‘Acapulco Redux’ – Julien Desprez

NEWS


BIO

When you only hear it without seeing it, it’s not easy to say that Julien Desprez plays electric guitar. This young French musician plays with a salutary spontaneity and many internal and external modifications on his instrument. Playing with his microphones, transforming the sound with pedals; it seems like his hands are tap-dancing on the chords. His live tracks sound like cut-up sounds, close to the so-called glitch music; reminding us of the Quebec techno producer Akufen alias Marc Leclair, with whom he shares the taste of jolting: his body almost dances when he plays and the relationship he has with his guitar can evoke the actions of a magician who would have hypnotised a tiger trainer.

‘Acapulco’ was born from a concept: to develop a musical form capable of receiving and bringing to life all sounds, from any field or musical aesthetic.

This idea led to an electric guitar solo which makes these different sound elements collide. An unconventional approach to the guitar, which evokes a dance, has been created by a mix of manual actions on the instrument coupled with footwork on the effect pedals. The body thus became central to ‘Acapulco’’s artistic quest.

The current aim is to build on this singularity in order to take it further. We focus our attention on all the elements which characterise our approach and have settled on radical lighting to extend ‘Acapulco’’s aesthetics: three very powerful and reactive white LED bars create an electric, electronic light that supports the musical meaning. Julien operates these three lamps with pedals, controlling the very simple, sliced, incisive light effects directly from the stage, as he does his music.

All pedals – musical and luminous – are scattered on the stage to create different spaces, depths and perspectives as well as make the artist move. This simple system chops up the flow of sound, time and space, and allows new musical densities to emerge. Music without taking space into account becomes unthinkable. Everything is connected.

However, everything can also be disconnected. Each sonorous, spatial, luminous and visual space can also, at once, detach itself from the rest to exist in a way that allows it to tell its own story.

Here, Julien draws from what he appears to be, but also what he hides, from what we hear, and where we hear it from. The performance is vivid, and exposes his fragility.

Performance for a musician, an electric guitar and a lighting system

‘Acapulco Redux’ is in line with the ‘Acapulco’ project created in 2013; it is a solo by Julien Desprez, born from his sonorous, corporeal and formal questioning during the past few years. A musical form which could welcome and bring to life a vast sound territory was developed by this first solo.

Through his footwork on the effect pedals and his inspiration from tap-dancing, Julien has developed, thanks to ‘Acapulco’, a unique guitar-playing technique. In this way, he has transcended the boundaries of the guitar to make a new instrument, blended with a drum kit or a human organ – a constantly evolving instrument, which goes beyond instrumental practice to evoke a dance.

Acapulco Redux’ extends these intentions by further questioning the physical and gestural relationship inherent to the guitar medium. In this new phase of the project, Julien plays a device which puts sound, space and light on an equal footing. The stakes of the performance are slightly displaced and the perspectives are multiplied. Tensions, ruptures, shocks – whatever they are composed of – create a singular space-time.

LINE-UP
Julien Desprez :
On Stage : Guitar, lights, effects and performance of 30 – 40 min ‘Acapulco Redux
Grégory Edelein : Conception and direction
Cécile Guigny/Gregory Joubert : Realization of the light set

Production : La Muse en Circuit –CNCM 
Co-production : Collectif Coax — Compagnie Nationale, La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues 

LINKS


PRESS


CONTACT

Booking : Julien Bitaudeau
Promo : Varvara Papaspanopoulou


TAGS

#actualite

Past shows

Click on "date", "city" or "venue" to change the list display
  • DateCountryCityVenuewith 
  • 07/10/2023PlogneCracovie (PL)Unsound Festival, Kamienna12 Nick León, Shapednoise A/V showinfos event
  • 07/10/2022ItalieVenice (IT)Cosmo (orgas. Standards and X magazine)
  • 10/09/2022AutricheSchwaz (AT)Festival Klangspuren, P.M.KChris Norzinfos event
  • 19/08/2022FranceVertheuil (33) Festival Perform, Domaine de Nodrisinfos event
  • 05/06/2022FranceRouen (76)Festival Rush, 106Jeanne Added, Phia Ménard, John Greaves, Chloé 'Slow-Mo', Jacques etc.infos event
  • 15/12/2021SuisseGenève (CH)Cave12Yuko Araki & Daisy Dickinson, Autoreverse (Nina Garcia & Arnaud Rivière)infos
  • 16/10/2021CroatieZagreb (HR)ZEZ Festival, KSET infos event
  • 28/08/2021FranceNexon (87)L'été Multi-Pistes du Sirqueinfos
  • 27/08/2021FranceNexon (87)L'été Multi-Pistes du Sirqueinfos event
  • 19/08/2021FranceSaint-Silvain-sous-Toulx (23)Le Bruit de la Musiqueinfos event
  • 23/06/2021FranceNantes (44) Stereolux, Electrons Libres - salle maxiCollectif Ayekaninfos event
  • 21/05/2021AllemagneMoers (DE)Moers Festival (STREAMING ARTE)infos event
  • 24/04/2021SuisseGenève (CH)partage d'écoutes - Festival Archipel, MCP - salon d'écoute (STREAMING)infos event
  • 07/04/2021SuisseGenève (CH)Cave12 (ANNULÉ)infos
  • 05/02/2021FranceMontreuil online (93)Théâtre Berthelot, concert en ligne en partenariat avec π-NODEinfos
  • 13/12/2020SuisseGenève (CH)Cave12 (ANNULÉ)infos
  • 12/12/2020Italie Pistoia (IT)Tempo Reale Festival 2020, Palazzo Fabroni (Museo del Novecento e del Contemporaneo di Palazzo Fabroni) via Tempo Reale (ANNULÉ)infos event
  • 11/12/2020Italie Bologne (IT)AngelicA - Festival Internazionale di Musica, Teatro San Leonardo (ANNULÉ)Roberto Daniinfos event
  • 04/12/2020FranceMont-Lozère-et-Goulet (48)Festival Bruits Blancs, Théâtre de Bagnols-les-Bains (ANNULÉ)infos event
  • 28/11/2020France Biarritz (64)l'Atabal, Concerts Égarés (avec le soutien de Bastringue et Einstein on the Beach) - (ANNULÉ)Sourdurentinfos
  • 20/11/2020FranceNantes (44)Stereolux, Electrons Libres - salle maxi (ANNULÉ)'Blåkulla' par Abraham Fogginfos event
  • 30/04/2020EspagneGijón (ES)L.E.V Festival, Laboral Theatre (ANNULÉ)MSHRinfos event
  • 25/10/2019ArgentineBuenos Aires (AR)Sala Argentina - Centro Cultural KirchnerVioleta García infos event
  • 11/10/2019FranceAgen (47)Le FloridaPass-Murailles Accords-Mouvements : Will Guthrie, Blastinfos event
  • 10/10/2019AllemagneBerlin (DE)Berghain " Morphine Modern / Morphine Contemporary "Goat (JP), Sugai Ken, Mario Batkovic, Thomas Brinkmann, Ma, DJ Die Soon, rena And Vojtek Havlovi, YPYinfos event
  • 01/10/2019FranceStrasbourgGymnase SUAPSinfos
  • 20/09/2019PlogneSopot (PL)Open Source Festival / Państwowa Galeria Sztukixin, Thomas Ankersmit, Jung an Tagen, Kali Maloneinfos event
  • 06/07/2019AllemagneBamberg (DE)Festival FK:K, Kunstraum Kesselhaus Camilla Sparksss, FAKA, Tomaga, The Bug ft Moor Mother, Damien Dubrovnik, Jung An Tagen, Cantenac Dagarinfos event
  • 04/07/2019SlovénieTolmin (SI)Sajeta - Art & Music Festival infos event
  • 23/05/2019FranceStrasbourgMusica _ soirée de lancement au Café de la Biennale infos event
  • 29/04/2019BelgiqueGand (BE)Théâtre MinardDan Weiss Metal Jazzinfos event
  • 22/03/2019FrancePerpignanLa Casa Musicaleinfos event
  • 21/03/2019FranceToulouse DAdainfos event
  • 20/01/2019FranceRennesFestival autres mesures au FRAC BretagneStéphane Garin, l'Ensemble Sillages avec Sophie Deshayes & Jean-Marc Fessard et les élèves du conservatoires. Manuel Adnot et Melaine Dalibert.infos event
  • 14/12/2018BrésilSalvador(Bahia) (BR)CMC Festival, Goethe-Institut Salvador-BahiaArto Lindsay (US) et Thiago Nassif (BR) feat. Tambores do Mundo (BR)infos event
  • 08/12/2018BrésilCampinas City (BR)duo avec Mauricio Takara
  • 05/12/2018BrésilSão Paulo (BR)SESC Pinheiros event
  • 16/11/2018FranceAmiens (80)'Festival Haute Fréquence' à La Briqueterie (Pass-Murailles 'Musiques au Sol Podorythmie')l'ocelle Mare, Me Donnerinfos event
  • 25/10/2018FranceLouvain (BE)STUKAndrea Belfi, Red Brutinfos event
  • 11/10/2018FrancePoitiersLe Planétarium - Espace Mendès Franceinfos event
  • 03/05/2018FranceNimesDelco Festival
  • 28/04/2018AutricheKrems (AT)Donau Festivalinfos
  • 07/04/2018FranceRennesL'Antipode
  • 05/04/2018FranceBruges (BE)More Music Festival
  • 10/03/2018FrancePantinCND Pantin
  • 08/03/2018FranceIssy Les MoulineauxLe Cube
  • 10/11/2017FranceParisLe Silencio
  • 08/10/2017FranceDijon ​ Tribu Festival
  • 05/10/2017FranceBudapest ​(HU)UH FestCouloir Ganginfos event
  • 04/10/2017FranceParis NEMO Biennale, Le Trianon
  • 29/09/2017FranceZurich (CH)Match and Fused
  • 22/09/2017FranceLa Haye (NL)TodaysartThomas Ankersmit, Laurel Halo, Sote + Tarik Barri + Arash Bolouri + Behrouz Pashei infos event
  • 29/04/2017FranceMalmö, SwedenIntonal Festival (SE)Holly Herndon, William Basinski, Grouper, Oren Ambarchi, Kara-Lis Coverdaleinfos event
  • 01/04/2017FranceBrestPasserelle Centre d'art contemporain
  • 10/02/2017FranceAudincourtLe Molocoinfos event
  • 03/12/2016FranceRio De Janeiro, Brazil (BR)Novas Frequencias (BR)Andreas Trobollowitsch, Xiu Xiu, Black Zone Myth Chant, Elysia Crampton, Mechatokinfos event
  • 23/11/2016FranceAvignonCollection Lambertinfos
  • 10/11/2016FranceMulhouseLa Filature - Scène Nationaleinfos
  • 20/01/2016FrancePantinLa Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues

events

NEWS

BIO

When you only hear it without seeing it, it’s not easy to say that Julien Desprez plays electric guitar. This young French musician plays with a salutary spontaneity and many internal and external modifications on his instrument. Playing with his microphones, transforming the sound with pedals; it seems like his hands are tap-dancing on the chords. His live tracks sound like cut-up sounds, close to the so-called glitch music; reminding us of the Quebec techno producer Akufen alias Marc Leclair, with whom he shares the taste of jolting: his body almost dances when he plays and the relationship he has with his guitar can evoke the actions of a magician who would have hypnotised a tiger trainer.

‘Acapulco’ was born from a concept: to develop a musical form capable of receiving and bringing to life all sounds, from any field or musical aesthetic.

This idea led to an electric guitar solo which makes these different sound elements collide. An unconventional approach to the guitar, which evokes a dance, has been created by a mix of manual actions on the instrument coupled with footwork on the effect pedals. The body thus became central to ‘Acapulco’’s artistic quest.

The current aim is to build on this singularity in order to take it further. We focus our attention on all the elements which characterise our approach and have settled on radical lighting to extend ‘Acapulco’’s aesthetics: three very powerful and reactive white LED bars create an electric, electronic light that supports the musical meaning. Julien operates these three lamps with pedals, controlling the very simple, sliced, incisive light effects directly from the stage, as he does his music.

All pedals – musical and luminous – are scattered on the stage to create different spaces, depths and perspectives as well as make the artist move. This simple system chops up the flow of sound, time and space, and allows new musical densities to emerge. Music without taking space into account becomes unthinkable. Everything is connected.

However, everything can also be disconnected. Each sonorous, spatial, luminous and visual space can also, at once, detach itself from the rest to exist in a way that allows it to tell its own story.

Here, Julien draws from what he appears to be, but also what he hides, from what we hear, and where we hear it from. The performance is vivid, and exposes his fragility.

Performance for a musician, an electric guitar and a lighting system

‘Acapulco Redux’ is in line with the ‘Acapulco’ project created in 2013; it is a solo by Julien Desprez, born from his sonorous, corporeal and formal questioning during the past few years. A musical form which could welcome and bring to life a vast sound territory was developed by this first solo.

Through his footwork on the effect pedals and his inspiration from tap-dancing, Julien has developed, thanks to ‘Acapulco’, a unique guitar-playing technique. In this way, he has transcended the boundaries of the guitar to make a new instrument, blended with a drum kit or a human organ – a constantly evolving instrument, which goes beyond instrumental practice to evoke a dance.

Acapulco Redux’ extends these intentions by further questioning the physical and gestural relationship inherent to the guitar medium. In this new phase of the project, Julien plays a device which puts sound, space and light on an equal footing. The stakes of the performance are slightly displaced and the perspectives are multiplied. Tensions, ruptures, shocks – whatever they are composed of – create a singular space-time.

LINE-UP
Julien Desprez :
On Stage : Guitar, lights, effects and performance of 30 – 40 min ‘Acapulco Redux
Grégory Edelein : Conception and direction
Cécile Guigny/Gregory Joubert : Realization of the light set

Production : La Muse en Circuit –CNCM 
Co-production : Collectif Coax — Compagnie Nationale, La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues 

LINKS

PRESS

CONTACT

TAGS

#actualite