Picture this: it’s mid-August, and you’re hiking through the Alps as night falls. You rush to find the nearest inn, guesthouse, or auberge, when in the faint distance, you spot a dim violet light. Accompanied by throbbing, ominous, yet alluring synth music, this light makes your mind wander further than your feet have carried you that day: ‘What is that music? Where does it come from? And what does that ultraviolet light mean?‘
Much to my chagrin, I have to tell you that no, it wasn’t aliens; neither was anything supernatural responsible for this strange phenomenon. Shocking, I know. If you wish to press on beyond this insurmountable disappointment, I think you’ll be delighted to learn that this setting was indeed thought up by a creative mind very much of our own plane of existence – the mind of French electronic musician Edouard Lebrun aka Odyssée, to be exact.
Lebrun, who came to prominence as the drummer for French synthwave/math rock band Jean Jean, creates his music by venturing out into unforgiving landscapes, armed only with his trusty self-powered modular synthesizer (his own invention), to try and capture their essence. The result of this practice was Arid Fields, his début solo release as Odyssée, due to be released on November 3 via Autoscopy Records.
We at Everything Is Noise are excited to bring you “Ultraviolet Night”, the first single off said record today, in form of an exhilarating live session no less! Check it out below, and stay tuned for some words from the artist himself about the song and video!
As I’ve mentioned earlier, Arid Fields was born out of Lebrun’s thirst for exploration, both physically and musically. “Ultraviolet Night” is no exception, as you will be able to glean from his explanation of the inspiration behind the song:
‘“Ultraviolet Night” was born from a solitary musical expedition through the American West deserts. This track pays homage to the moment of its composition, amidst the granite rocks of Joshua Tree Desert in California, under a starlit night tinted with violet. In this timeless, electric atmosphere, silence appears so imposing that the music resonating in this place is experienced as a mystical journey.
This nocturnal piece invites listeners to immerse themselves in the unique ambiance of the desert at night, revealing the complexity of emotions that arise when solitude is fully embraced.‘
The video’s location, then, was chosen after careful consideration, to perhaps mirror the events that first gave rise to the music that necessitated this visual component: ‘This live video session was filmed in the Alps, with the hope of capturing the same aura that gave birth to this piece, 9500 kilometers away, in the heart of the Californian desert.‘
A lengthy gestation for a seemingly simple set-up. And yet, the potent mixture of sounds and images does serve to entice the listener into the nascent world of Odyssée, to catch a glimpse of what might lie ahead. Again, Arid Fields will be out on November 3 via Autoscopy Records, and you’d be well-advised to keep an eye out for it. You can pre-order the record here; be sure to follow Odyssée on social media (Facebook | Instagram) as well!
