Photo by Simone Anomalia Furia.
XO – Moreau (2016) – About the album.
Electronic / progressive / ambient / conceptual / independent / cinematic.
XO. Two letters. Two graphic signs. Two directions. Over and under. Top and bottom. Front and back. Right and wrong. Black and white. Good and evil. Dichotomy. Dualism. But also opposite ends embracing. The 'empty' needs the 'full' in order to exist. The 'full' needs the 'empty' to find its meaning. The secret of the vase is in the handles. The secret of everything is in nothing. Or so, at least, the Zen teachings suggest. The devil is in the details. God is in the details. What is told here is a journey. Horizontal and vertical.
The horizontal one tells about the architectural brutalism and functionalism of a devouring society, which makes its citizens slave of a relentless pace, hanging from the mirage of a dystopian utopia or the satisfaction of their needs. Here lurk the ghosts of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Tado Ando, Eero Saarinen, Carlo Scarpa.
The vertical one tells about Lucifer's spiritual journey, as described by John Milton in "Paradise Lost". A journey without time or space, in search of the lost star, the light that once inhabited the primary architect of human invention, the father of all rebellion. While the darkness look for the heavenly glow to feel full, the star looks for the darkness to enlighten them.
The constant is the ethics of reinforced concrete, the primordial question that went through the most ancient civilizations, as well as the modern ones. The dream of the hands is to be the head. The dream of the head is to be hands.
The orchestral opening finds its encore in the closure: a concerto for violin and orchestra in two movements. In between, Alice Lobo gives voice to the dystopian prayer of 'Over The Wall', a search for identity and unification. Electronic instruments, classical instruments, noises and sounds mix up together in order to tell sixteen visions. Music visions, yet very cinematic. Transcendental. Such as the meditation of the track titled 'Transcend', raped yet tested by a swarm of flies, intervening on the forced resonance of the environment in which the song plays. Hence, the famous haiku by Kobayashi Issa: "Where man is / there are flies / and the Buddha".
The conceptual album consists of two chapters: the first, entitled 'XO', currently available in digital edition and on limited edition CD; the second, entitled 'OX', forthcoming, as a bonus accompaniment to the first album, which will be available only for free in digital edition.
Credits
Music composed and performed by Moreau.
Elctronics / Moog / Korg / Synths / Softwares / Piano / Strings – Lucien Moreau
Voice and lyrics on 'Over The Wall' – Alice Lobo
Mix and effects on 'Over The Wall' – Federico Viola - Animal House Studio
Concept and graphic artwork – Lucien Moreau - ESMA Creative Studio
Make-up design and costumes – Tobias Tran
LUCIEN MOREAU – Conceptual artist. Designer. Musician. Visual. Dreamer. As part of the ESMA Creative Studio collective, I work as a graphic designer and creative director for brands, products, companies and cultural projects. I produced the concept of some major events in Krakòw, Montréal, Taipei, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok, where I also performed live. Composer and musician active in the field of the so called 'Transcendentalism', I play piano and keyboards, mixing up different kind of music such as electronic, minimal ambient, modern classical, industrial, always in a strong cinematic way. I also co-work, live and in-studio, with national and international artists of any poetic nature, as well as soundtrack composer with producers and directors of the film and game industry. I am currently part of a progressive / electronic band named MOLOCH, along with the great singer, vocalist and fellow artist Gianni Jonathan Venturi.
• Bronze Medal at the 67th edition of the UNICA international competition of Blankenberge for the sci-fi short and compelling movie '00156', starring Silvia Pasello.
• Special Jury Prize at the Third Edition of the International Competition of Non Professional Moviemaking of Tallinn for the sci-fi short movie '00156', starring Silvia Pasello.
• Special Jury Prize at the Third Edition of the International Competition of Non Professional Moviemaking of Tallinn for the sci-fi short movie '00156', starring Silvia Pasello.
