CREATiVE PROCESS

Concepts of art and "sobriety..."

The democratization of hardware and software having made recording accessible to amateurs, the advent of the possibilities offered by the most modest of computerized "home studios" now makes it possible to create and produce one's music in an almost autonomous way! However, starting from the proven principle that creativity does not need the latest technologies to exist, I have so far been satisfied with the minimum to satisfy my musical "impulses"! On the basis of a limited support for my use, not having hardly invested in the latest generation hardware and software solutions, I have therefore taken advantage of what I had at my disposal!

"The art does not reside so much in things as in beings..."

I have remained faithful, by opting for a certain form of "sobriety", to a standard configuration in its strict initial version! That is to say without the updates and with all the imperfections imaginable! I know: it seems a bit "radical" as a resolution, but the choice was somehow forced. However, the fact of "composing with few means" illustrates quite well the philosophy and the spirit of the nms303 project. Of course, even if creation is a process that is supposed to be laborious, the restriction of means can also be a serious brake on production, and can even be painful in many ways! I can testify to this! At the same time, this is what has allowed me to forge a working method and to experiment with sound universes that I would probably never have had access to if I had proceeded otherwise. What's more, in the end, by having been as well as badly accommodated to the technical hazards, the lack of memory, the speed of calculation, the permanent instability, the daily bugs and overheating, I was directly conditioned to the "reflex of saving" (data...)! The game having been somewhat "spiced up", to say the least, I don't know how many sounds I lost along the way! Also, the ones I managed to keep in such conditions have a very special "flavour"! This is one of the reasons why I want to share them from now on. Before, who knows, I had to modernize my equipment! One day I'll have to, I'm not totally resistant to it... (LOL) However, despite the many drawbacks, I still find reasons for satisfaction, for accomplishment once the obstacles have been overcome... I also appreciate the fact that I can get over such difficulties, the "artisanal" aspect of things, the "do-it-yourself" aspect and tenacity in the face of adversity... The notion of effort in the creative process clearly has its place there... I also remain convinced that only a small part of the potential of the hardware and software used, however advanced and updated, can be exploited...

Economically speaking, the choice of such an approach was self-evident (especially at the time). Today (although costs have decreased), the principle of "sobriety" is justified in many ways, it must be admitted that there is no need to deliberately complicate the task. However, respecting the precepts of an inventiveness guided by the only means available, however elementary, still makes sense! The main thing, in my opinion, is the pleasure and fun that comes from a little personal investment, time, inspiration and energy without benefiting from the latest software or hardware! I've been doing it very well so far, so why not persevere... (Except for live performances, it's better to have a stable operating system... crashing is forbidden!) In short, perseverance without relentlessness is the order of the day, we'll see later... (Or not!!!) The essential being obviously elsewhere: in all that touches closely or by far the human, cultural, artistic and musical development... And not so much anymore... Because the project only makes sense if it's invested in other things than the only ego or the futile while allowing to convey certain values despite the fact that it's only about electronic music here!!! What's more, considering the fact that any artistic approach corresponds to a mode of expression, I'm working on making the whole project as coherent as concrete...

At the same time, I probably want to push the reflection and the debate further and further in order to emphasize the fact that one can have a brain, know how to use it modestly and at the same time enjoy taking it out on TECHNO music! A rebellious and protestant spirit resurfacing, I like to titillate norms and conventions, to deceive appearances, to challenge the dogma of propriety and "good" thinking! But more than anything else, I am fiercely opposed to the "primary" manicheists and "psychorigides" of all stripes!!! Because, such is also the "noble" meaning of art and its uses! That of a weapon against obscurantism, of a shield protecting as much as possible from the temptations and uniformizing and reductive assaults. That of a liberating potential favouring the widening of horizons, tolerance and open-mindedness... Because, the artist who lurks within each of us does not fundamentally express himself in the sole hope of becoming a Da Vinci, a Picasso, a Michael Jackson or any other superstar... If he reveals himself in broad daylight, it is firstly because it acts as an existential mediator from which emanates the artist's humble reflection on himself, others, the world, his life, his work, the work of others... Then, by its very nature, it is at the same time supposed to propose a deeper reflection, both focal and global, on art itself, its meaning and its "travesties", its ethics, its place and its role in "human" evolution...

In conclusion, out of a taste for the "artistic challenge" as well as a concern for honesty, I have always tried to do the best I can with what I have, humility, commitment, trust and determination at the same time. Not content with this, I also try to unravel complexity, to confront difficulties and to disentangle myself from the pieces of "incomplete puzzles"... This process itself acts as a motor, a generator, a catalyst for each stage of my approach, whether artistic or existential... Through arts and culture, I also agree with the idea that it is essential to fight clichés and stereotypes in order to bring nuance back to the centre of the debate! A crucial point at the dawn of a twenty-first century irradiated and severely intoxicated by "binary" thoughts! As much among ordinary citizens (regardless of their so-called "level of education") as among so-called "intellectuals", among football or electronic music fans, as among the various players in political, social, cultural, scientific or media life... This is, to say the least, the meaning of an artistic process displayed here as an ethical approach! Sobriety in addition...

(The immoderation of the artist is never far away...)

nms303