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Thread: GHOST RHYTHMS - avant-jazz progressive band

  1. #126
    And here is a thrird text, this one about Kamaloka, which is the free track Cuneiform issued to the public :

    3 days to go til the release gig of our new album, Live at Yoshiwara. That means 3 tracks to explore til friday 18 ! Today we'll talk about Kamaloka, which is the fifth track of the disc.
    First of all, here is the link to listen AND to watch the clip (that was directed by Alice Petit from images by Johan Cassagne) :
    https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/track/kamaloka

    Kamaloka is the "desire realm" in the buddhist cosmology. This is, essentially, where we are : we're so driven by desire and so used to have a form (our body) that we keep living again and again in this world when we are born again (we could escape it and live in other realms, but that's not really Buddhism's point, which aims to escape ALL realms).

    This term I found in a very bad book, The Secret History of the World, by Jonathan Black (in short : secret societies define the world from day one, etc.). I liked the word, and trashed the book. I kept it for a track, and decided to rework a very old riff I wrote, this time separating the riff in two separate ones (one for the cello, one for the guitar), that combines to form a melody. It is a bit "oriental" as it was really influenced by an Israelian band called Esta (nobody seems to know them anymore, but the guitarist from the band we were in, Camille Petit and myself, a long time ago, made me discover their music, which was great and inventive).

    My intention was to give a sense of a seductive, attractive hell, through music. Not something dissonant, but, somehow, a trap that you chose to stay in because you happen to like it.

    Rhythmically, the track is a 11 against 8 polyrhythm, which means that you can have TWO pulsations at once, with the same "one" but not the same count before returning to the "one" (I will now take TWO Nurofens). That is patent as the piano keeps a pulse, and when the drums begin, the 8-notes pulse figure of the piano is played against a 11-beat figure on the drums, although they occupy the same "time".
    The drums were written to stress both pulsations at once, with an emphasis on the 11/8 figure, but with some accents belonging to the 4/4 figure (or the 8/8 if you wish). Therefore you'll find those stranges "bursts" of drums accompanied by slap bass, that fall in time with some piano's accents.
    The "oud" sound is in fact made by Nadia Mejri with her cello, using a plectrum, a nice and cool sound ! And of course, you can hear a glimpse of a Pink Floyd homage in the accordion chorus, but no more shall say I !

  2. #127
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    Fun stuff Xavier, thanks for sharing. Next time I listen, I'll read these descriptions as the track is playing. I got the disc last week and have spun it twice and my wife and I absolutely love it! Incredible this was all recorded live! Also incredible sound quality, given that parts of it were recorded in 1857 and 1916!

    Really outstanding work, will definitely be among my top discs of the year, possibly my favorite.

    Bill

  3. #128
    Quote Originally Posted by Sputnik View Post
    Fun stuff Xavier, thanks for sharing. Next time I listen, I'll read these descriptions as the track is playing. I got the disc last week and have spun it twice and my wife and I absolutely love it! Incredible this was all recorded live! Also incredible sound quality, given that parts of it were recorded in 1857 and 1916!

    Really outstanding work, will definitely be among my top discs of the year, possibly my favorite.

    Bill
    You're so kind... I'm glad you and your wife like it, as it really is a labour of love !

  4. #129
    Here is a first review of the Live at Yoshiwara, from Can This Even Be Called Music ?
    "French progressive ensemble Ghost Rhythms‘s long-awaited live album! I’ve got to say, their studio albums were highly impressive in their own rights, but this live rendition of their compositions is even more so… The project aims at playing around with rhythmic concepts, hence the name, and so it’s something that immediately appeals to me, an outed rhythmophile. This CD is filled to the brim with stellar performances and genius compositions. I mean, it’s on Cuneiform Records, so you know it’s quality, right? Moreover, I’m talking about it, so, go and do yourself a favour!"
    Get yours now !
    REMINDER : if you're in Europe, you can buy directly from the band :
    https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/me...e-at-yoshiwara
    If you're in US, you can buy directly from Cuneiform (and get the digital !)
    https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...e-at-yoshiwara
    Regards from Paris
    Xavier Gélard (drums) and Camille Petit (keys)

  5. #130
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  6. #131
    Yes !
    "The music here walks a wide loop around Soft Machine and Magma, Univers Zero and Henry Cow, Miles Davis and Miriodor, Van Der Graaf Generator and Art Zoyd. It's impeccably assembled and played, while freely indulging the more insane aspects of progressive rock, avant-garde chamber music, and electric jazz. "

    NOW that's an incredible statement about our music !

  7. #132
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    https://www.facebook.com/18576946486...4688238969804/

    Tomorrow, 28 march Madeleine is 5 years old. To celebrate the album is available for 5 euro.

    https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/album/madeleine

    Superb album. Grab your chance if you havent already.

  8. #133
    Hello everybody, as the man said : Madeleine is 5 years old today, and so the album is available today only for 5 euros. Spread the word !
    Xavier
    https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/album/madeleine

  9. #134
    Member Mascodagama's Avatar
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    Here's a bit of fun from some of the Ghost Rhythms crew:

    When in confinement, one goes crazy. And when you go crazy, you commit a "nanar", that is, a very, very bad movie.
    This is what some Ghost Rhythms musicians (out of charity, we will not reveal their names right away) have been preparing, secretly, for a week (it may even be that some have been preparing that since their adolescence, as confusedly warned that this day would come) .
    https://nanarsauvage.bandcamp.com/album/huis-claude
    So here's the soundtrack of a nanar as we like them: the film is called HUIS-CLAUDE (a pun on "Huis-Clos", which means a story that happens behind closed doors), and it is the story of a confined military man who realizes that his two-room apartment was built on an old cemetery Indian and who has to face werewolves, zombie mummies, zombigarous, ninjas, aliens, ghosts, an evil DJ, and a whole bunch of other enemies including, obviously, a very nasty virus. At the end, rest assured, he is doing well. Well, going out, in these times of confinement, is a way of speaking.
    We made sure that there is something for all bad tastes.
    You can buy it by paying what you want, and you can also have the wonderful poster of the movie, done by Guillaume Aventurin.


    EDIT: So if I'd looked in this section to start with I'd have seen XavGel already posted this. Well sod it!
    Last edited by Mascodagama; 03-31-2020 at 07:08 AM. Reason: I'm a cretin, apparently.
    “your ognna pay pay with my wrath of ballbat”

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  10. #135
    [QUOTE=
    EDIT: So if I'd looked in this section to start with I'd have seen XavGel already posted this. Well sod it![/QUOTE]
    Ahaha ! Thanks for spreading the word !

  11. #136
    https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/al...nary-mountains
    A new EP about imaginary mountains. 2 tunes, and more to come !

  12. #137
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by XavGel View Post
    https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/al...nary-mountains
    A new EP about imaginary mountains. 2 tunes, and more to come !
    Wooohooo!!

    As a mountain freak myself... great subject!

  13. #138
    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    Wooohooo!!

    As a mountain freak myself... great subject!
    Great ! We discovered the Tumuc Humac mountains (in South America) and the Kong chain (in Africa), all imaginary ones created by cartographers to please their theories... Do you know of others ??

  14. #139
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Well, there is this extremely funny novel called "The Ascent of Rum Doodle" by W.E. Bowman, which is a classic amongst moutaineers.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent_of_Rum_Doodle

    So the imaginary mountain Rum Doodle, situated somewhere in the Himalayas or Karakorum. Not quite sure.

  15. #140
    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    Well, there is this extremely funny novel called "The Ascent of Rum Doodle" by W.E. Bowman, which is a classic amongst moutaineers.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent_of_Rum_Doodle

    So the imaginary mountain Rum Doodle, situated somewhere in the Himalayas or Karakorum. Not quite sure.
    Hey ! Thanks a lot, great to know !
    We have two other tunes coming for this EP in two weeks, one is called "Le Mont Analogue", it's an imaginary mountain from a book by René Daumal (a french writer who was in "le grand jeu", a writers group related to surrealism and dadaism).

  16. #141
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    and there is this one too
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Qaf

  17. #142
    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    and there is this one too
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Qaf
    Wow that's cool.

  18. #143
    Quote Originally Posted by XavGel View Post
    Great ! We discovered the Tumuc Humac mountains (in South America) and the Kong chain (in Africa), all imaginary ones created by cartographers to please their theories... Do you know of others ??
    The sixth-century Christian author Kosmas Indicopleustes developed a cosmological model in which the world is a mountain:

    The whole world is a square, as I wrote previously. The highest part of its middle and the summit, namely the north and the western part, we have marked here, being drawn out exactly so. The middle is situated here with the ocean all around, and around that in turn an opposite shore, with the stars encircling it. The cone is able to produce a shadow toward those outside it, and thus, according to this scheme, it is able to produce the eclipses of the moon and night and day. What’s more, divine scripture attests this truth, saying: ‘The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course,’ [Eccl. 1, 5-6] the air, as it were, circling back into the place where it returns.

  19. #144
    Quote Originally Posted by per anporth View Post
    The sixth-century Christian author Kosmas Indicopleustes developed a cosmological model in which the world is a mountain:
    What would I do without Robin ? Thanks a very much lot, and thinking about your e-mail, which is beyond interesting !

  20. #145
    Quote Originally Posted by XavGel View Post
    Hey ! Thanks a lot, great to know !
    We have two other tunes coming for this EP in two weeks, one is called "Le Mont Analogue", it's an imaginary mountain from a book by René Daumal (a french writer who was in "le grand jeu", a writers group related to surrealism and dadaism).
    Haha. I was about to post a link to this very book! - then I read your post...

    "The door to the invisible must be visible..."

    Daumal writes of the: "discovery and ascent of a mountain, which can only be perceived by realising that one has travelled further in traversing it than one would by travelling in a straight line..." It is like the two dimensional person traversing the surface of a balloon - who will have no idea of the curvature of the balloon... But would the person ascending the mountain feel any difference in effort expended to the one who walks a comparable distance straight across a "flat" section of terrain?

  21. #146
    Quote Originally Posted by per anporth View Post
    Haha. I was about to post a link to this very book! - then I read your post...

    "The door to the invisible must be visible..."

    Daumal writes of the: "discovery and ascent of a mountain, which can only be perceived by realising that one has travelled further in traversing it than one would by travelling in a straight line..." It is like the two dimensional person traversing the surface of a balloon - who will have no idea of the curvature of the balloon... But would the person ascending the mountain feel any difference in effort expended to the one who walks a comparable distance straight across a "flat" section of terrain?
    Reminds me of an Artaud quote that goes something like "I'm in the same place that last year ; but that's wrong : I ascended in spiral". Note quite an accurate quote, but you got the idea : sometimes we seem not to move but we're in the same place higher

    Edit : the french quote is : "Après treize ans écoulés on dirait que j'en reviens au même point, mais le tour que j'ai fait était en spirale : il m'a mené plus haut" (Lettre à Jean Paulhan, juin 1937)
    Last edited by XavGel; 04-17-2020 at 11:34 AM.

  22. #147
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    The tune Oayana circles is simply gorgeous.

    I cant seem to find any background on this title when using google. Xavier, do you have any?

  23. #148
    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    The tune Oayana circles is simply gorgeous.

    I cant seem to find any background on this title when using google. Xavier, do you have any?
    Yes ! First, thanks a lot for your comment...
    Those two first tracks are related to the Tumuc Humac mountains, imaginary mountains which were drawn on maps to assign a natural frontier in South America between Guyane française and Brésil, although there is just hills and no mountains there. And much explorers went there to find it, but found none, of course. Quite a story.
    Anyway : Sierra de Tamuraque is one the various names those imaginary mountains received in the process of cartography, and Oayana Circles is from the names of Oayana indians that live near this zone, and who produced drawings that we saw in a book about Tumuc Humac, that were circles.

  24. #149
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info Xavier [emoji106] looking forward to the next two tracks.

  25. #150
    Hello folks, I hope you're all well in those strange times. I will buy to support artists I love this may 1st, as Bandcamp don't take its cut on sales !
    Ghost Rhythms issued two new tracks for this special date, in their EP "Imaginary Mountains". The new tracks are "Le Mont Analogue" and "Path to Oyapock".
    All music was composed, arranged and executed during lockdown.
    https://ghostrhythms.bandcamp.com/al...nary-mountains
    The main theme, of course, is imaginary mountains found on old maps, but it is also all those mountains - even inner mountains - that we climb, if only in dreams.
    I hope you'll like the new titles. I'm very proud of the work.
    Cheers everyone, stay safe ! Xavier (Ghost Rhythms)
    Last edited by XavGel; 04-30-2020 at 06:25 PM.

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