Still quite young, this French composer, of whom I reviewed a couple of works
before (see Vital Weekly 953 and 1001) and of whom I don't know much else.
He creates music, installations, photography and film work; that's what I learned
from his website. His previous releases were released by the French Kaon label,
but this one is on Unfathomless, known for their work with field recordings and in
this case, it is all about the 25th April Bridge in Lisbon. I am not sure how
Jehanne works, what kind of technology is at his disposal but my best guess
would be that following the recording 'in the field', there follows an extended
time on the computer for further transformation of the material. That is, of course,
if Jehanne is using the strangest angles and microphone technology to tape
his sounds and that all the transformation takes place in the actual process
of laying the sounds on the recorder. Still, there is a moment in which these
recordings are collaged together as that is something that I'm certain of that
happens. The level of processing isn't that far off what could also be a natural
recording; keeping it close to the original but with a whim of strangeness
attached to it. In the forty-five minutes of this piece Jehanne shifts between
with great care between all the different approaches to the sounds. From relative
quietness to something that is sonically more charged, albeit it never becomes
too noisy. It is all done with some keen ear for pacing; a fine flow of sounds
happens and it tells a story, even when that is an abstract one. It is about men,
nature and architecture; about taping events from a place, empty surroundings
but also cars passing and a herd of football fans crossing the bridge and chanting.
At least that's what I believe to hear. It is good, it's solid and perhaps somewhat
unsurprising also; something radically new doesn't happen. That may not always
be necessary of course.
Vital Weekly, 2020