Spanning over a period of about 10 years (2013-2023), this collection of short pieces started as sketches, demos, ideas recorded for later. Some of them were presented to Miriodor (the band I’m a member/founder of), but did not develop.

So I stuck with them, polished them, honed them over time. After letting them sleep for various periods of time, I’d get back to them to work them a bit more, a bit like working on a painting, I guess, before wishing them ‘good night’ again for a while. I was still thinking of them as sketches, but I eventually began to find a certain quaintness about them, a life of their own, in their simplistic expression.

As Brian Eno suggested (among other artists), limitations can be positive and help to be more creative. And it’s been the case for these pieces, which were created using a ultra limited set-up : a computer, a music application, a sound card and a keyboard. On 1/4 of these pieces, I used some snippets of old Miriodor jams, made loops with them, either for rhythm or atmosphere. For the rest of the pieces, I explored most possibilities of the said music application, using “royalty-free” rhythms or sounds, that I edited and treated to fit the needs of the various pieces.

There’s an aspect of collage in a few of them, which was great fun to do. I also liked working in the limitations of the short song format, which did not happen often to me over time. Expressing an idea in a concise yet rich way in about 120 seconds is a nice challenge. And, finally, a lot of work and attention has been put towards the creation of sounds. In a single sound can reside the promise of a song. Creating the sound that you have in mind is like unlocking a code. When it’s done, it’s like a full path unveiling before your very eyes.

I have included my Miriodor compadres on some pieces (four to be exact), with indirect contributions on three of them, and with a direct contribution of Rémi Leclerc, playing drums on ‘Fourchette’ (to my request). I’m happy he obliged! Bernard Falaise and Nicolas Lessard are also there somewhere, yours to find.

– Pascal Globensky