💫Departure for a Celestial Voyage💫 est un hommage à ma Maman, décédée le 4 novembre 2022 pour un Univers de Lumière et de Paix.
UN HOMMAGE À MA MAMAN Partage de cœur à cœur à travers les dimensions
Il y a quelques jours, j’ai ressenti la demande de ma Maman, et j’ai composé un titre pour Elle. Cela fait un an qu’elle est partie pour son voyage céleste le 4 novembre🙏 et je partage avec vous Departure for a Celestial Voyage, disponible ici, ainsi que le clip vidéo, visible ici.
Depuis son départ, je la ressens. J’ai perçu 8 jours avant cette date commémorative sa demande : « Tu ne veux pas composer un titre pour moi ? ». Spontanément, j'ai eu l'idée de faire une extraction du final de « CRYSTAL OF LIGHT », c'est-à-dire le deuxième titre de mon prochain album.
Car en travaillant sur la partie finale de cette composition, il s’était produit une surprise technique et musicale assez déroutante que j’ai rapidement associé à une nouvelle guidance.
Certains éléments seront présents dans la version pour l’album « GALACTIC CRYSTALS » prévue pour 2024 et d’autres ont été retravaillés ou ont été ajoutés tous spécialement pour cette version.
Subjectivement, la valeur la plus importante de ma musique n’est pas ce que vous pouvez entendre en l’écoutant, mais ce que vous percevez se manifester dans votre cœur. D’ailleurs, si l’on écoute attentivement, on peut discerner dans la seconde moitié de cette composition un son subtil qui s’apparente aux battements du cœur.
Departure for a Celestial Voyage : C’est un lien direct vers un monde empreint de spiritualité, une porte d’entrée vers un monde céleste.
GALACTIC CRYSTALS voyager là où tout le monde est libre
J’ai le plaisir de partager avec vous la bande-annonce du deuxième titre de mon prochain album, dans sa version de travail. Voici un avant-goût de l’ambiance musicale de GALACTIC CRYSTALS, mon prochain album, prévu pour mi-2024. Pour moi, la musique constitue une mission de partage, une invitation au voyage où chacun est libre d’interpréter mon univers selon son propre ressenti et de laisser libre cours à son imagination.
Entrez en résonance avec CRYSTAL OF LIGHT pour une quête vibratoire vers la paix profonde 🙏💎🙏
PLANETARIUM CENTURY Le son des étoiles
J’ai le plaisir de partager avec vous le projet Planetarium Century, pour lequel j’ai eu le privilège de collaborer avec deux autres musiciens, Jean-Luc Briançon et Emmanuel Quenneville.
3 musiciens, un mouvement : La Berlin School et la musique cosmique sous les feux de la rampe.
LA MISSION D’ALCYONE EST D’ÊTRE UNE INVITATION pour se mettre en harmonie avec la Lumière
La mission d’ALCYONE se veut d’être une invitation pour se mettre en harmonie avec la Lumière, se revisiter, aller au fond de soi, se recentrer, lâcher prise en suivant son cœur, afin d’entamer un voyage initiatique guidé par une vibration douce et bienveillante. C’est l’illumination d’une énergie source de vie, qui anime nos sentiments et nos pensées, pour une élévation vers un monde serein, lumineux et baigné par un amour inconditionnel.
Pour moi, ALCYONE, c’est tout cela, c’est bien plus que de la musique, c’est un partage de cœur à cœur, une communion, une prière dédiée à la Lumière.
💫Departure for a Celestial Voyage💫 is a tribute to my Mother, Who passed away on the 4th of November 2022 for a Universe of Light and Peace.
A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER Heart-to-heart sharing across the Dimensions
A few days ago, I felt my Mum's request, and I composed a song for Her. It's been a year since she left on her celestial journey on 4 November🙏 and I'm sharing with you Departure for a Celestial Voyage, available here, as well as the video clip, which can be seen here.
8 days before this commemorative date, I perceived the following Request from Her Spirit: "Don't you want to compose a song for me?" Spontaneously, I came up with the idea of doing an extraction from the finale of "CRYSTAL OF LIGHT", i.e. the second track from my next album.
As I was working on the final part of this composition, a rather astonishing technical and musical glitch occurred that I quickly associated with a new piece of Guidance.
Some elements of the latter will be manifested within the version retained for the "GALACTIC CRYSTALS" album due in 2024 as well as others which have been reworked or added especially for this version.
Subjectively, the most important value within my music is not what you may hear when you listen to it, but what you perceive manifesting within your heart. Moreover, if one listens attentively, one can discern in the second half of this composition a subtle sound akin to the heart beating.
Departure for a Celestial Voyage: this is a direct link to a World imbued with Spirituality, a gateway to a Celestial World.
GALACTIC CRYSTALS to travel where everyone is free
I'm delighted to share with you the trailer for the second track on my forthcoming album, in its working version. Here's a foretaste of the musical atmosphere on GALACTIC CRYSTALS, my next album, due in mid-2024. For me, music is a mission to share, an invitation to travel where everyone is free to interpret my universe according to their own feelings and give free rein to their imagination.
Enter into resonance with CRYSTAL OF LIGHT for a vibratory quest for deep peace 🙏💎🙏
PLANETARIUM CENTURY The Sound from the Stars
I'm delighted to share with you the Planetarium Century project, for which I had the privilege of collaborating with two other musicians, Jean-Luc Briançon and Emmanuel Quenneville.
3 musicians, one movement: the berlin school and cosmic music in the spotlight.
ALCYONE'S MISSION IS TO BE AN INVITATION to come into harmony with the Light
ALCYONE's mission is to be an invitation to come into harmony with the Light, to revisit ourselves, to go deep within ourselves, to refocus, to let go by following our heart, so that we can embark on an initiatory journey guided by a gentle and benevolent vibration. It's the illumination of an energy that is the source of life, that animates our feelings and our thoughts, for an elevation towards a serene, luminous world bathed in unconditional love.
For me, ALCYONE is all this, it's much more than just music, it's a heart-to-heart sharing, a communion, a prayer dedicated to the Light.
Interview with Sequentia Legenda by Philippe Vallin
(Clair et Obscur, )
Sequentia Legenda : an ever-expanding musical world…
Philippe Vallin: "Coming from a far distant blue planet somewhere in the depths of our galaxy, Laurent Schieber (aka Sequentia Legenda) came to visit us Terrians two years ago only, with his excellent first album entitled Blue Dream. After landing on our little biosphere, this lover of synthesizers and 'Berlin School'-like spacey electronic music kept on making us travel in our inner cosmos, thanks to his well crafted work, strongly influenced by the master Klaus Schulze, whose footsteps he proudly treads in. We have met and interviewed this dedicated composer, whose aesthetics is halfway between tradition and modernity, within a musical genre that is far from having bade its farewell…"
C&O : Hi Laurent. You seem to play synthesizers and other sequencers for some time now. Where does this passion for « Berlin School » electronic music come from, and how to explain that Sequentia Legenda and his outstanding first album Blue Dream went to be issued in 2015 only ?
Sequentia Legenda : "It all started while listening to Klaus Schulze's album Mirage, when I was in my fifteens. I instantly fell in love with this music. This is how my love of Berlin School started. Since then, I kept on playing synthesizers. My music theory education and keyboard classes started in the back shop of a music store of my city. Soon my teacher realized how much I was interested in synthetic sounds, and music theory gave way to synthesizers' discovery. I was given the opportunity to handle the potentiometers of a mythical instrument: the famous Minimoog!
Years passed, and with them I purchased many electronic instruments. I started with analogical synthesizers such asKorg PS3200, ARP Odyssey, Crumar Multiman S, Oberheim Two Voice, Korg MS20 and its sequencer SQ10, Polymoog, Roland SVC-350 vocoder. When MIDI appeared, I got rid of all the analogical stuff to step in the digital era with my first MAO software running on an Atari 1024 STF, together with new machines such as DSS1 Korg, TG77 Yamaha, D110 Roland, Microwave Waldorf, K1M Kawai, and JD800 Roland.
Sequentia Legenda (Laurent Schieber) and analog synths. The Korg PS3200, Oberheim Two Voices, Crumar MultimanS, ARP Odyssey, Korg MS20 + SQ10 and more.
For a short period of time, I used to play keyboards for a local rock band. However, I prefered to play alone, training in the basement of my parents' house. The commercial music of the 80's hadn't any appeal on me. Spacey music was for me the musical path I wanted to follow. Therefore, I took the plunge only very recently. It became obvious that I had to unveil my work. I wanted to share with the world my musical vision and, through these compositions, also part of me. My first album Blue Dream was finalized end of 2014, after working for 16 months on it. I am a rigorous person, and this is one of the reasons why my first album was so long to see the light of day."
C&O : Your music is often compared to Klaus Schulze's, and not in a derogatory way actually. When listening to Blue Dream, Vibrations, « Au Revoir » and Amira, it's true that the spirit of the german master seems to « float » above, a bit like a major influence that would never leave you. What would you answer? And how would you describe your own music to someone who never heard of you?
Sequentia Legenda : "I am often compared to Klaus Schulze, which doesn't bother me. In fact, Klaus Schulze was a pioneer with a new musical approach. I enjoy his work. He is undoubtedly one of those who embodies the best Berliner Schule. For me, he was a true revelation. I often listened to his works from Irrlicht in 1971 to En=trance in 1988. If I had to introduce someone to my music, I would say it is atmospheric and spacey electronic music. An invitation to dream, a musical environment allowing for meditation. Through my compositions, I try to share my emotions, my sensitivity, in other words a part of me."
C&O : What other artists inspired you the most as a musician, but also as a music lover?
Sequentia Legenda : "In electronic realm, my influences lean towards Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Vangelisor Jean-Michel Jarre. I am sincerely saddened by the passing of Edgar Froese. On a more general note, I am interested in classical music and more specifically symphonies : Wagner, Beethoven, Brahms, Berlioz or Smetana. As a music lover, I like U2, Pink Floyd, Tears For fears, Talk Talk, Depeche Mode or Marillion."
C&O : Can you tell us more about Extended, the new album you are working on. What can we expect with the coming magnum opus (magnum by the size at least!)?
Sequentia Legenda : "Extendedwill be a double album with five or six tracks. Some of the pieces will be long versions taken from Blue Dream and Amira. The single « Au Revoir » will also be included in its long version in this record. The pieces were rearranged, remixed and remasterised, longer versions will allow listeners to submerge themselves even more in the music. « Solitudes Lunaires » will be one of the two new tracks.
There will be also a first for me: a collaboration with german drummer Tommy Betzler on tracks « The Approach » and « Somewhere ». Tommy is not new to this musical genre as he backed Klaus Schulze on stage during his tours, and I am proud and happy to have him on board this project. For me, Extended is a thrillling experience on any level : both musical and human. The official release of this album is planned for September 2016."
EXTENDED Sequentia Legenda and Tommy Betzler
C&O : What inspires you when you record, and why do you create cosmic music?
Sequentia Legenda : "My musical inspiration can come from anything, it can be an image, a sound, an environment, an emotion. I also like to draw inspiration from novels, legends, pictures. I enjoy mysticism, mystery, nostalgia, imaginary world. Cosmic music is a passion. It's a real delight for me to compose and nothing else crosses my mind when I am in a composition session. I like to share my emotions through my music, make the listener dream and help him relax and escape a world in turmoil where everything has to go fast and follow standard criteria."
C&O : Do you compose during the day or by night?
Sequentia Legenda : "There is no rule actually, I just need to find a balance between my job, my family and my passion. As a family man, I spend some time with my kids. As a husband, I share some time with my wife, who was very comprehensive. I can compose when my wife works overnight, or in the morning when kids are at school.
The most difficult is to end a composition session. Time passes by so fast when I focusi on my music. My rigour makes my creation activity even longer. I even had to take some days off to finalize a piece. I already woke up in the middle of the night when musical ideas rushed in my head. It should be done in moderation though. Composition is a very particular step, very time-consuming and it's often difficult, both for the artist, and his relatives. It's all a matter of dosage. I am thankful to my family for their patience."
C&O : Which to day is the composition you are the most proud of, and why?
Sequentia Legenda : "It's hard to say. But I'd pick « Solitudes lunaires ». Although I went to compose this piece faster than usual, the result is quite compelling and, from a technical standpoint, I managed to bypass the use of a beatbox by turning oscillators of Minimoog in self-oscillation mode. I made this choice probably because it was my last creation. Otherwise, I really like « Somewhere ». Anyway, each track has its own history, its own flavour. I like what I do and I give the best of me."
C&O : Do you plan any gig soon? For example, can we expect to see you on stage, alone or with other musicians, to promote the forthcoming double album Extended?
Sequentia Legenda : "I was indeed proposed to perform live on stage. I will think about the opportunities. I would like to combine sounds and images for any possible show. I really want to do it and slowly I am coming to see how it could work. Maybe I could play with Tommy on stage. Who knows ? We'll see."
C&O : Your music is now released through the french label and organization PWM (Patch Work Music). Have more lovers of this quite secret musical genre learned to know you?
Sequentia Legenda : "My music can be bought through my bandcamp page, and also, as you mentioned, through PWM's webpage. I would like to thank all the team at Patch Work Music, they are welcoming, willing to help and promote the work of artists featured in their back catalogue. My albums are now available in Spain, Germany, Poland and The Netherlands.
I am really happy about that. The audience is quite diverse and I was even surprised by a father who told me his 10-year old son was very enthusiastic and wished to get an autograph.
Cosmic music is far from bidding its farewell !"
C&O
: C&O : What memories do you keep from SynthFest 2016, that you attended in Nantes this year?
Sequentia Legenda : "SynthFest is a great festival, organized by a handful of electronic music lovers. It's the gathering of instruments, collectors, fans and musicians.
I met there some great people, like Jean-Luc Briancon (Kurz Mindfield) which music I really love, Pierre Salkazanov (Zanov), quite a nice guy, Bertrand Loreau, another fan of Klaus Schulze and a specialist of Polymoog, and last but not least, Olivier Briand, who was everywhere at the same time during this festival.
Sequentia Legenda (Laurent Schieber) and the Fairlight CMI
It was also a time when I played the Minimoog for the first time in ages, and I also derived a lot of pleasure playing the Fairlight, another legendary instrument."
C&O
: A few technical questions now for those who are knowledgeable: what is the musical equipment you use the most? How do you switch from analogic to digital ? And do you have a preferred keyboard that you couldn't live without for all your future pieces?
Sequentia Legenda : "Arturia's Collection V is a tool I often use and Minimoog V is undoubtfully one of my favourite VSTs. After using a wealth of hardware synthesizers, my current compositions are made with VSTs. I might however return to hardware in the future, if only for stage performances."
C&O
: What do you think of today's electronic progressive scene (from France or elsewhere), and from a general standpoint, of other trends in electronic music?
Sequentia Legenda : "I have very few spare time to get to know what's new in electronic music. I follow from a distant mile the other trends in electronic music. I am not very keen on the new trends. Techno music and the related stuff don't inspire me for example. I keep following a more traditional approach and I pay special attention to sonic dosage. I find that tracks nowadays are in general very or too much compressed."
C&O
: Are you up-to-date with your preferred musical genres? What are your last favourites? And if you are not up-to-date what do you listen to those days?
Sequentia Legenda : "Besides Jean-Luc Briancon's last and interesting albums, and the duo of Brückner & Betzler, I unfortunately don't have much time to listen and get an opinion on what other musicians create. I still listen to the great classic pieces by Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream, and also classical music or jazz on radio while driving. And I nearly forgot Yves Blanc's briliant show of Saturdays «La Planète Bleue »."
C&O
: Since you like beautiful support in times of (sad) digitalization of music, can we expect one day the release of Sequentia Legenda album in real CD format, or in vinyl?
Sequentia Legenda : "I was indeed asked about vinyls, but there were very few of these requests. My music is mostly purchased in digital format. Selling CD(r)s allows the buyer to own the physicial support. I performed myself the written and graphical design of the Digipack (Blue Dream) and the Digifile (Amira). I want each project to be valued on both aesthetics and information levels. I am a person who keeps his feet firmly on the ground, I started prudently with CD(r), because the budget is quite different from a real CD pressing. If sales are good, then yes I will be able to turn to pressing formula."
C&O
: Many thanks for taking the time to answer all those questions, and good luck to Extended, that we look forward to discovering ! Do you have perhaps a last word for readers of Clair & Obscur ?
Sequentia Legenda : "It was a shared pleasure and I thank Clair & Obscur for paying attention to my work. I believe in Berlin School, I am sure this musical trend has still a lot to say. And if this interview makes listeners curious about my music, I will be very happy. Thank you Philippe for your support all along my musical career."
After having shaped the structure and finalized the composition of my piece "Out of the Silence", I let Kurtz fully immerse himself in the sonic universe that was then created. He managed to decipher my composition in an intelligent and sensitive way, so that we could be on the same page. With subtlety, he managed to include his touches in my soundtrack.
The result is a symbiosis of both our musical worlds, a passion we both share: Berlin School music.
Here is an excerpt of the final mix:
Our exchanges :
Sequentia Legenda: "I am pleased to give you the opportunity to listen to the current version of the track. You may find that several listens are necessary to get all the diversity and the subtleties of it. I wanted the atmosphere to be mystical without being too overwhelming, where a smooth development would allow unveiling of all the different sides of Out of the Silence throughout the nine minutes of the piece. The pads are made of minimalist chords. These are backed first by a modular Moog providing a sequential base with three sonic layers, then by the introduction of slowly progressing percussive elements. Transpositions are made with +3 and +5 half-tones in the closing section. The three choir layers complement each other, while at the same time staying in the background in the overall atmosphere. There you are with a brief outline of the development of Out of the Silence."
Kurtz Mindfields and Sequentia Legenda
Kurtz Mindfields:"I will then send you the extra tracks (in stereo), that are all sourced from real analog vintage masters, I had to get these in and out in a hurry earlier than expected because I really have to keep up with the timelines :-) I often listened to Schulze in his greatest hours, Pete Namlook and also Jonn Serrie, as well as your demo for the track, already in good shape, in order to get to know your tape...I have asked myself how to bring interesting, landmark and emotional ideas without them being too absent or on the contrary too prominent, so that it can be a fitting part of the vinyl in terms of aesthetics, without affecting too much your great work as well...it was actually a lot of work from your side, and i am very happy about it!"
Around the second Moon
I keep on working on my forthcoming album "ETHEREAL". The second track "Around the second Moon", which features drummer Tommy Betzler, is in the mixing process.
All Tommy's drum parts are placed within the ethereal and cosmic atmosphere of this track.
You can learn more about the development of ETHEREAL on my Blog.
Collaboration with Kuutana Serenity
Sequentia Legenda and Kuutana Serenity
And last of the spring news: I plan a collaboration with canadian artist Kuutana Serenity for the end of the year. Once again, any information on this coorperation to come between Ron Charron and me will be shared on my blog.
