Present new album crowdfunding

[boilk]

Seems to be available as a download from Qobuz.

https://www.qobuz.com/ca-en/album/th...MTE3MzY3NzE5NQ..

Well, that's the Free Human Zoo one. Let's see if they have The Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra. They do seem to.

Thanks,
Neil

[taliesin]

Well, that's the Free Human Zoo one. Let's see if they have The Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra. They do seem to.

Thanks,
Neil

Sorry - it sounded like that was the one you were interested in - but it does seem like they have the Toubrifi ones as well.

[Steve F.]

Seems to be available as a download from Qobuz.

https://www.qobuz.com/ca-en/album/th...MTE3MzY3NzE5NQ..

Qobuz is mostly a streaming platform but they do offer hi-res sales of (some?) things as well; other than BandCamp, I think that they are the only service that offers hi-res sales of items on Cuneiform.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Really?

Mr. Kcrimso is spot on here. There's a span of frenzy/ferocity in each and every level of fingerprint-dynamic coherent to the total of impressions in mood, atmosphere, lyrics, structure rationale etc. That album mostly -needed- to be merciless and dreadful as sanctioned mandate to sound "autocratic" - crunch/punch, shattering even. The lengthy "Souls For Sale" is simply just devastating in overt terror of force. And you can approach every minimum of fermentations as to how this strength is accomplished due to how you decided to make of frequence, sonic conjecture and the divide. Trigaux' vocals sound all at home in a frame as strangely beguiling yet duly hostile like this.

[Udi Koomran]

Mr. Kcrimso is spot on here. There's a span of frenzy/ferocity in each and every level of fingerprint-dynamic coherent to the total of impressions in mood, atmosphere, lyrics, structure rationale etc. That album mostly -needed- to be merciless and dreadful as sanctioned mandate to sound "autocratic" - crunch/punch, shattering even. The lengthy "Souls For Sale" is simply just devastating in overt terror of force. And you can approach every minimum of fermentations as to how this strength is accomplished due to how you decided to make of frequence, sonic conjecture and the divide. Trigaux' vocals sound all at home in a frame as strangely beguiling yet duly hostile like this.

Mr. Kcrimso is spot on here. There's a span of frenzy/ferocity in each and every level of fingerprint-dynamic coherent to the total of impressions in mood, atmosphere, lyrics, structure rationale etc. That album mostly -needed- to be merciless and dreadful as sanctioned mandate to sound "autocratic" - crunch/punch, shattering even. The lengthy "Souls For Sale" is simply just devastating in overt terror of force. And you can approach every minimum of fermentations as to how this strength is accomplished due to how you decided to make of frequence, sonic conjecture and the divide. Trigaux' vocals sound all at home in a frame as strangely beguiling yet duly hostile like this.

This “merciless/ferocity/terror atmosphere runs straight through Limping Little Girl,Ceux D’en Bas, Souls for Sale and Vertiege but i feel less so on This is not the End
It probably has to do more about mystery and the macabre no doubt due to the Edgar Allan Poe text
But perhaps also to do with a shift of perspective on Trigaux sensing his demise or the fact we are older and see reality as more complex and multi-facet
On my side I remember feeling I want to stay true to Roger - as I toiled on the centrepiece (part 1) I remember being astound by the sophistication and complexity of the composition arrangement - one needs to listen deeply to realise how many different lines and parts are happening simultaneously but in a subtle sometimes subliminally

[Steve F.]

^^^^^^^

For me, Babaro is my favorite because I think that Vertiges is his overall best composition.

I like the band and their performance the best on the new one; I wish Liesbeth and especially Kurt had come in earlier in the story, but, hey, reality is what it is.

[Udi Koomran]

I feel an urge to share Aymeric Leroy’s review for Big Bang Magazine
its insightful deep and gracious

Présent
This time, it really is the end...

The release in April 2024 of Roger Trigaux's final opus, entitled This Is Not The End with a touch of (Belgian, obviously) humour, could have been dominated by a feeling of sadness. Sadness that this ‘great inhuman adventure’ (the title given to the live album released in 2005 from the band's incredible American tour in 1998), which began in 1980, has come to an end, with no hope of a comeback this time. It is also, and above all, sad that the man who masterminded it was unable to see it through to completion, having died in March 2021 just a few months before his seventieth birthday and a year after the recording sessions had to be brought to an abrupt halt due to a certain health crisis...
But Roger Trigaux was not a man to wallow in solemnity and, despite a declining physical condition that had led him over the years - he had once been a virtuoso guitarist - to reduce his instrumental contribution to the group to a few synth layers and concentrate on writing, To the very end, he retained that vital drive which, behind a façade of apparent darkness (how can one take literally the title of his most famous composition, ‘Promenade Au Fond D'Un Canal’? ), imbued his music with a paradoxical luminosity.
There were, of course, a few moments of discouragement, but he was able to count on the support of faithful ‘fellow travellers’, first and foremost Michel Besset, the band's tour manager in the early days, who later became a concert and festival organiser, culminating in the Rock In Opposition in Carmaux (2007-2018), for which Trigaux was co-programmer for a time, and mastermind of the participatory funding that enabled this album to see the light of day, on the Cuneiform label, which has also been involved with Présent for nearly 40 years. It was Besset who, when the band had gone into dormancy without having recorded (or even finished rehearsing) their latest magnum opus, convinced them in 2018 to undertake this unfinished project. Présent returned to the studio, first in May 2019 for the final edition of Rock In Opposition organised in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère, then in March 2020 in Brussels for the studio sessions.
For a long time, Trigaux had been able to count on the presence of his son Réginald at his side to assist him, and eventually replace him, on guitar. When father and son fell out, a new face joined the Présent family, one familiar to regular RIO-goers: François Mignot, guitarist with Ni, PinioL and the Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra. He completed a line-up that had remained stable since the late 90s: American drummer Dave Kerman, recruited in 1995 (and the album Live! album, which featured an early version of ‘Contre’), pianist Pierre Chevalier, brought in for the 1998 US tour, and bassist Keith Macksoud, another American, whose baptism of fire had come in public: a guest solo on the aforementioned ‘Promenade...’, immortalised on A Great Inhumane Adventure. The line-up was subsequently expanded to include saxophone, trumpet and cello, with Kurt Budé, from cousin band Univers Zéro, adding his clarinets in 2013, joined in 2015 by Aranis violinist Liesbeth Lambrecht (who went on to become a regular collaborator with Flairck and Isildurs Bane). To this instrumental line-up should be added sound engineer Udi Koomran, who has been fully involved with the band throughout this quarter-century.
This Is Not The End features the entire title suite, first known as ‘2013’ (the year a dozen minutes or so were played at the RIO as a medley with the second half of ‘Promenade...’), then ‘2018’ at Bourgoin-Jallieu, a version corresponding to ‘Part 1’ on the album, in a set that began with the new arrangement of ‘Contre’, keeping very little of it. ‘), then “2018” in Bourgoin-Jallieu, a version corresponding to “Part 1” on the album, in a set that began with the new arrangement of “Contre”, retaining little of the 1995 original apart from Trigaux's introductory recitative, taken from a 1934 poem by his compatriot Henri Michaux.
‘Contre’ is undoubtedly the most appropriate opening track, with its percussive riff-leitmotiv, a sort of RIO cousin of the one in ‘Satisfaction’, and its rock energy that only subsides for a short lull. The vindictive apostrophes of a Trigaux from beyond the grave are followed by an epic, madcap Hendrixian guitar solo from François Mignot, who makes an entirely convincing entry into the Présent family. Présent retains its chamber accents, notably through the supporting role of the violin, but it's in the very last minute that, in a sudden profusion of virtuoso riffs, a spectacular, flamboyant finale brings the album's first peak of intensity.
The title suite, which spans a total of almost 39 minutes, can be subdivided into not two but three main phases. The first half of ‘Part 1’, still in chamber music mode, with the bass clarinet playing a key role, begins by treading water, as if mired in darkness, but with that low double piano note anticipating the developments to come in the second half, where the full band finally delivers, particularly in the last 10 minutes, what will go down as one of the genre's peaks: superbly orchestrated chamber rock with a density of writing almost unrivalled in the Présent catalogue, served up by exceptional musicians. Particularly noteworthy are the question-and-answer games between violin and guitar, but the performance by the immovable Chevalier-Macksoud-Kerman trio is just as praiseworthy.
Finally, ‘Part 2’ offers 12 minutes that have never been played live before. It has to be said that here we leave the realm of rock for what might more appropriately be called electric chamber music (the piano even ends up giving way to the harpsichord), for want of the propulsive energy of the bass-drums duo. But that doesn't stop the tension (the bass clarinet, once again, is an essential ingredient here) or the intensity, and better still, without giving way to unbridled lyricism, the music becomes more luminous, and the last few minutes are among the most beautiful on the album, even when at the very end we return to a heavier atmosphere, punctuated by the very sonorous exhalations of a Trigaux visibly unwilling to breathe his last.
Over and above the satisfaction that this final opus could be produced before it was too late, This Is Not The End is above all the culmination of an extraordinary musical adventure - and not at all inhuman, for that matter -, which saw Roger Trigaux achieve a feat of which there are few equivalents: After a reactivation in several phases – let’s not overlook Certitudes (1998), the result of an inevitably short-lived quasi-reformation of the original line-up - Roger Trigaux created four albums of new music that equal, and may even surpass surpass, those on which his reputation was built. He achieved this by knowing how to surround himself with the best, but also and above all by succeeding in surpassing himself as a composer, as this final discographic milestone so eloquently proves.

Aymeric Leroy

[chalkpie]

Amazing review Aymeric. I love it but need at least two more spins before I spew any mental pepperoni slices.

[Udi Koomran]

Amazing review Aymeric. I love it but need at least two more spins before I spew any mental pepperoni slices.

Don’t Rush it heh heh

[taliesin]

This seems like a good place to post this - a nice interview with our own Steve F.

https://rockandrollglobe.com/records...iform-records/

[chalkpie]

Don’t Rush it heh heh

[Steve F.]

This seems like a good place to post this - a nice interview with our own Steve F.

Ah...so THIS is the thread for the 212 people who give a shit!!

[Mister Triscuits]

Ah...so THIS is the thread for the 212 people who give a shit!!

Now I want a badge with just the number 212.

[chalkpie]

Ah...so THIS is the thread for the 212 people who give a shit!!

If you wrote 2112, a LOT more people would read this thread!

[Nijinsky Hind]

If you wrote 2112, a LOT more people would read this thread!

Got my attention. whats the thread about?

[Rick L.]

Ah...so THIS is the thread for the 212 people who give a shit!!

I thought it was 211.

[Mister Triscuits]

I thought it was 211.

You forgot Jim.

[Rick L.]

You forgot Jim.

Shit! You're right.

[MIO Records]

Nice to see that the vibes still go on and people are still keeping the fire going on.

Will try to hear the album ASAP.

>M

[taliesin]

Pretty sure 212 is the sequel to 300 - a small band of brave souls facing the entire might of the musical-industrial complex.

“Come back with your Cuneiform CD or on it.”

I’ll get my coat.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

I feel an urge to share Aymeric Leroy’s review for Big Bang Magazine
its insightful deep and gracious

Présent
This time, it really is the end...

The release in April 2024 of Roger Trigaux's final opus, entitled This Is Not The End with a touch of (Belgian, obviously) humour, could have been dominated by a feeling of sadness. Sadness that this ‘great inhuman adventure’ (the title given to the live album released in 2005 from the band's incredible American tour in 1998), which began in 1980, has come to an end, with no hope of a comeback this time. It is also, and above all, sad that the man who masterminded it was unable to see it through to completion, having died in March 2021 just a few months before his seventieth birthday and a year after the recording sessions had to be brought to an abrupt halt due to a certain health crisis...
But Roger Trigaux was not a man to wallow in solemnity and, despite a declining physical condition that had led him over the years - he had once been a virtuoso guitarist - to reduce his instrumental contribution to the group to a few synth layers and concentrate on writing, To the very end, he retained that vital drive which, behind a façade of apparent darkness (how can one take literally the title of his most famous composition, ‘Promenade Au Fond D'Un Canal’? ), imbued his music with a paradoxical luminosity.
There were, of course, a few moments of discouragement, but he was able to count on the support of faithful ‘fellow travellers’, first and foremost Michel Besset, the band's tour manager in the early days, who later became a concert and festival organiser, culminating in the Rock In Opposition in Carmaux (2007-2018), for which Trigaux was co-programmer for a time, and mastermind of the participatory funding that enabled this album to see the light of day, on the Cuneiform label, which has also been involved with Présent for nearly 40 years. It was Besset who, when the band had gone into dormancy without having recorded (or even finished rehearsing) their latest magnum opus, convinced them in 2018 to undertake this unfinished project. Présent returned to the studio, first in May 2019 for the final edition of Rock In Opposition organised in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère, then in March 2020 in Brussels for the studio sessions.
For a long time, Trigaux had been able to count on the presence of his son Réginald at his side to assist him, and eventually replace him, on guitar. When father and son fell out, a new face joined the Présent family, one familiar to regular RIO-goers: François Mignot, guitarist with Ni, PinioL and the Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra. He completed a line-up that had remained stable since the late 90s: American drummer Dave Kerman, recruited in 1995 (and the album Live! album, which featured an early version of ‘Contre’), pianist Pierre Chevalier, brought in for the 1998 US tour, and bassist Keith Macksoud, another American, whose baptism of fire had come in public: a guest solo on the aforementioned ‘Promenade...’, immortalised on A Great Inhumane Adventure. The line-up was subsequently expanded to include saxophone, trumpet and cello, with Kurt Budé, from cousin band Univers Zéro, adding his clarinets in 2013, joined in 2015 by Aranis violinist Liesbeth Lambrecht (who went on to become a regular collaborator with Flairck and Isildurs Bane). To this instrumental line-up should be added sound engineer Udi Koomran, who has been fully involved with the band throughout this quarter-century.
This Is Not The End features the entire title suite, first known as ‘2013’ (the year a dozen minutes or so were played at the RIO as a medley with the second half of ‘Promenade...’), then ‘2018’ at Bourgoin-Jallieu, a version corresponding to ‘Part 1’ on the album, in a set that began with the new arrangement of ‘Contre’, keeping very little of it. ‘), then “2018” in Bourgoin-Jallieu, a version corresponding to “Part 1” on the album, in a set that began with the new arrangement of “Contre”, retaining little of the 1995 original apart from Trigaux's introductory recitative, taken from a 1934 poem by his compatriot Henri Michaux.
‘Contre’ is undoubtedly the most appropriate opening track, with its percussive riff-leitmotiv, a sort of RIO cousin of the one in ‘Satisfaction’, and its rock energy that only subsides for a short lull. The vindictive apostrophes of a Trigaux from beyond the grave are followed by an epic, madcap Hendrixian guitar solo from François Mignot, who makes an entirely convincing entry into the Présent family. Présent retains its chamber accents, notably through the supporting role of the violin, but it's in the very last minute that, in a sudden profusion of virtuoso riffs, a spectacular, flamboyant finale brings the album's first peak of intensity.
The title suite, which spans a total of almost 39 minutes, can be subdivided into not two but three main phases. The first half of ‘Part 1’, still in chamber music mode, with the bass clarinet playing a key role, begins by treading water, as if mired in darkness, but with that low double piano note anticipating the developments to come in the second half, where the full band finally delivers, particularly in the last 10 minutes, what will go down as one of the genre's peaks: superbly orchestrated chamber rock with a density of writing almost unrivalled in the Présent catalogue, served up by exceptional musicians. Particularly noteworthy are the question-and-answer games between violin and guitar, but the performance by the immovable Chevalier-Macksoud-Kerman trio is just as praiseworthy.
Finally, ‘Part 2’ offers 12 minutes that have never been played live before. It has to be said that here we leave the realm of rock for what might more appropriately be called electric chamber music (the piano even ends up giving way to the harpsichord), for want of the propulsive energy of the bass-drums duo. But that doesn't stop the tension (the bass clarinet, once again, is an essential ingredient here) or the intensity, and better still, without giving way to unbridled lyricism, the music becomes more luminous, and the last few minutes are among the most beautiful on the album, even when at the very end we return to a heavier atmosphere, punctuated by the very sonorous exhalations of a Trigaux visibly unwilling to breathe his last.
Over and above the satisfaction that this final opus could be produced before it was too late, This Is Not The End is above all the culmination of an extraordinary musical adventure - and not at all inhuman, for that matter -, which saw Roger Trigaux achieve a feat of which there are few equivalents: After a reactivation in several phases – let’s not overlook Certitudes (1998), the result of an inevitably short-lived quasi-reformation of the original line-up - Roger Trigaux created four albums of new music that equal, and may even surpass surpass, those on which his reputation was built. He achieved this by knowing how to surround himself with the best, but also and above all by succeeding in surpassing himself as a composer, as this final discographic milestone so eloquently proves.

Aymeric Leroy

A great write up.

[Udi Koomran]

A great write up.

An interview with yours truly by Aymeric Leroy for Big Bang Magazine

The interview in English
Part 1

Let's go back in time to how you first became involved with the band. Were you aware, and particularly fond of Present's previous albums ?

I have been a Universe Zero and Present fan since the early days of Wayside Music and the Recommended Records catalogs in the early 80’s.
So was Obviously thrilled and delighted when the brand new Cuneiform Records label announced its releasing the sophomore Le Poisons Qui Rend Fou.Then after a long long silent decade rumor had it he was back to making music with his son (?!) I thought " mmm... are they doing a children's album ?"... ;-)
I will never forget the day I received my copy of Certitudes -The next morning I called the studio and told them I was sick... I guessI needed a day off to celebrate... I was so rejoiced and excited to see Present back being an active band.
Had someone told me their next two albums will be recorded in Tel Aviv by me I would think he was mad.

What circumstances brought Roger and the band to seek the collaboration of an Israeli sound engineer ?

In 1998 I was working on an album with a local band Tractor's Revenge. this album was partly inspired by the atmospheres and vibes of Art Zoyd and Present
Through a miraculous chain of events initiated by Meidad Zachria Roger accepted an offer to travel to Israel and participate in that project.
In the studio we instantly bonded and found a mutual affinity and human chemistry. Here is a quote from an interview Roger gave to Marcello Marinone
"...Once in Tel Aviv I had the thunderbolt for these people and especially for Udi Koomran. After ten minutes of work in the studio, I decided that it was with him that I wanted to work in the future. He understands exactly what I want and my feelings in music. Much more, he has good ideas. It is the dream...."
See I was hoping to ask Roger if I can come to Belgium next time they record and be a fly on the wall -watch, listen and learn -So to my shock Roger asked me if I would like to work with him and Present on their next double album - I just nodded in disbelief... I offered to travel to Belgium but Roger was adamant he wanted to record in Tel Aviv...
True to his word 6 months later he flew a 6 piece band to Israel.

How experienced were you at the time as an engineer ?
You had done some apprenticeship in UK studios like Cold Storage in the mid-1980s, so I guess you already knew your stuff ?

By then I was already quite an experienced engineer after 2 years of studying and apprenticing in London and then years of honing my craft in TLV For better or worse I was an early adopter of recording with digital audio software. In 1998 I bought a Pro Tools system So by 1999 I had it for a year. But nothing prepared me for recording 2 albums worth in 16 grueling intense exhilarating days. Many magical moments of creativity and dedicated labour.

But had you already worked on any projects you would call "important" musically ?

Well not sure how important but I look back with fondness and love on albums like Meira Asher- Dissected (1996) which was released on Crammed Discs this is an album I highly recommend and then Tractor’s Revenge Acoustic Kitchen (1996) a live album that went gold and was extremely fun to work on and then Othello (1998) which I co produced and which Roger guested on.

The band's very existence over these 25 years was always a challenge, especially logistically, with you in Israel and some of the band living very far from Belgium, and having a large line-up, and getting together required outside financial support from various people, most especially Michel Besset of course. Could things have been simpler or was it frustrating not being able to do more touring and recording because of these challenges ?

After years of several line up changes and a unstable run of local musicians by 1999 the line up stabilised and Roger was extremely confident and proud of the core of the line up both musically but nonetheless dedication and passion of the core members. The band felt like a close knit organic unit
So I guess for Roger it was a challenge worth taking


Roger was uncompromising in his vision and demands, wasn't he ?

Roger demands ?
I never felt he was demanding. This is probably due to our chemistry and affinity
Working with him in the studio was fun and meaningful to me.We worked hard and long hours but as Roger said "this is the dream".
I feel anything that might have been seen as hard or extreme or "inhumane" on Roger's part was all down to his dedication to the music and his passion for sharing it. You see Roger's name of the band was Present = Cadeau = Gift, and not as many think Present ≠ Présent (Present Time )
The last sessions we did were such a pleasant experience I was so pleased to be back in the studio with him- its been a long time since the Barbaro sessions and it felt so natural and exciting.

Looking back on all the albums you made with the band over a quarter of a century, how would you describe the way your work as engineer/producer evolved over time, and do you feel equally happy with all of them, or conversely, a little embarrassed by the early stuff ? (Although that's certainly not my personal impression that you should be !) -

The difference is mainly in being able to see the “big picture” -giving attention to detail and sounds is important but even more understanding the essence of the composition and knowing where the heart of the matter lies. Respecting the music and giving it all it needs not more not less and by the time of recording Barbaro I already had that perspective.And I feel on this album my focus was to honor the composition and make sure the feelings and emotions come through.

Roger was, of course, a unique character as well as a brilliant composer and bandleader. Could you try to describe what made him so unique ?

Well it's a very personal question that is hard for me to answer but I can say I have never met anyone with this amount of burning passion and commitment for the music -for me this instantly felt natural and easy to relate to but for many it seemed extreme or excessive.
His music had this intense existential and heavy feel to it yet he would be completely down to earth and often showed a wicked sense of humor and never striked me as cynical or cold.

Did you find it easy to communicate with him and help realise his vision ?

Well for Very easy to work with, very easy to understand and always fun and rewarding - unlike many artists if he would like an idea or a result he would often make a point of appreciating it and showing his satisfaction.

How much did he seek you, and other people's input, as opposed to imposing his views ?

I never felt imposed by him or his views
Early on I realized I can suggest ideas or solutions and he would be consistently open to try stuff he didn't think of.
I have a nice anekdote - I was visiting him in his home and brought the first version of Souls For Sale and he was listening to it in his living room system and after a while I went to his "office" and say he had a copy of escalator over the hill and out of curiosity I pressed play and so heard a weird mix of Present and Escalator - I thought it sounded great it gave that part en eerie vibe so I called Roger over and he instantly connected so we secretly snuck that into the mix heh heh.
He used to guide me to stir away from trying to impress with sounds in favor of using them to serve the music. Music always came first.

[Udi Koomran]

Part. 2 of the interview



That new album was produced under challenging times, with Covid intervening right as recording was underway, and then of course Roger's passing in 2021. How did you deal with these setbacks and are you safe in the knowledge that the finished album is exactly as Roger had envisioned it ?

Well ... in reality the result is never exactly like the composer envisions it.But we were confident we knew what he wanted since we recorded the music with him so moving to the mixes we had a clear idea plus knew each other for over 20 years and had immense trust and respect for him. and.. he did state in that interview "He (Udi) understands exactly what I want and my feelings in music."

You have become associated with the RIO/avant-prog scene because of the band and labels you have worked with, in particular Cuneiform and Soleil Zeuhl, but your musical interests are wider-ranging. What are some of your absolute favourite bands/artists in all genres ?
oh... a very hard question as I am a rabid fan of music and my life is a constant search for new music to discover.
Too many to mention but since discovering music in the golden era of the early to mid 70's progressive rock was my foremost love- so to pick a handful ? mmm... the closest to my heart no doubt are Daevid Allen and Gong then I guess 70's ,Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd,Robert Wyatt King Crimson and so many more Art Zoyd UZ and in recent years Ennio Morriconne.But I also love 60's and 70's mainstream pop and British Psychedelia.

And as a producer/engineer, could you name 5 albums you worked on that are, not necessarily your favourites as it may be too hard to choose, but that you would recommend to people as a good and thorough representation of your work ?

Tracktor's Revenge Acoustic Kitchen
Meira Asher -Dissected
3 Mice -Send me a postcard
Yugen Labirinto d'acqua
Stein – The Lost Horse

What are you currently busy working on ?
I am starting to mix 2 albums for local bands one is a progressive rock album for the band Telegraph and the 2nd a chamber rock line up from the south called Shmulikraut (pun intended) and sometime sooner than later a 3 Mice follow up.

It seems you're doing more remote mixing and mastering work these days, being sent digital multitracks via the Internet, than engineering sessions with actual musicians. Is that something you wish you could do more ?

I have been doing this ( mixing and mastering remotely) for a good part of 20 years.
In recent years I built a new room which is acoustically designed for mixing and mastering and recording
My aim is to record as much as I can. I am passionate about this lost art of instrument placements and microphone selections etc. but mainly the interaction with the musician is where I can help most .
So I am trying as much as I can to record or oversee some of the recording sessions with artists that I work with - But not so easy with today's "climate" people prefer to record themselves mostly for convenience and in order to cut costs ...

Could it be that you one day work again with an Israeli band as you did with Ahvak, which I would say is one of the productions people most readily associate you with, and a particular milestone ?

Yes I have fond memories of recording that album.
Dave Kerman taught me a lot and working with him was a huge privilege.
Funny you mention this but just a few days ago Yehuda Kotton Ahvak's guitarist has shared his desire to initiate a new recording project with his compositions so not exactly Ahvak but perhaps a offshoot
Time will tell

[selfextraction]

Great interview! Thanks Udi!