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Sébastien Roux's music generally rests on simple foundations: pure sinusoidal waves and a single rule of generation and structuring at the source of the compositions. Reading the titles of the tracks in Musiques d'ordinateur and their synopses, one expects to hear algorithmically generated sound illustrations of abstract models, far removed from any sensible artistic experience. The first sounds emitted by each track seem at first to confirm this prejudice. And yet, if you stop for a few seconds longer, the emotion arises, each piece revealing itself as an unprecedented acoustic experience that shakes the ears to the core, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.
Sébastien Roux is a champion of the algorithm. The apparent simplicity of his compositional rules is matched only by the power of the effects they generate on the listener, notably through the multiplication of simple basic data. For example, on " 100 sinusoidal waves reaching 1kHz at the same instant ", one of the most impressive pieces on the disc, the space separating each wave remains the same, simultaneously reducing in microtonality until the advent of unison, then increasing again in the reverse process of distancing, inspired by a Sol LeWitt drawing. The result is a feeling of irresistible sonic power, as if immersed in the heart of a reactor, as well as the appearance of numerous uncontrollable effects that gradually emerge in the hollow of the ear, vibrating artifacts that scratch and tickle the eardrums as the waves approach each other. The principle of this piece has been transcribed for the acoustic instruments ofEnsemble Dedalus:
Another remarkable piece is " 47 pulsating sine waves, 1ms out of phase, 7/8ths of a tone apart ". The illusion of a techno kick set to the lowest wave, which returns at regular 500ms intervals, the appearance of slides and the sensation of sonic filtering quickly sets in. Yes, we did indeed say "techno": 120-beats-per-minute techno, highly psychedelic and mental, despite the algorithm's rigorous calculations. When mathematics puts us in a trance, and a long-term one at that: these ten minutes are just the beginning of a process that will return to its starting point "after about 2 x 1066 millennia", it's a dream come true!
Computer music on the montagne noire label ICI
Between these two monuments, Sébastien Roux presents five of the one hundred and sixty " Vuza Canons " he composed. These rhythmic canons, based on a principle devised by the mathematician Dan Tudor Vuza, are based on two simple rules: none of the sounds emitted by the different voices of the canon, which enter in turn on the same rhythm, are superimposed on another; at the end of the canon, all the time units are occupied. The canon thus ends with a continuous tremolo, except that Sébastien Roux has chosen to place each of the voices on distinct (sometimes shifting) pitches in order to differentiate them. Some of Vuza's canons have been reworked acoustically, in collaboration with percussionist Stéphane Garin, as in this video:
Split-screen guns - canon 1 from Sebastien Roux on Vimeo.
A more complex program on " 5 Synthèses DSF " (Discreete Summation Formulae) closes the disc, a five-part continuum of sound with multiple shimmers and crackles. Sébastien Roux regularly opens up his music to other arts. Such is the case with his collaboration with choreographer DD Dorvillier, with whom he wrote the piece Only One of Many, a game combining the principles of same and different applied to sound and movement. It was in this context that he and Charles Bascou designed the program that generates the first track on the record, " Never repeated never repeating music (12/17/2020 version) ", in which the computer is invited to make choices that never produce the same sound twice on the various synthesizers available.
Sébastien Roux's works have the art and manner of reconciling surgical craftsmanship with a highly sensual rendering. They can be listened to simultaneously in two ways: with an analytical ear, which decodes the processes and identifies the algorithms in action; and with a sensitive ear, which fully enjoys the sounds as they emerge. The two complementary ways of listening remain eminently playful, but the game is not of the same order.
Sébastien Roux offers commented listening sessions of his works, to be followed on France Musique, Alla Breve.
Guillaume Kosmicki
