The Squid's Ear Magazine


Battus, Pascal / Michel Doneda: Miracle (Potlatch)

Dovetailing and combining the rich harmonics of Michel Doneda's soprano and sopranino saxophone with Pascal Battus' rotating surfaces--mechanisms from small consumer electronics and their like put in motion and in contact with resonators and vibrators--this French improvising duo create fascinatingly shifting, unusual textures and sonic environments.
 

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Personnel:



Pascal Battus-rotating surfaces

Michel Doneda-soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone

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UPC: 3491570003527

Label: Potlatch
Catalog ID: P121
Squidco Product Code: 31298

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: France
Recorded in Le Richoud, 8 and 9 July 2020on July 2020 by Lionel MarchettiMastering: Giuseppe Ielasi
Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

Artist Biographies

"Sound artist, improviser, composer Pascal Battus develops a practice of sound more attentive to the sound gesture, the listening and the situation which determines them than to a defined instrument: the pickup of guitar (guitar pickup without guitar) , rotating surfaces, the guitar "environnée" (electric guitar on table + micro contact + various objects + electronics), percussion (objects amplified or not), ... His work is regularly broadcast on international airwaves (France Musique, Resonance FM, ...) He has played in Europe, United States of America, Canada, Asia, Middle East, Australia, ... solo or more frequently with other musicians. he often works with dancers, visual artists (video, light, sculpture, ...). He creates Graphones (sound drawings) and co-invents Massages Sonores. His records are published by Potlatch, Corpus Hermeticum, Amor Fati, Another Stamp, Cathnor, Organized Music From Thessaloniki, Herbal International ..."

-Pascal Battus Website (Translated by Google) (http://pbattus.free.fr/bio.php)
10/22/2025

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"Michel Doneda (F) soprano saxophone, born in 1954, comes from the French South-West. He is a self-taught musician.

In 1980 he founded in Toulouse a reed trio: HIC ET NUNC, a group that toured quite a lot in France, playing mostly improvised music. At the same time he founded with musicians, dancers and actors a place called IREA (Institute for research and exchange between arts of improvisation).

In the following years, he participated in music projects with other artists and he became a regular guest of the Chantenay-Villedieu festival. Meeting other artists he developed a very personal approach with his music and his instrument in improvised music. During this period he played with Europeans musicians: Fred Van Hove, Phil Wachsmann, Max Eastley, Steve Beresford and Americans: John Zorn, Eliott Sharp, Elvin Jones

In 1985 he made his first record under his own name: TERRA (Nato record). At the same time he started playing regurlarly with Lê Quan Ninh, Daunik Lazro, Benat Achiary, Martine Altenburger, Barre Phillips, Paul Rogers, Tetsu Saitoh, Kazue Sawai. More recently he developed his work with Keith Rowe, Gunter Muller, Bhob Rainey, Giuseppe Ielasi and dancers as Masaki Iwana, Yukiko Nakamura, Valérie Métivier and poets, actors.

Since then, he has been very involved in the international improvised music scene, toured in Africa, Japan, Asia, USA, Canada, South America, Russia and with a lot of improvisers in Europe. In 1992 he founded in Toulouse with musicians, actors, poets, dancers the association: La Flibuste. As of today he recorded almost 50 records for European, Americans and Japanese labels."

-Timeart Ensemble Website (http://www.zeitkunst.eu/ta/)
10/22/2025

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Track Listing:
Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
Objects and Home-made Instruments
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Duo Recordings

Search for other titles on the label:
Potlatch.


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