I have always loved Arnaud Roulin's ethos, his world, his vibration, his cosmo-energy without really knowing him. I have worked with, known and loved many of the people he makes music with, and even once or twice shared the stage with him. Everyone loves him... I remember a friend of his once telling me that he was actually a horn player before he was a pianist, and that only added to the mystery, the density, and the admiration... Some time ago I listened to the complete piano music of Bartok played by Zoltan Kocsis and I thought to myself that the "piano solo" is like the framework, the skeleton of a musical thought. It is, therefore, with the desire to know the essence, the thought and the musical heart of Arnaud Roulin that I jumped into his Massages for Piano while writing these lines. I discovered a pianist who fogged my eyes with tears of joy and made me smile that smile that I love so much, the one that says, “Of course I love you! Let's go for a walk, find a spot and enjoy…” His touch, his light staccato, his agility, his key changes, his chromatisms, his sudden nuances, his winks, his subtle dissonances, his ornaments, his trills, his lonely melodies that want to be sung and his waves at the end of each song had already won me over when the piece I was going to put on a loop to finish writing this text arrived, "Nuclear Blues". It seemed to have everything to fulfill me: the clusters, the parallel movements, the harmonic grid that descends to the beautiful past, the poignancy of the melody, the windy sounds that carry it high, high, high in the heart.
Thank you, Arnaud. There is nothing more precious than a piece that you know you can listen to on an infinite loop.
Chassol
credits
released March 31, 2023
Arnaud Roulin: Piano, synths
Producer & Artistic Director : Thomas de Pourquery
Recorded by David Mestre @ Studio CBE, Paris
Mixed by Guillaume Jay & Thomas de Pourquery @ Studio Ferber, Paris
Mastered by Chab @ Chab Mastering Studio, Paris.
All Tracks composed by Arnaud Roulin
except #6 by Laurent Bardainne & Arnaud Roulin
All tracks published by Lying Lions Editions.
Arnaud Roulin came back to the piano late in life. After making his way through all sorts of keyboards, from the liturgical
organ to discoid synthesizers, alongside artists Poni Hoax, Laurent Bardainne and Thomas de Pourquery, he now tackles strings and hammers in the most intrepid way: the solo....more
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