C’est entendu, procédons. Par ordre, si possible.

C’est québécois, ce pourrait être au programme du festival de Victoriaville, ce pourrait être paru chez Victo ou chez Ambiances Magnétiques, c’est produit par Joane Hétu… Guido Del Fabbro y joue toute sorte de cordes, violines ou mandolines, Simon Lapointe du piano (préparé ou non) et des claviers, Antonin Provost des guitares branchées et débranchées, Némo Venba de la batterie, des percussions, trompette et bugle. A l’image d’un de leurs titres, Névréalité postparapsychophysiologique, les sons, les univers s’encastrent pour former un tout protéiforme, entre post-folk et musiques improvisées, avant-rock et après-garde… On songe à Frith, à Hodgkinson, à Derome, à toute cette clique, et clac! le Bond précisionnel 1 nous renvoie à Derek Bailey, L’Occupation à une version light d’Art Zoyd, les repères un à un valsent puis s’effacent… et c’est tant mieux. Inutile de se raccrocher aux certitudes, laissons-nous porter, yeux bandés, oreilles offertes.

Les Québécois sont fous! Ils se font une spécialité de sortir des albums qui sortent de l’ordinaire, voire qui atteignent le stade du complètement barjo! Après le superbe Parade de Miriodor, voici une formation quasi-inconnue, qui n’avait jusque là sorti qu’un album éponyme, Rouge Ciel. Veuillez procéder traînait depuis quelques temps sous les piles de disques à chroniquer de la rédaction, et c’est Pascal Goblensky de Miriodor qui nous a conseillé d’y jeter une oreille attentive. Il a fort bien fait, le bougre!

Rouge Ciel est un quatuor de foldingues mélangeant allégrement électricité (guitares, claviers), bidouillages divers et instruments acoustiques (violons, cuivres, piano préparé, percussions diverses), ceci dans un capharnaüm des plus sympathiques. On lorgne ici du côté des musiques nouvelles, appellation qui dit à la fois tout et n’importe quoi. Comment dès lors décrire au mieux la musique de Rouge Ciel? Un «melting pot», une sorte de rock in opposition rigolo, piochant tour à tour dans le jazz, la samba et le folk… et qui parfois même se trouve du côté du «pas rigolo du tout». Etonnant, n’est-il pas?

Entre les quatre parties totalement dissonantes et expérimentales, à la limite de la séance d’accordage que sont les Bonds précisionnels, s’égrènent des pièces, toutes instrumentales, qui proposent des instants alternant une douceur subtile et des moments d’une violence inouïe, à l’instar de Nostradamus l’avait prédit.

Si l’on retrouve l’influence de Miriodor et d’Univers Zéro dans la musique de Rouge Ciel, il n’en demeure pas moins que le groupe possède une forte personnalité. La pièce maîtresse du disque, Névréalité postparapsychophysiologique (quel titre!), démontre le brillant savoir-faire des Québécois. Naviguant souvent dans des improvisations de haute volée, Rouge Ciel sait se fendre de compositions très bien écrites, d’où ce menu très varié et subtil qu’offre Veuillez procéder.

Fortement impliqués au sein de la scène montréalaise, les quatre bricoleurs que sont Guido Del Fabbro (violons, électronique), Simon Lapointe (claviers, piano), Antonin Provost (guitares) et Némo Venba (percussions, trompette), intriguent et amusent par les soubresauts, les rythmes bigarrés et les mélodies loufoques qu’ils proposent. Veuillez procéder est à découvrir de toute urgence pour qui veut sortir des sentiers battus!

Rouge Ciel è una band di giovani musicisti canadesi che oscilla tra vecchie sofferenze rockettare, improvvisazioni irrefrenabili, virate nella musica dell’Est Europa, jazz e rumorismi variegati. Per capirne di più di questi quattro (che se vanno avanti così faranno certamente parlare di loro) basta leggersi una bella intervista dove troverete l’essenziale per muovervi nel loro immaginario.

Veuillez procéder è il loro terzo album, secondo per la Monsieur Fauteux che conferma così piena fiducia alla band. I dodici nuovi brani offrono ancora una volta musica immediata (mai banale), super-energetica. Si passa dall’acustico all’elettrico, sempre con tocchi di leggerezza ed emozione, con una estensione così limpida e lineare che davvero sorprende. La trama sonora lascia pensare ad una grande maestria nel saper armonizzare così tanti elementi (più che di quartetto si tratta d’ensemble), eppure all’ascolto il tutto ha grande immediatezza. A metà disco troverete una sorpresina… un’inedita samba che dà tutto un altro respiro a questo disco, già di per sé curioso e interessante.

A totally unexpected avant-prog monster! This is a very young band with four multi-instrumentalists covering violin, turntable, electronics, mandolin, piano, keyboards, guitars, drumkit, trumpet, flugelhorn and percussion in various combinations. This rich timbral palette is deployed in the service of thorny, ambitious constructions ranging across an Art Zoyd / Univers Zero sound alternately subdued and much more aggressive than these groups, buoyant Miriodor jaunts, pastoral fusion, pyrotechnic prog-fusion, crazed free jazz violin solos, pedestrian avant-jazz, post-Kagel deconstructionism by way of free improvisation, etc. While heavily tending towards a somewhat conventional jazz or prog foundation, this group is extremely unusual in the extent they use harsh and experimental elements. It hits the avant-prog prototype dead-center and will be a serious revelation for fans of the genre. With its intricacy, playfulness, and occasional manic abandon, it carries on the abandoned tradition of Debile Menthol.

I can’t help but feel that post-modernism this brash and fabulous can only come from Quebec, and, indeed, Rouge Ciel represents something of a new generation emerging from the astoundingly fertile Musique Actuelle scene in the Montréal area. The label, Monsieur Fauteux, is a subdivision of Ambiances Magnetiques and the album was even produced by the great Joane Hétu. Even with Rouge Ciel’s much stronger rock emphasis, the stylistic collages are rather similar to Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms (a special favorite group of mine), rarely adapting an idiom wholesale. For example, even with a handful of truly out free jazz violin and piano solos, the rhythm section never shifts into a free jazz mode, sticking with fairly simple and regular accompaniment instead. It’s this kind of rootedness in easily grasped structures combined with adventurous elements that defines that happy medium most avant-prog fans yearn for. For all their brashness and variability, Rouge Ciel spend a lot of time in some prog or post-jazz comfort zone or another, great places to be when it’s done this well. Stepping back from the specific aesthetic choices of the ensemble and considering a wider musicological context, maximal postmodernism as a general possibility that Rouge Ciel nicely exemplifies is rather rare and in itself unlikely to be anything less than thrilling, but there’s a serious gap that deserves to be acknowledged between thrilling and transcendental. Rouge Ciel and Dangereux Zhoms don’t reach the transcendentalism of the two pinnacles of maximal postmodernism looming above all others, A.D.D. Trio and Gregg Bendian’s Interzone, and it’s easy to see why: Rouge Ciel’s postmodern synthesis is primarily quotational and cumulative, whereas those two towering singularities of creative music rarely leave a trace of their sundry atomic inspirations. It’s a difference between escaping categories and multiplying them. Correspondingly, Rouge Ciel doesn’t attempt to travel the other historically witnessed path to transcendental maximal postmodernism, the jump-cutting of Naked City. These theoretical remarks are only meant to put my roiling enthusiasm for Rouge Ciel in perspective and avoid hyperbole. The bottom line is that this disc knocked my socks off and I had to play it three times in a row because I was so flabbergasted to discover such distinctive and elite avant-prog!!! They have one earlier release from 2001 I’ll be checking out ASAP.

Rouge Ciel est un curieux navire qui dépasse les frontières des genres pour proposer une musique à la fois acoustique et électronique, puis jazz, folk, rock et actuelle. Veuillez procéder est dans la continuité du précédent album. Guido Del Fabbro (violon), Simon Lapointe (piano, claviers), Antonin Provost (guitares) et Nemo Venba (batterie) jouent leurs compositions hybrides, qui intriguent et amusent par leurs soubresauts, leurs rythmes hachurés et leurs mélodies ivres.

Deuxième enregistrement pour cette formation québécoise qui comprend en son sein le violoniste Guido Del Fabbro (cf. Carré de sable am 120): le quartet (violons/claviers/guitares/percussions) reste certes fidéle à son esthétique initiale, à savoir une musique plutôt rock mais assumant un côté musique de chambre. Toutefois, plusieurs titres de ce présent recueil proposent des rythmes plus marqués, se révèlent plus dynamiques et l’approche des instruments inclut un travail plus iconoclaste, parfois bruitiste, notamment celui des violons de Guido Del Fabbro sur de nombreux titres. Rouge ciel s’affirme en se pervertissant tout aussi progressivement que discrètement.

In a departure from Ambiances Magnetiques’ noise-heavy catalog, this jazz quartet weaves heavy doses of melody and form into their arrangements. Admittedly, the group leaps nimbly from one genre to the next with the dizzying speed of a caffeinated monkey, but they never lose sight of the music’s underpinnings. Although everything on Veuillez procéder is filtered through a contemporary jazz mindset, the individual pieces’ flavor varies widely, both within and across compositions.

Pour Hortense begins quietly, with a caressing piano. As violin subtly weaves itself into the melody, the tempo begins to pick up. As the track hits a solid Latin rhythm, the piano alternates runs with wood block breakdowns. Finally, the piece abruptly shifts into a melodramatic conclusion that packs a Yanni-esque grandeur (I like Yanni, so that’s intended as a compliment). If this seems like a lot for one quartet to take on, consider the surrounding tracks: Teuteuta, a prog-rock workout with enough odd rhythmic patterns to satisfy any King Crimson fan, and Bond précisionnel, an ominous, back-alley noise piece. Rouge Ciel’s stylistic chameleon act is reinforced by the members’ instrumental acrobatics — they utilize various percussion, keyboard, string, wind and electronic instruments to create their dizzying statements.

Like much contemporary jazz, the results are a bit overwhelming, particularly on the eleven-minute Nevrealite postparapsychophysiologique. Even so, the trio plays with an openness that keeps the music from becoming overbearing — in part by balancing denser pieces with cuts like the breathy Bois mou, which combines smooth strings with comparably flowing horn work. This is a crucial element of the music’s success; these challenging compositions could easily make it seem as if the band is lecturing to its audience, but by providing plenty of melodic signposts and lots of breathing room, the group transform the listening experience into a dialogue. The album’s combination of restraint and highly impressive musicanship suggests that Rouge Ciel have some very promising days ahead of them.

Ricco e fantasioso anche il secondo album di Rouge Ciel, quartetto capitanato da Guido del Fabbro, classe 1980, canadese a dispetto del nome. I materiali sono quelli tipici del circuito delle musiche eterodosse così popolari nel Canada francofono (la Monsieur Fauteux è sottoetichetta della Ambiances Magnétiques), una variopinta tavolozza di jazz, progressive e art-rock, disinvolta energia popular e colte cogitazioni avant-improvvisative alla stregua dei numi tutelari Henry Cow e Conventum.

Released three years and a half after the group’s debut CD, Veuillez procéder (literally: “Please Proceed”) was bound to feature some evolution in its music, but the giant leap it represents was unforeseen. Since their 2001 opus, Guido Del Fabbro, Simon Lapointe, Antonin Provost and Némo Venba have sharpen their edge, loosing the slightly pastoral feel that had previously drawn comparisons to Maneige and Conventum in favor of a rougher-edged, harder-rocking sound that takes them closer to The Muffins or Miriodor. The music still feature a certain level of tension between complex rhythm-driven pieces and studied moments of contemporary chamber music. Del Fabbro’s violin and Venba’s trumpet play key parts in the music’s excitement, but it seems that on this second effort the guitarist and keyboardist take more room — and all for the better. Veuillez procéder features twelve pieces split three-way between short transitional improvisations (the Bond précisionnel series), pieces in the three-to-five-minute range and longer epics. Del Fabbro’s Bois dur presents Rouge Ciel at their most arcane and jumpy, with elements of Univers Zero and a bastardized acoustic take on brutal prog. Nostradamus l’avait prédit and L’Occupation are breathtaking workouts, filled to the rim with clever ideas, dizzying counterpoint and folk overtones. Teuteuta and Pour Hortense offer an interlude of playful, more immediately accessible tunes. The album’s only small caveat is the 11-minute Névréalité postparapsychophysiologique which seems to get lost among its multiple themes. There might have been three or four great song ideas in there instead. Still, the piece will give avant-proggers something to chew on and the remainder of the album is pure creative delight. Rarely is a long-awaited second album this suited to meet expectations.

In october 2004 Rouge Ciel recorded their second album that is now available through Monsieur Fauteux m’entendez-vous?. Their debut cd dates from 2001 and received a good press. The violin player of this group, Guido del Fabbro, released a solo album in 2003. Del Fabbro started Rouge Ciel in 1996 together with Antonin Provost. In the early years they were inspired by jazz-rock, ECM, etc. In more recent years they developed their own version of instrumental ‘chamber’ rock that brings to mind the artrock of earlier generations like Henry Cow, Debile Menthol, Conventum, Smala, etc. Not that Rouge Ciel is a retro band. Absolutely not, although there a few moments on the cd where the compositional form sounds is a little outdated. But the overall impression is that we have here a fresh new blend of folk, rock, jazz and other influences. Most pieces are heavily composed, but there are also a few short improv-like pieces (Bond précisionnel 1-4) on this album. But one could say that this band is an exponent of the resurrection of ‘art-rock’ who are developing it further into new directions. This makes Rouge Ciel, a quartet of young musicians, a promising band.

The band consists of Guido del Fabbro (violin, acoustic and electric 5-string violin, prepaped violin, turntable, electonics, octave mandolin), Simon Lapointe (piano, keyboards, prepared piano), Antonin Provost (electric and acoustic piano), Némo Venba (drums, trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion). Because all of them are multi-instrumentalists the music is rich and diverse in sound. The playing is convincing and very enjoyable. Rouge Ciel delivers a very good follow up to their first one. I hope it will not take another three year for their third one.

Guido del Fabbro, Simon Lapointe, Antonin Provost et Némo Venba nous reviennent avec un album entièrement instrumental. La musique de Rouge Ciel ne se laisse pas enfermer dans une case stylistique. On pige ici et là dans le rock progressif, l’improvisation libre, le jazz et la musique latine. L’oreille avertie retrouvera les influences de Miriodor et d’Univers Zéro disséminées au travers de l’album. Bien que les musiciens démontrent leur savoir faire dans de brillantes envolées, l’album manque d’un peu d’âme. Le foisonnement de styles peut être une lame à deux tranchants. À ce deuxième opus, elle enlève de la cohérence. Malgré quelques bémols, Rouge Ciel nous offre toujours une musique de qualité.(fN) 7,5

One of the most interesting and original new bands, a mixture of rock, prog, jazz, folk and contemporary music. We talk with Rouge Ciel’s violinist: Guido Del Fabbro .

1. The beginning, the history, the influences, the origin of the name, of Rouge Ciel

The band started in 1996 as an acoustic guitar/violin duo (Antonin Provost and me).The name come from this period but sincerely, I really don’t know when it come out, but like our music it’s more an impression than anything else. By the way in French it mean «red sky» or in fact «sky red» (not as: the sky that is red but as a color name). In ’97 we met Simon Lapointe, jamming at a high school winter camp and Némo Venba joined the band one year later (for 3 months R.C. was a sextet). For the first 3 years we were mainly influenced by early jazz-rock, acoustic projects from Windham Hill records, late ’70 ECM albums and some prog bands old stuff but new- music and contemporary music were gradually incorporated in the band composition process and general approach.

2. Your first album will be reviewed by the critics as strongly referred to the historical Canadian band Conventum…which is your opinion.

Even we never tried to imitate their work Conventum surely was a great inspiration for us. The way they blended their folk influences into their own vision of music is incredible. What André Duchesne, René Lussier and Jean-Pierre Bouchard did since Conventum are still strongly interesting us.

3. Make a description of your music

It’s a blend of new-music, folk, dirty rock, contemporary and classical influences. Sometimes separately and sometimes at the same time.

4. Which aspects of your music do you think are really innovative elements? and which ones are taken from the tradition or comparable to other artists works?

I think it’s quite impossible to say that you are making something really new in music. It’s all about how you use your imagination to construct a music of your own . In Rouge Ciel the possibilities of different instrumentations and playing and the restriction of having no bass player really build our sound. We are inspired by the past and our era but we are very curious of what we will do with all this in the future. The greatest thing, I think is that we can’t really know.

5. What about the Canadian alternative music scene? There are some interesting new bands? Do you know some Italian bands?

For the last two years I’ve been listening to a lot of new song writers (franco and anglo) from Montréal and Quebec area, to old rock, country and bluegrass albums.So apart of the “musique actuelle” scene that I’m close of I have’nt seen that much in alternative scene.There is one band I’m in you should look at,it’s Concorde Crash you can hear some stuff on concordecrash.com. Shame on me I don’t know much about the alternative italian music scene since PFM but really i must look at it. Here, there is a revival of old popular songs in the italo-canadian musical community that is very interesting.

6. A new album is ready to release, the difference from your first, the release date, a brief history about the production.

We all have taken some experience since the first album so it was easier to work on this one. We recorded it in 3 days in October ‘04 at the Studio Victor in a big room with an acoustic piano. We played all the main parts the 4 of us at the same time and after we add some overdubs. I think this album sounds better, it’s more raw and have more soul in the producing process. We mixed it at the 270, a smaller studio with a really good mixing board. I hope it will please our public because we’re happy about the result. The funny thing is that even if it’s a new album the more recent compositions are from 2000. It’s suppose to be available in the beginning of spring.

7. There is a future for non-conventional music in your opinion?

Yes, because non-conventional music and musicians are a source of inspiration for more mainstream artists.

8. Which is the feedback for your first album? Are you satisfied?

The critics were very good with us in general and we are pleased with that. The sales part is an other story but it’s not that bad.

9. Who or what inspired your first two albums?

We composed this music between the mid ’90’s and 2000 (from 15 to 20 years old) and it was a period of great musical discovery so it’s hard to point on one or two specific things that inspired us . It’s more the open state of mind that we were in that was important.

10. Which musical aim do you want to reach with your compositions?

Challenging ourselves, having fun and play with feeling no matter how complex or not the music we are playing is and never be afraid of trying new ways of composing or playing our instruments.

11. By the way, which kind of method do you prefer to use to obtain new solutions in your compositions?

We tried a lot of concepts like everybody is writing the part of someone else or everybody write a section of a piece etc. Sometimes it worked at the first try but a lot of time the results were not as good as the intentions so the pieces did not make it to the albums. Individually we all have our ways of deconstructing or re-exposing basic ideas using conceptual restrictions of all kind. Writing parts that are not in the natural field of the players is maybe one that we all enjoy.

12. What about the choice to be a full instrumental band? Do you think it could be possible to incorporate vocal parts in your music?

It’s an esthetic choice in this band. The four of us could worked on songs together but it would be something else than Rouge Ciel.

13. It will be possible to see Rouge Ciel perform Live in Europe?

We have nothing at this time but we will work on it.