligned to my album sound and style. This is another piece that was born in Rodalquliar three years earlier. We can hear my younger niece and two girls I liked. I'm still in love with their laughs, and so happy I immortalised them with music.

Andalucìa (Festival version)

March 2020 : Had the idea to make a version of Andalucìa that could be played by DJs at summer festivals. I think the tempo is the same as the original. I love how the upright bass loop merges with the original parts. It adds a nice contrast too, thanks to the removal of the e-piano loop for a part. Could be much better with the help of some DJ-producer.

Scarabée Égyptien

February 2020 : Release in September that year as part of the Rhuba compilation out on Diffract Records. So nice to have my music on vinyl among some icons of the trip hop scene like Mononome and Dirty Art Club (from which Mattic – one of my top 5 rapper – used many instrumentals). Born from splurge #474 in October 2019. My buddy/label boss choose that splurge among a preselection I did. This was my least favorite. Nevertheless, I didn't force it, and finished the job in 6 sessions over February. Guitar and drum loops are from a sample library. Trumpet is JeanJass' trumpet player warming up, secretly recorded in 2015. I played the rest. This was the least appealing piece I did for me... and also the most played and liked for a long time! Probably because I was so detached from it.

Jacques Cousteau

February 2020 : Timid French rap. Did the music and lyrics. I was almost whispering, maybe because I didn't want to be heard by my mum. Started to write the lyrics under a tree on the wild side of the Greek island Amorgos in 2017, after walking for a couple hours. Amazing experience. Started the instrumental on March 2017 as an exercise in modelling the structure of smooth by Peet. I even kept the DJ scratch from it, playing at the same moment in my song. In 2019, I finally met again with John Souffir, while he was living on a boat in London. That's where we recorded the harmonica. Mastered by Kelly Hibbert.

1synth1hour EP (2019-2020)

I have the most fun (and sometimes make my best music effortlessy) when I play with time constraints. This EP consists of 4 pieces I did in about one hour each, using only one virtual synth (plus a 808 drum kit, percussions kit or drum loop). I started by doing ten splurge sessions, then selected the most interesting ideas to work on for a total of 1-hour each (including the splurge session). I loved not needing to browse and decide to use x or y synth, and just stick with the Arturia MiniMoog V. What's also nice about using only one synth is that you automatically get a cohesive sound overall. Finished in November 2019. Musical ideas born in May 2019 from splurges number 216, 217, 222, 223 (listed in that order below).

And The Sun Rises

January 2020 : Part of the 1synth1hour EP. Love the simplicity and trip hop vibe!

Mango Salentino

January 2020 : Part of the 1synth1hour EP. Sounds like another dog-chases-hare scene from Snatch.

Danse avec les doutes

January 2020 : Part of the 1synth1hour EP. My favorite from the EP. Love the contrast growing from sadness to carefree joy. And those drums and percussions!

The Day I Met Miriam

January 2020 : Part of the 1synth1hour EP. Such a sweet gentle vibe. Named after Miriam Leone, which I'll probably never meet. I imagined I would feel calm and peaceful like this music, if I'd be in her presence.

Oxygène

September 2019 : First official release under new pseudonym (Costals). Love the music video. Lyrics inspired by a busy-and-highly-stimulated girl. Love the vibe. Still talking about resting and the over-stimulated society. Wish I did some pitch correction on those vocals.

Elle(s) version 1

January 2019 : Instrumental is Blips in December by Submerse. Inspired by three sweet girls I met in the span of a few weeks, end of 2018. One in particular moved me deeply and influenced many pieces I made afterwards. In 2024, I did a new version, editing the text and making the music.

October 2018 to September 2019

Splurging A LOT ! Not focused on finishing. Doing Make Music Your Life's coaching programs.

November 2017 to September 2018

Heavy burn-out. So, I did close to zero music. I was too anxious for doing anything in that period, with heavy symptoms of stress, feeling I would die any minute. Yup, that anxious. I didn't know what was happening to me. So it took almost a year to get conscious, with some divine help connecting me with two caring souls (one in real life through doing metamorphic massage, the other one online through his website anxietycentre.com). My recovery started in August and by the end of October I was FULL ON. Though still not fully conscious of my sensitivity!

Rodalquilar Sessions (EP)

Collaborative project with Belgian rapper and writer Pierre Citron. We wrote and recorded the whole EP in April 2017 in Rodaquilar, Spain. I was house&dog sitting. Such an inspiring dreamy location! I spent a big chunk of that summer producing the EP, including mixing. Finished and released thanks to Eddy Allamand who wanted it as the first release on his label. He also shot and directed the two music videos (links below).

Ralentir

Viajar

October 2017 : Part of the Rodalquilar Sessions EP. So lovely to have this super chill piece as the second track of the EP. I'm rediscovering those lyrics' wisdom. I sampled The Sun in September by Matthew Halsall. The upright bass is sampled from a modern Griko band. I loved the experience to merge two samples like these! And also loved play the drums with Maschine. Check out the music video shot during our road trip back to Rodalquilar in 2019...to chill!

Doin' Fine

Karma Cool

October 2017 : Part of the Rodalquilar Sessions EP. Such a wonky quirky instrumental! Same goes for Pierre's performance. Love it. Funny how it's like 4 tracks in one, with that ADHD-like instrumental. Intro vocal sample from the film Youth by Paolo Sorrentino

. I realise 7 years after the great work we did. Because of burning out, I wasn't able to appreciate it back then. Great lesson for slowing down, and even stopping after the end of a project, celebrating maybe, instead of jump-diving straight into the next project.

L'artiste chat

September 2017 : Dark-ish theme and rebellious lyrics. English speech taken from the film Experimenter. In that summer of 2017, I was starting to burn-out without knowing it. Doing ridicousily too much: releasing weekly one blog post, a video related to the blog post, one piece of music, while working on several pieces I think, like the collaborative EP with Pierre Citron. Then we shot a music video for the EP, including travelling to Brussels by bus and shooting there. And I didn't have my own place, and not wanting to stay at my mum's...and no money. Phew! So unbalanced.

Body Knows

August 2017 : Started in March with an arrangement map. I was in Rodalquilar, house&dog sitting for a month. Hand pan is from a self-recording earlier that year, while the guitar was recorded in Rodalquilar. We can hear my Sicilian couchsurfers playing ping-pong. Intro vocals from the film Youth by Paolo Sorrentino. Got its own video, once again shot and edited by Sam Sherwood.

Andalucìa

August 2017 : Still until September 2024 when I write this, this one is my most played piece of music (77k, only on Soundcloud). It got into Soundcloud's algorithm, maybe thanks to some hashtags. I did no promotion for it. Maybe the most spiritual piece I've made. It's based on a e-piano loop I recorded in Rodalquilar in spring 2017. Some Spanish girls talking in a tea shop in Granada, Théophile Blanchon's magnificient trumpet, once again from those 2015 recordings over some other music. It works wonderfully here. And the whole piece is heightened by the mesmerising Singing of Bulgarian Women. It's amazing to read the comments on Soundcloud. It makes me reconsider how I would make music if I had to start again composing and producing. And what kind of music to listen to.

Cosmos

August 2017 : Another exercise using an arrangement map, based on I'm Walkin by Stan Forbee. Trumpet was casually recorded while JeanJass' trumpet player was warming up before their intimate gig I organised in Brussels in 2015. Harmonica is by my dear friend John Souffir who improvised it on my beat while filming his performance just to give me an idea of what he could do. That was when we just met. Then he disappeared and didn't get back to me until months after. I think even more than a year after. So I used that poor-quality recording from his webcam (and there was my track on the background too!). Got its own music video, directed by Sam Shewrood.

mouvement du sentiment (album, Jan 2017)

Music made from 2013 to Jan 2017. Highly inspired by my wander life in 2016-2017.

Read in details all the stories behind my album (100MB PDF file).

yaya

January 2017 : Part of my album mouvement du sentiment. Started in September 2015 while quite depressive for the reasons stated further down this page. It started from an exercise for a coaching training with Mike Monday. I had to create a piece inspired by a picture he provided. I wouldn't make this piece otherwise. I like the gentle low percussions: it's me tapping on the guitar. The sweetest voice is my niece Chiara. "Yaya" is how she called herself when she was two. I sampled her from a video I took in 2011. The trumpet is still Théophile Blanchon, still from those 2015's recordings. He actually recorded over some other music, as this one didn't exist yet. There's some field recording of me standing in a phone cabine while it rains over Malta. Male vocal is Ukrainian pianist Lubomyr Melnyk.

the holy moment

walk around (think and write)

January 2017 : I apparently started this uptempo remix of my own 2014 piece in April 2016. I had to implement my Future Garage and Drum & Bass influences in my music at some point. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

matino-belmont (feat. Papâ)

January 2017 : It's me humming, with two layers. Sounds a bit off-key I think. Can't repeat that performance. The keys are one of the improvisation I recorded over the rest of the music. Just using black keys, which is an easy way to sound like a pro when you actually don't really know how to play. But I had to edit it afterwards, removing some notes, and writing others in the piano roll, re-recording one bit. Idea born in August 2014. Finished in November 2015. Then I tweaked it slightly in 2016. Always made me think of Myrtle Avenue by Floating Points. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

matino-belmont (feat. Papâ)

January 2017 : We hear my aunts and uncle in my childhood hometown (Matino, Italy). I visited them by surprise in 2016 after a 10-day solo road trip on the Salento coast. Beautiful memory. The piano is my friend Emmanuel (mostly) and me, improvising on his girlfriend's mum grand piano. Probably in summer 2016. It's interesting how the melancholic piano adds a dramatic feel to the voices. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

askiya

January 2017 : Started April 2015. I used the structure of Down The Line by Romare. That proved a great strategy to finish the piece quickly as I didn't have to take as much decisions as usual. It was like having Romare taking care of the structure and arrangement somehow. Though I don't know if I kept it unreleased and finished until the release of the official video, which is more like a short-film, in September 2016. At that time I thought I was about to release an EP, which then became the album. Most instruments, including the upright bass, are Apple Loops for GarangeBand. I also sampled Gone by Tiggs Da Author, from which the vocals are from, and he also used the upright bass from Apple Loops. Intro talk from Adriano Celentano, saying that he always talked about love in his songs (in a broad way and not necessarily romantic way). Rollerskating by myself, recording while riding. Trumpet is a recording during an intimate gig from a forgotten band-name. I know it was at Saltimbanque. Kind of a weird piece I feel! Because of that second part. Such an unusual drop, to have a lower energy after it, compared to the part before the drop. I wouldn't do something like that today. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

bristol chords

January 2017 : The outro is the initial idea, born in Bristol in October 2014 on iMaschine, iPad. Théophile Blanchon added the trumpet on that outro for the album version. That's also him trumpeting on the whole piece. Except for the outro, we recorded in summer 2015 I think. Then I kept working on it on and off. Love that 90s interview with Richard Linklater I placed in the intro. Then there's Allan Watts in the outro. Got its own video shot and edited by my friend Sam Sherwood. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

caro smoke jarrett (slow down)

January 2017 : This is a collage of two scenes from the films Smoke and Caro Diario. Both got a piano soundtrack. Vocals are from Smoke, and Caro Diario's piano is actually a part of 1975's Keith Jarrett live in Köln. I used this collage as the intro of my album. Again, there's a message to myself (and anyone concerned): SLOW DOWN. One of the best film scenes all time in my opinion. Part of my album mouvement du sentiment.

2015-2016

In 2015, I put a lot of energy (too much) in trying to help my sister that was going through divorce. But I wasn’t really good at it. My main intention was to be present for my nieces who were 4 and 6 years old at the time. So I spent a lot of time with them. It was fun. But I drained myself emotionally by absorbing my sister’s despair and seeing how bad her mental state was. I didn’t know much about my sensitivity yet, so I wasn’t good at detaching myself emotionally and resting.

I was making some music though, distractively. I didn't release anything except the piece below – in 2015 – plus askiya in 2016 in the anticipating video before my album release a few months later. And without knowing it, I was working on the material for my 2017 album.

Approche-toi

February 2015 : Lots of wisdom in this text. As it's often the case with my lyrics, I'm talking to myself. My lyrics are reminders from my higher-self. Pretty bad production though – correlated to my state of mind at that time. Details above.

L'ours musicien

November 2014 : What a jokey intro! Me and three friends flipped the same sample. The source is L'ours musicien by Vangelis. I bought that record in Bristol, while visiting my dear friend Barnaby Carter with my two other friends from Switzerland. ... First part is quite interesting! Last part is the end of the joke. A funny way to hide my lack of inspiration and/or discipline to finish the work nicely. Barnaby won the contest beautifully, as you can listen below.

Avant de s'en aller

November 2014 : The initial idea that became this piece started in December 2013. I sampled Sufjan Steven's Chicago (Adult Contemporary Version). So melancholic! My lyrics are saying: "Enough with the jokes / On our beloved land / We want to leave our mark / Before we go". My most sensitive and well produced solo work until then.

Chuidanlnor

July 2014 : Horribly buggy hats, and starting with that! I think a friend even told me about it. I guess I knew this was just one of those bad experiments and didn't even need to fix the problems. Probably inspired by that 2012 Disclosure sound. Second part is a nice contrast and could have become a club banger.

Electric Ladyland

July 2014 : The first part sounds like teenage-Blockhead's never-released first beat. The man talking is Richard Linklater playing in his own film Slacker. Loved playing with those film samples, adding simple effects to them. I always feel it adds a nice character to the music, and makes it more human. Same feeling whenever I hear casual spoken words in any piece of music. The bass-guitar sample is from Spanish Phases for Strings and Bass by Stanley Clarke (thank you Shazam, I couldn't find the source). I sampled the vinyl record that I probably found at my mate's shop, unless I bought it from the flea market. Electric Ladyland was Jimi Hendrix's studio (or one of the way it was credited). Stanley Clarke's record was recorded in that studio. Hence the title.

Stupid Beat

July 2014 : It's me whistling and coughing in the intro. The spoken lyrics are like a follow up to my lost instrumental hip hop piece from some years prior titled All These Things in My Head. Still using Maschine as a starter in the process. The first part that started this song was born at the end of a jam with myself, in April same year.

One Color

June 2014 : Started this idea in March 2012 on Maschine once again. From what I can see in my files, I probably forgot about it until end of 2013. Another weird experiment that doesn't sound like a particular influence or reference. Might be a kind of tribute to the progressive house music I used to love and play in my DJ sets. Better structure than the previous ones. The man talking is a painter artist I casually met in his own small gallery on Gozo island (Malta). He was describing me one of his painting made with only one color. I loved it. I'm happy I immortalised this memory this way.

Soul Shaker

May 2014 : Based on two samples. The bass one is from Soul Divine by Amp Fiddler. The reversed guitar: I can't identify the source. I still didn't care much about the structure. Still messing around with quick ideas and how they felt in the moment.

First Jam

May 2014 : Tweaked-mixed in September same year. But 95% of it was done in May. I was spending little time on these 2014 pieces. Which was a good approach. The guitar is sampled from Didn't I by Darondo. Feels like a less interesting version of Variations by Nicolas Jaar. Mouth percussions by me.

What You Do (Makes a Difference)

May 2014 : Started in February. This version was slightly tweaked in 2016, though it's very close to the 2014 version. I mostly cleaned it, fixed issues and removed small parts. I didn't play the kalimba here. I programmed a sampler in Ableton Live, which plays the same note of my kalimba's recording, at different pitches using a midi keyboard. Drums programmed with Maschine. I still appreciate, ten years after, the simplicity and quirkiness. I wish I stuck with such simplicity afterwards, while improving the musical ideas. We can recognise the same voice from the outro of Hundred Ways (described below). So, once again I added bits of Waking Life :)

Hundred Ways

February 2014 : Could make a really great song with this idea. I would revisit it if I still wanted to make music [writing this in 2024]. I sampled Mrs. Cold by Kings of Convenience. Drums and sample chopping on Maschine. Outro speech taken from the film Waking Life.

Walk Around [version 1]

January 2014 : Since November 2013, for the first time in my life, I was living alone. And I loved it. The change of moving in this brand new small appartment and having a new space for creation inspired me. I play the kalimba. The theme melody came to me as I was jamming over a song by Mr Woodnote. Someone thought the drums were played live and wondered if it was me: I programmed drum samples. I don't know why I didn't fix those bad drum hits placements towards the end that are killing the groove. Weird bass sound. But I liked the contrast back then. The speech part is Julie Delpy in the film Before Sunset.

Sunday

November 2013 : Idea started in August 2013 on Maschine and developed on Live. Probably influenced by Nicolas Jaar? The guitar comes from a song by an artist named Catarina something. Can't find it now. Sorry I can't correctly credit the original work I sampled. First time I added field recordings of my own. Well, by field recording, here I mean friends and crowd noise in the smoking area of a club (yuk).

Big Plans

August 2013 : One of those weird carefree experiments, before developing my own sound. Started on Maschine, finished on Ableton Live. First time I use a sample from a film/serie. Here with Game of Thrones. The way it changes after 3 minutes seems to illustrate what happens when I get too creative.

You'll Be Alright

May 2013 : This is the developement of the remix idea of Crosses by José Gonzalez (first version below). Much slower tempo compared to the first idea. These were just ideas of different parts, there's no proper structure.

Crosses Remix

August 2012 : This is the first sketch-idea for a remix of Crosses by José Gonzalez. Did it on Maschine MK1. After years of love for electronic music with four to the floor kick patterns, I developed a deep appreciation for the groovier drum loops and rythms. This is an example. For this idea I just added the drums and chopped the original song (so guitar and vocals are by José Gonzalez).

Khaleesi

2012 : This is the first collab I did. It was nice to mostly provide ideas and have my mate work his hands in Logic, helping in selecting the sounds. I love this way of co-operation. We reach better results in less time and effort. And the process is more fun. I think I finger drummed the drums on Maschine. He brought up the synth sounds. I might have choosen the sample. It was from a vinyl record my mate had in his house: No Man's Land by Terry Riley. So happy to listen to Terry Riley as I write this. I sampled Medusa's Refrain (Part Two). And sampled it again but in different way and context in 2017 in Jacques Cousteau. Vocal samples are from Games of Throne (glad I watched only half of the series). Too bad my collaborator's ego prevented more collaborations when I reached out in 2020. He considered me as competition instead of teammate. He keeps reading every e-mail I send to my list, staying up-to-date with what I do, but we never spoke since then. Too bad, he's a super talented composer and producer. I hope he's doing good and having fun.

Rolling Chops

April 2012 : One of the first pieces I've finished. Or should I say: abandoned and somehow released to the world. Made it mostly with Maschine MK1. I sampled a vinyl record from the Rolling Stones. Can't remember which one.

2005-2011: Lost files

I remember a few older tracks but I've lost the files.

In the same basement studio where I did Rolling Chops, I created a hip hop instrumental with zero samples titled All These Things In My Head, and a bad but funny remix of Tim & Puma Mimi.

The very first track I did was made around 2005 on the software eJay. For more than a decade I forgot that event and then remembered how deeply satisfing it was (probably after having a similar experience). I had a similar feeling about a novel I wrote as school duty, just a few years earlier.