Dominique Charpentier

Releasing on June 7, 2024, "L'accalmie" is a captivating album born from the collaboration of French composer Dominique Charpentier and Belgian artist Illuminine, also known as Kevin Imbrechts.

This album is a seamless blend of Charpentier's uplifting piano melodies and Illuminine's ambient, melancholic compositions.Conceived in the peaceful environment of Charpentier's home studio on the French coast, "L'accalmie" (meaning "Lull" in French) is an auditory escape into tranquility. The artists' first in-person collaboration in July 2023 led to a creative synergy, where the hum of cicadas and the warmth of summer mornings added an organic touch to their music. This album is not just a collection of tracks but a journey into a serene, imaginary world, reminiscent of a quaint spot in Provence.Featuring pieces like "Mustang," "La valse de Dolores," and "Lamentation," along with unique cassette versions capturing the ambient sounds of their creative process, "L'accalmie" is a testament to the artistic and emotional connection between the composers. It's an invitation to listeners for a moment of calm and introspection, bridging the gap between the artists' diverse backgrounds and the universal language of music.

Rasmussen and Bergmüller’s original plans were simply to spend a day or two experimenting in Rasmussen’s studio, but Bergmüller had done little more than introduce himself and unpack his theorbo, a vast, 14-string lute, when inspiration struck. To be fair, Rasmussen was not entirely unacquainted with the lute, having recently developed something approaching an obsession with pre-guitar instruments, and for Bergmüller, too, there was something refreshing about what they’d embarked upon. Despite working alongside multiple composers, he’d never teamed up with an electronic artist, and this combination of inexperience and enthusiasm suited both musicians, with neither wishing to employ the instruments in a traditional manner.

The Wirbel EP takes its name from a German word whose multiple meanings are among those which also give its five tracks its English titles. Imaginative, playful and atmospheric, it positions Bergmüller’s instruments snugly within Rasmussen’s intricate soundscapes, evoking the innovative but reflective work of the likes of Grandbrothers and Aukai. From ‘Peg’’s fidgety, quiet tension and the insistently rhythmic ‘Ado’’s haunting themes to ‘Whirl’s muted melancholy and the contrasting but nonetheless elegant bookends, ‘Vertebra’ and ‘Roll’, it never fails to surprise. More importantly, it avoids exploiting lutes as a novelty, instead establishing them as relevant, dynamic and contemporary.