Pianoid²

Description

Edouard Ferlet returns with the second installment of his Pianoïd project, which explores the relationship between man and machine. A solo piano for four hands built around a setup combining a Silent piano, a MIDI controller, Ableton software and a Dysklavier, giving him unprecedented possibilities. This tool makes it possible to produce playing modes beyond human reach: a multitude of simultaneous notes, complex rhythms, speed of execution, greater nuance... Equipped with this “exoskeleton,” the musician delivers compositions that break free of genres and blend colors: jazz of course, but also electro, minimalism and even ambient. This new opus explores in particular the rhythmic possibilities of the piano (all the sounds on the album are produced from the prepared instrument) and focuses on the clear line of melody in short, almost pop formats. Pianoïd.2 is a journey into the heart of emotions, where one encounters the pure pleasure of jazz groove (Raining), trance (Herd Instinct), contemplation (Night Moves) or eroticism (Bord de nuit). If it is complex, lingering on the palate, this album remains immediately accessible despite its sophistication. Still driven by the desire to shift boundaries and explore frontiers, Edouard Ferlet continues here his encounter of the third kind: “Man created robots to reproduce his gesture. With Pianoïd, I use the robotic phrase to bring forth the poetic, and to move toward the unimaginable and the unplayable. I also use the robot’s instability caused by the weight of the mechanics, its latency, its changes in dynamics and speeds, all the unexpected reactions of the Disklavier piano. The machine comes to life and surprises me. Music then becomes an organic dialogue.”