Bernard Parmegiani: De Natura Sonorum (INA-GRM, 1976/reissued Recollection GRM, 2013) + L’Œil Écoute / Dedans-Dehors (Recollection GRM, 2012)
December 8, 2013 at 8:04 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
Bernard Parmegiani: De Natura Sonorum
Leave it to an artist’s death to get me to finally listen to his records, after having bought them months ago and never getting around to listening to them. And leave it to Discogs for reminding me that this 2LP pressing is supposed to be played at 45 RPM, after I think I already played it at 33 on my radio show. Playing it at 45 only makes it even more intense and mindblowing. Lots of split-second sounds whirring past you at any given moment, but there’s a strange stillness and ambience behind it all. And then there’s all these clattering drums and electric static on the second side. The second disc further twists electronic and natural sounds into confounding audio shapes. Stupendous sound quality, and it includes the 2 bonus movements that were included on the CD reissue that weren’t on the original vinyl.
Bernard Parmegiani: L’Œil Écoute / Dedans-Dehors
Also previously released on Recollection GRM was a disc featuring
L’Œil Écoute (1970) and
Dedans-Dehors (1977).
L’Œil Écoute translates to
The Eye Is Listening, and these pieces focus on visual sounds: trains, birds, water, forests, precipitation, crackling fire, etc. Some of them are simulated, and some are appropriated sounds. Actually, I think the labels on my copy of reversed, because it looks like
L’Œil Écoute starts with train sounds and then insects, and I’m hearing that on the other side of the record. But it’s confusing because the side that I thought was
L’Œil Écoute starts with mechanized train-like rhythms, and there’s plenty of other moments that seem to simulate nature sounds, so I can’t tell what’s being manipulated or synthesized and what isn’t. Regardless, more truly stunning, visionary audio work.
The Answer Is In The Beat 
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