Stephane Leonard: Lykkelig Dyr
Albuminfo
> artist: Stephane Leonard
> album (LP&CD): Lykkelig Dyr
> label: Heilskabaal (HK09) / naivsuper (nasu 014)
> tracks:
A // 01. Dystopia 03:07 / 02. Brooklyn Fieber 05:14 / 03. Eh und Jäh 03:54 / 04. Ific Shores 03:19 / 05. 333 und 3 04:08
B // 01. Freihändig 03:49 / 02. More Tea For Keith 04:23 / 03. Bells* 05:28 / 04. Rock«n«Roll Charity 03:24 / 05. Impossibly Possible 02:33
> general:
naivsuper CD 014 / Heilskabaal HK009 / all sounds by Stephane Leonard / created between 2004 - 2007 in Berlin, Brooklyn and Bremen / * voice on «Bells« by Eva / cover artwork by Jason Yates (www.myspace.com/fastfriendsinc) / Vinyl release by Heilskabaal (www.heilskabaal.net) / CD release by naivsuper (www.naivsuper.de) / package: naivsuper Team / p + c 2008 Heilskabaal, naivsuper & Stephane Leonard / all rights reserved
> info:
"Lykkelig Dyr" (Norwegian, meaning: Happy Animal) is released on vinyl by the Dutch label Heilskabaal and on CD by naivsuper.
"If records were persons, Lykkelig Dyr would be someone navigating a maze of electro acoustic-playgrounds, someone farming data that is provided by the sensory surfaces of buzzing streets where familiar smiles crack wide open in their flickering fleeting transparency.
Lykkelig Dyr is focused, equipped with an electronically amplified awareness. The brooding boltzmann heat it envelopes reflects the never ending stream, its capillary thumping within myriads of family home labs flocked together like crystals - their whispers, their stories and dreams.
What makes Lykkelig Dyr«s 10 songs so exciting is their masterfully crisp and distinct sound structure. They dissect our collectives« mnemonic imageries as what they are: shiny cybernetic insects wrapped in paper-thin lucent gauze and enthrilled by suspicion. This stands in contrast to the songs« hovering planes of atmospheric mirages that form an enticing display of delicate sonic morph dynamics offering their hand to a prolonged reflection on the emphatic view from within - a truly mature postural tension embodied in musically post-processed experiences.
Stephane Leonard«s first major publication since Hörtheater in 2004 proves to be one of those records that don«t make you think but understand."
(Lars Marstaller, 2008)
The album could probably be described as a hyperventilating harsh electronic yet dreamy spacescape... But I am not sure if that makes any sense at all.
The research and recordings took me over 3 years and I am happy to finally have it finished. After my first 2 solo releases in 2003 and 2004 I knew that I had to get a completely new perspective on writing and playing music. Instead of guitars and keyboards I started to experiment with synthetic sound modulations, manipulations and artificial sound creation. I learned to work and script with max/msp and started using the computer as an instrument.
After various trips into different electronic genres I finally returned to the use of analogue material. During many journeys I collected and recorded loads of field recordings and inspiration from music and sounds I have never heard before. From the crickets of the jungle in Thailand to the wind in the Canadian forests to Mariachi hip hop and Caribbean dub from the streets of Brooklyn, NY - everything left a trace behind.
On Lykkelig Dyr I travel through different sound rooms, weave stories sometimes based on a single tone and tumble in between music traditions and present positions in the electroacoustic field.
I am interested in challenge the hearing habits and confront myself as well as the interested listener with a unique and strange language. A language that can say more than words, a language that describes the world around me more precise, less idealistic and less compressed than a picture would ever be able to.
From loud high pitched beeps and distorted white noise to soft and small soundscapes to rhythmic glitch and various field recordings, they all become one on the record serving a higher purpose, hopefully without losing their individuality.
I sceptically question the structure of a composition and try to confuse the listener about when and what will be the next little sound eruption or even explosion. Lykkelig Dyr can be seen as the starting point of a journey and would then function as the table of contents for upcoming albums."
(Stephane Leonard, 2007)