Quellet, Israel

Soni Sclavus

Label: Sub Rosa Country: Belgium

"Electro-acoustic out-sound experimentician Israel Quellet was born in Switzerland in 1972, and this is his second release for the Sub Rosa label -- the fifth volume in their Musics in the Margin series. At 16 years-old, the artist discovered sound-worlds such as Miles Davis' electric era, Sun Ra, dub, German cosmic music, Magma, Zappa, and many more. In 1997, he stepped into the musical fray and, following the advice of a sound engineer friend, bought microphones, a digital mixing board, and studio monitors, turning part of his basement into a soundsmithing studio. That is when he started to create, out of his immediate surroundings, soundworks that have little to do with what is "normally" being done.

Appreciated by Ecuadoran electro-acoustic composer Jorge E. Campos, Quellet is supported by the Centre Pierre Schaeffer in Paris. This second work for Sub Rosa explores common objects and the problem of saturation and noise. The artist explains in his own words: "I made the sounds while I was recording, either alone or with the help of my wife. Once a piece has been edited together, the final mixing is performed live, without automation. In order to retain the original dynamics, I do not use compression or any other specific mastering technique designed to equalize the sound or spatialize the stereo image. However, the heavy saturation used in some pieces limits the range of dynamics. The diverse sounds and the diverse means used to capture them give each piece a different overall sound and stereo image. Therefore, the pieces are not standardized or calibrated systematically; they do not all sound the same."-Sub Rosa