MAY 29th 2020 will see the birth of...

The follow-up to "Side$how" (2019). 
Freak-jazz reverie interpolating emotional counterpoints, ambient synth-hop, and disjointed dissonant riffs. 

Circus freak show featuring a tormented two-headed kid, a bellicose giant fly, and an adorable dwarf elephant. The intermission act presents the classic crowd-pleaser Bed of Snails. 

Louis de Mieulle: electric bass, keyboards 
Casimir Liberski: keyboards 
Eitan Kenner: keyboards 
Doron Lev: drums (2,4,5,6,7,8) 
Raphaël Pannier: drums (1,3,9,10) 

Recorded mostly live in Brooklyn (Wonderpark Studio) and Queens (The Arc), NYC 
Mixed + mastered by Chris Krasnow 
Composed and produced by Louis de Mieulle

The first album reviews have appeared!

One, meticulously descriptive, on ProgArchives.com:

https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7927#reviews

Another one, very accurate, on The Elite Extremophile:

https://theeliteextremophile.com/2019/09/09/album-review-louis-de-mieulle-sidehow/#more-391

It's the first time a reviewer links my music to Magma and Return To Forever (two of my desert island faves!)

New album "SIDE$HOW" is out now on Bandcamp (artist friendly) and other platforms!

Credits

Louis de Mieulle/Matt Garstka - Cubic Rubes (Official Video)

Visuals: Dave Whyte

Matt Garstka: Rhythmic concepts, drums
Louis de Mieulle: Melodic content, electric bass, keyboards, editing
Jussi Reijonen: Guitar

Alex Syner: Mix. Rich Morales: Mastering.

Like the rest of the album, Cubic Rubes is based on Matt Garstka's drumming concepts and grooves. I almost "harmonized" the drum part by adding several melodies/layers on top of it. These melodies don't necessarily follow the 4/4 meter of Matt's part, thus creating another level of "displacement" - but technical terms should be avoided here, as they break the magic spell that is the musical language.

The video features the hypnotizing geometrical creations of Dave Whyte ( https://dribbble.com/beesandbombs ).

Cubic Rubes can be found on DUAL:

https://ldemieulle.bandcamp.com/album/dual

https://open.spotify.com/album/50Ph3nqUa48EYnUYG8AgHK

My old Parisian band SOUNDCHASER is reborn, under the name "MOONSÜÜN". Augustin d'Assignies (piano), Antoine Fournier (drums) and yours.

We started out in 2001 as a 70s-flavored electric jazz quintet with horns ("Chasin' The Sound", 2003, unreleased), then morphed into a math-jazz-groove trio ("Groovechaser", 2006, [ikoz]), to finally reach our current state: acoustic minimal improvisation.

The original influences were electric Miles Davis, then Meshuggah. Today it is The Necks and the American minimalists (Riley, Reich...)

First EP "Distant Shores" - a 30-minute improv, stream on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/user-509442432/sets/moonsueuen

Debut album to be released this year.

First review of the new EP, courtesy of Dave Tremblay @Can This Even Be Called Music?

"This pair’s second collaboration, the sequel to the amazing Dual EP, is quite different. This time around, the two astoundingly creative musicians take progressive rock and jazz fusion into more synth-heavy territory. Without mentioning the overused “synthwave” tag, Outside the Square successfully demonstrates some sweet electro-jazz fusion not unlike Tigran Hamasyan (imagine him playing keyboards instead of grand piani). Each composition has interesting hidden meanings (read the liner notes!) and has been conjointly made by Matt and Louis, respectively taking care of rhythm and melody. Truly fabulous one!"

For now it is out on Bandcamp only because they're very artist-friendly. Decadent streaming platforms next month.

https://ldemieulle.bandcamp.com/album/outside-the-square

OUTSIDE THE SQUARE is the second part of the Mieulle/Garstka collaboration. The twin of DUAL (2017).
Concept EP about the inner conflicts of a cyborg with artistic tendencies.
Retrofuturistic synth prog experiment.
Crypto-classical math fusion.

All drum grooves and concepts developed by Matt Garstka and recorded first.
All melodies added by Louis de Mieulle afterwards. Drums edited accordingly.

Matt Garstka: Rhythmic concepts, drums
Louis de Mieulle: Melodic content, electric bass, keyboards, editing
David Potaux-Razel, Aki Ishiguro, Jussi Reijonen: Guitars

Mixed by Alex Syner
Mastered by Rich Morales at Super Fine Audio
Produced by Louis de Mieulle

Artwork: Mark Pernice "The Future of AI"

The new Louis de Mieulle/Matt Garstka collab EP is on its way!. "OUTSIDE THE SQUARE: the inner conflicts of an artist cyborg. Retrofuturistic synth prog experiment. Crypto-classical math fusion"

Reviews of DUAL, one of them by long-time supporter Roger Trenwith, another one by Dave Tremblay, who runs the great website "Can this even be called Music?". The third one by Rebecca Rothschild from "Divide & Conquer".

DUAL by Dave Tremblay - "Can this even be called Music?"

Bassist and composer Louis de Mieulle‘s album with drummer extraordinaire Matt Garstka is the underground modern jazz album you didn’t know you needed. Dual is based off of Matt’s beats – whether they are improvised or not is unknown –, in a similar fashion to Marco Minnemann’s Normalizer project, I suppose. The beats then serve as the foundation of the songs, and the result is a truly impressionist and modern architecture. Polyrhythms galore, and the harmonic and melodic concepts brought on by Louis and the various guest guitarists are infectious. Awesome album, and I can’t wait for the second part of this concept release, due this summer.

DUAL by Roger Trenwith - The Progressive Aspect

Following on from the rather fine but criminally ignored stars, plants & bugs album in 2015, French nu-fusion maestro Louis de Mieulle has teamed up with American drummer Matt Garstka, best known for his stint with Animals as Leaders. In an unusual set up, Matt recorded 25 minutes of sometimes bewilderingly complex rhythms, after which Louis, with the aid of three guest guitarists, recorded everything else on top. An hour’s worth of music was created, this being the first part. The second will be released later in the year.

The nature of Matt’s rhythms means that the overlaid music is a spidery, hypnotic beast that develops into strange textures and melodies. It is gratifying that amongst all the identikit fusion out there these days that someone is taking risks and forging new paths. If you have an ear for true progressive music, you need to hear this.

DUAL by Rebecca Rothschild - Divide & Conquer

​Louis de Mieulle & Matt Garstka ​Dual self-released; 2017 ​3.9 out of 5 By Rebecca Rothschild

East coast meets west coast wit the dynamic duo of Louis De Mieulle and Matt Garstka. De Mieulle hails from France but is currently residing in New York City. At home in France, he studied classical music and then in the states, educated himself on black American music. Matt Garstka is a drummer living in Los Angeles and has been classified as a drum "superhero." I have no idea how these two met, and they seem perfectly content to deny me that fun little factoid. I don't take offense. I like when there's a little mystery to be solved. These people on the opposite of the country came together to create the album Dual. This is a fascinating and wildly experiment romp of math rock and neoclassical polyphony.

The music is enigmatic and at times downright perplexing. There is a mix of groovy rock vibes combined with electronic synths and sampled elements. I would say there was a section in each of the eight tracks that I enjoyed. While the album may sound a little off the walls, there is a method at work. There is a pattern where the two build up the individual elements that will eventually formulate a few bars of what sounds like traditional music. They will then deconstruct that traditional just as quickly. Sometimes there are some added parties, a few micro experiments within the larger experiment. Some of it is fun to hear and admittedly I found some of it to be downright grating to the ears.

The two have their roles to play. De Mieulle brings these fabulous little grooves into the mix while Garstka explores the not so beaten of percussion methods in all forms. It's a very enigmatic mix that takes me to acid jazz and experimental rock places I have not been before. I think this is an album that will have great appeal for musicians more than anyone else. I can see jazz, experimental and even indie bands being sucked into their construction and deconstruction of everything. I'll say this, as I write this review, I find it strangely ideal to have it playing while working. There's a productivity to the music that is motivating.

I can see a good deal of non-musicians like myself struggling to find the music appealing at all times. As I said there were some sections that weren’t easy on  my ears. I think that some changes in the production process may be able to help with that because I don't mind erratic or dizzying movements. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in New York City.

​The big sell on this album is originality and boldness. I would say it's definitely tailored to a very niche market. I respect these two for fully committing to their vision.

The collaborative project between Matt and I is finally out!

"Dual" is an adventurous set of through-composed tunes, mixing math-rock grooves and neoclassical polyphony.

Matt composed, developed and recorded (September '15 in Brooklyn) his drum concepts first. It involves polymeters, equivalence, variations, etc... but I'd rather skip any technical explanation for now (it breaks the charm + bores most people (including myself! But I admit my younger self used to love that))

I then analyzed and organized the 25 minutes of drumming I got from this one-day session. I started writing counterpoint in a very instinctive way, most of the time directly in the computer. Also on good ole paper (paper is the best). I also adapted older sketches and made them fit with Matt's grooves. A real combination puzzle. Endless possibilities. Decisions, decisions.

Other novelties for me: The presence of three guitarists. The use of a new bass - a 1986 Yamaha BB5000. The recording of that bass in my very room. Also I played/sequenced all keyboard parts.

"Dual" is a 26-minute collection of short, through-composed tunes. The jazz content (some say jazz virus) has been reduced to a barely noticeable amount. Don't get me wrong: I love improvisation - especially in front of an audience, but written music has that timeless, immortal force.

Thanks for listening.

This music is for entertainment and spiritual purposes.

Stream/buy Dual on Bandcamp

Buy on CdBaby, iTunes, Amazon

Stream on iTunes, Spotify, Deezer

CREDITS:

All drum grooves and concepts developed by Matt Garstka and recorded first.
All melodies and harmonies added by Louis de Mieulle afterwards. Drums edited accordingly.
From the 25 minutes of recorded drums, about an hour of music was created.
DUAL is the first part of that collaboration. Second part to be released Summer '18.