New, irresistibly vivid memories from Bernard Parmegiani, produced between 1967 and 1971. As ever, experimental – and yet strikingly approachable. After all, he was the “pop star” among the early members of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales, with which Pierre Schaeffer helped define musique concrète in Paris. Unlike contemporaries such as Iannis Xenakis or François Bayle, Parmegiani frequently worked in the mainstream, composing soundtracks, TV idents and sonic concepts for Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport. It made his music more accessible than that of many of his peers – and brought him admirers from Sonic Youth to Aphex Twin. Mémoire Magnétique Vol. 3 once again underlines the broad appeal of his avant-garde sound art.
Fifteen compositions, ranging from 25 seconds to 13 minutes, probe, explore, open out – always revealing melodic or rhythmic motives that draw listeners into a world of tonal surprise. Elastic and audacious, Parmegiani unites musique concrète, krautrock, ethnographic elements, vocal experimentation, acousmonium reveries and early synthesiser psychedelia. His work as a soundtrack composer is unmistakable: the music evokes images without ever resolving them. What remains astonishing with every Parmegiani reissue is how contemporary he sounds. »Innovation begins where tradition ends« – one of his best-known lines. What that sounds like is etched into these magnetic memories.
