DOMINIQUE LAURENT ANALOG ELECTRONIC-CONCRETE LP UNIDISC

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DOMINIQUE LAURENT / PINOK ET MATHO

 AZUR ET TENEBRES LP

Unidisc

Repetitive analog electronics created for mime & theater plays of the "insect like" movements of Pinok & Matho by obscure french electronic composer Dominique Laurent.

Some info on the release: 

Pinok et Matho released a total of 4 records in company of fellow musicians, with a willing to do both music for pedagogical use as well as sound elements for their shows. Métamorphoses and Espaces dynamiques were composed with Francisco Semprun et Michel Christodoulidès, who were musicians for their dance & mime lessons. Les pays de tout en tout, by Dominique Laurent, is directly related to a piece for children, while Fantasmusic was actually also the soundtrack for one of Pinok & Matho's shows (Abracadabracula). All these tunes were intricately elaborated al together in studio. The musicians were very familiar with the mime's pedagogical views and stage appearances , therefore had a long experience of improvisation on movement: a theme was announced, improvisation was recorded, then discussed, agreeed or discarded. The two French women named Pinok et Matho, real name Monique Bertrand and Mathilde Dumont. They created their pioneering Paris corporeal mime school called TEMP (Théatre Ecole Mouvement et Pensée) in 1962, where many French actors attended workshops in the 1960s and 70s. They wrote several books that were widely used in France by school teachers. Pinok et Matho’s style apparently encompasses clown, theater, gymnastics and mime, and they say some of their gestures were close to that of insects (‘proches des mouvements de certains insectes’).

Dominique Laurent, today hard to trackdown, was working in his studio dedicated to synthesizers only, and composed scores for various purposes, including TV anthem for french cartoon Plume d'Elan.

Here's a review from the net: "Unidisc was a strange and very intriguing library label, putting out several interesting titles from the mid 70's to early 80's (not to mention amazing graphic design on the covers!). It seems they focused more on instructional and educational type albums, many with a children focus (exercise, dancing, etc...), and others devoted to modern / interpretive dance accompaniment. With these albums there seems to be a very tenuous line between electronic experimentation and more standard approaches with composition. Many albums hover over an uneasy ambient synthesizer field with spooky results, while others cling to an odd Philip Glass / minimalist plink-plonk-cum-folksy approach or a confounding "hauntological" atmosphere.

The noted French mimes Pinok and Matho (or Pinok et Matho) appeared on numerous albums in this vein, many of them with composer Dominique Laurent, a person I know nothing of, and whose internet searches have yielded very little helpful information. Now believe you me, I don't really understand how mimes can be on a sound recording... unless they were present in the creation of the music, dancing around silently in the recording booth, perhaps? At any rate, the music on this album is mostly electronic, with thick analog tones and tinkly electric piano making up the bulk of the sounds, creating strange little vignettes that move along slowly or bounce along with primitive drum machine patter. It's often very pensive and introspective music; pretty melodies gliding alongside weird bursts of humor and animal sounds. A couple moments even remind me of Moebius/Plank's Rastakrautpasta, with woozy synth lines teetering on absurdity, following a drunken bass line. It's all ambient and queasy but thanks to that odd Unidisc appeal it can really capture your imagination.

Condition: Vinyl lies in very good condition, looks to have some marks here and there and plays with crackle throughout, while cover lies in very good+ condition, with some storage wear and tape on top and bottom.

Tracklist

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