Laurent
Pernice : Piano, electronics
Jacques Barbéri : Sax, text, voice
Laurent Pernice - Biography
Beginnings in Toulon (south of France)
After having taken part as a bass player in various groups of the
area, I launch out some experiments on four-track-cassette-tape and
a computer. Thus is born, almost unconsciously, my first solo album,
“Détails”, come out in 1989 by Permis de Construire
(Nancy). New music? Industrial music? In any case, very personal.
Two choreographers are interested in my work, use it in their show.
The critical greeting is very good.
Industrial Rock Period “Up to Paris”
I’m introduced by my label to Nox, a band looking for a percussionist
for a tour. Our feeling is really good. Overdriven guitars with humming
percussions satisfy me fully. A series of concerts in Europe and a
record, the third of the band (“Killing Drive Power”,
1989, also with Permis de Construire) results from this. However I
feel the need to give my personal point of view. My second record
(“axident”, always with Permis de Construire), much influenced
by myparticipation in the band and produced by Gérome (Nox
guitarist and leader),comes out in 1991.
Hallucinated Groove Period.
The tempo of the concerts with Nox slows down: each member of the
group being occupied by personal projects. I seize this opportunity
to gently direct myself towards my third disc, “Exit to the
City” (come out 1993 by PDCD, Germany). I still try out acnew
way, always unclassable, mixing my impressions of trip to Moscow,
the non-European music and a groove near to On-U-Sound bands. The
criticism is very good. I start to draw near to the techno. One of
the titles of “Exit to the City” will be remixed in this
state of mind.
Ambient Period.
In 1994, a new meeting, this time with an rather shifted German band,
POL, whose music, full of nuances, is close to mine, makes me think
about a record in collaboration with one of the members of POL, Marcus
Schmickler (Pluramon). That gives one year later ÒSept Autres
CrŽaturesÓ, come out by Odd Size Records (Paris). Resolutely
directed ambient techno, the loops of synthesisers are pre-eminent
there, compared to the samples. The atmospheres, complex, are very
much varied, the beat fluctuant.
Back To The Roots.
In 1998, I need to find again thyme and “farigoulette”:
I move to Marseilles. At this time, I feel the need to speed up the
tempos, to turn over to a more direct vision of music, more “rock’n’roll”.
Thus I work out “Tambo”. Always in a techno vein, but
with more samples, I search simpler and faster things, while keeping
the richness of
atmospheres, the baroque side, foutraque of my preceding album. “tambo”
will not born such as I anticipate at the beginning, but some of these
pieces will be used a little later on Split CD (with 99mg, Amaury
Cambuzat, from the band Ulan Bator), “Ligne Laterale”,
come out by Fario.
Electronica Furiosa.
The new millennium involves me in electronic experiments increasingly
more unslung: “Yppah”, a proteiforme album, dedicated
to the American poet Walt Whitman, at Moloko+ (Germany). Jazz is mixed
with funk, ambient is amalgamated with industrial music... The big
cauldron of computer allows everything: thus it is necessary to try
out everything...
Electro-jazz.
First release: “infrajazz”, at Organic (Grenoble), in
2003. It is not jazz yet but this album is supported by an ambiant
jazz feeling, like a spinal column.
Second release: "Drosophiles and doryphores", with the science-fiction
writer and saxophonist Jacques Barbéri, at RX:TX, in 2004.
This is jazz, but electronically distorted. A new sound is coming.
Jacques Barbéri, a biography
The speculative
heighties :
After working in dental art during five years, jacques barbéri
leaves caries exploration for fiction infinite spaces’ one.
In 1985 he published an anthology of short stories untitled «
Kosmokrim » and two years later a gore novel wroted in collaboration
with the science fiction writer Emmanuel Jouanne. In the same year
he was the instigator with Lionel Evrard and Fréderic Serva
of The « Limite group », one of the most notable experiments
of the decade in french science fiction, comprised of authors such
as Emmanuel Jouanne, Antoine Volodine, Jean-Pierre Vernay and Francis
Berthelot. « Limite » attempted to merge science fiction
with highly stylized general litterature, as a reaction against both
traditional space opera and the political « new science fiction
» of the 1970s. Elisabeth Gilles and Jacques Chambon, directors
of Présence du Futur (Denoël) championed the efforts of
« Limite » publishing the group’s anthology, «
Malgré le Monde » (In spite of the world, 1987). Immediatly
after, Jacques Barbéri wrote four novels for Présence
du Futur : « Une soirée à la plage » (An
evening on the beach, 1988), « Narcose » (1989), «
Guerre de Rien » (War of Nothing, 1990), and « La mémoire
du crime » (The memory of the crime, 1992). Barbéri also
collaborate with Yves Ramonet under the pseudonyme of « Oscar
Valetti » to pen three fantastic novels for Fleuve Noir’s
Anticipation (1992-93). He closed this litterary periode as he started
it, by publishing an anthology of short stories : « Carcinoma
Tango » (1993). During this period he made also many traductions
of italian authors (Citati, Aldani, Pestriniero)
The audiotronic
nineties :
Barbéri began to play sax with a rock band « Zone Rouge
» at the beginning of the eighties. Several concerts but no
disc to illustrate this periode. After that, quite nothing before
1989 and the Palo Alto group which born from the chance meeting of
a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table. The copulation’s
babies are Jacques Barbéri, Denis Frajerman, Philippe Masson
and Philippe Perreaudin. Some liked Poulenc and the Canterbury School,
others Ptôse, Krautrock and French song, others still Hungarian
melodies or the nicely doctored sonic surprises from the FM band...
Clarinet, saxophone, electric bass, synthesizer and rhythm box were
the first instruments taken up by the group. This combination can
be heard on their first CD release, "Grands Succédanés"
(1992), which features highly "written", quite melodic,
Belgian-oriented (Tuxedomoon, Made to Measure) compositions, with
a darker side shades of « Art Zoyd » or « Univers
Zéro » and a more distanced one, not unlike the Residents
or Renaldo and the Loaf.
In early 1993, the improvisation sessions became numerous. Instrumental
eclectism was de rigueur and the studio soon turned into a thick jungle.
Denis Frajerman later undertook to edit these dailies. The output
of this experiment would make up most of the tracks on their second
CD, "Trash et Artères" (1994).
Along with those various works, Palo Alto wrote part of the score
for a Pierre Schumacher film, "Histoire d'ombres" (broadcast
on french TV France 2) and for which Jacques Barbéri had written
the story.
Under the name of « Palo Alto3 », Barbéri, Masson,
Perreaudin worked on a music project for videos with Philippe Demontaut,
a graphic artist, produced by the Georges Pompidou Center. The first
opus, « Question d'observation », was done in 1995.
Early 1997, a new item added to the band's discography : "Le
disque dur", a 13-track CD on the Organic label (Grenoble). Mixing
the different expressional means of the band-acoustic, electronic
and doctored instruments, "Le disque dur" marks a radical
departure from the improvisational direction of "Trash et artères".
The same year, PA recorded « Transe Plan », a 7-track
CD published on the label « Gazul ». This « ambient
Free Music » demonstration is the result of fully improvised
sessions recorded direct to DAT by Jacques Barbéri, Frajerman,
Perreaudin and with guests such as Régis Codur (guitar) Rhys
Chattam (trumpet), Eric Roger (cornet).
During this period, Jacques Barbéri made other traductions
of italian authors (Evangelisti, Masali, Ricciardiello, Vallorani)
and several scripts for TV-films.
2001 Electro-jazz
odyssey :
Perreaudin and Barbéri, a « Palo Alto2 » unit,
invited six electronic musicians (Norscq, Neven, Laurent Pernice,
The Flying Star Fish, Jefferson Lembeye and Phil Von) to appropriate
the original soundtrack of Pogs’ PA track. The POGS BOX project
is released in 2001 on « Land », the organic label dedicated
to electronics musics.
Jacques Barbéri confirm his status of Avant-Pop writer by publishing
a transgenders novel untitled « Le crépuscule des Chimères
» (The crepuscule of the chimeras), Flammarion 2002.
With Laurent Pernice he started the Drosophiles and Doryphores project,
combination of electronic programmations, voice, piano and sax improvisations,
a few alchimic sounds, a smell idea of the new century…
http://www.laurent-pernice.fr.vu
http://www.lewub.com/barberi
http://www.lewub.com/paloalto
