Showing posts with label Experimental. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Experimental. Show all posts

Friday, May 30, 2014

Philip Bonneau - Once Upon a Time



Starting this portion of the audio mix for his mixed media project, Brave New Secrets; with Lana Del Ray's lovelorn version of "Once Upon a Dream" sets the tone for this piece. It's haunting and it's a bit broken up but it's still a very hopeful song about that chance meeting so there's a sliver of a silver ling shining through. We then progress into "One Step Too Far" by Faithless with the gorgeous Dido on vocal duty.  This song almost seems like Philip is leading us down a path through a forest of his imagining.  We are looking for that person that is going to come along and sweep us off our feet but we are getting to the point that waiting for them is becoming problematic and almost not worth the effort.  Missed Connections.

Coldplay always brings the emotion and the drama.  Continuing the waiting, the longing.  The pang of loneliness and sadness coloring the edges of the mental images.  A short interlude brings us back to the empty path in the forest where the trees loom too heavily and the air is too thick and we find ourselves all alone.  And even though we are alone and our breath is too shallow, there's still a resolve that can't be quashed.  If we look into ourselves and steel our reserve of self worth and courage, we can make it to the other side of this.  And when we do, the forest opens up to a glade where all manner of Fae and creatures are dancing and frolicking in the moonlight.  With a soundtrack provided by Bastille.

Philip is building an allegory about the human condition through visuals and auditory stimulation that is simply brilliant.  The feelings that he's able to invoke through his musical selection are incredible.  He paints these images with a brush that's so colorful and infectious that it's impossible not to see what he's building.  Stick with him on this journey of self reflection and you may just learn something about your own experience.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Philip Bonneau - The Pawn Overture



In what will likely be the first act of his art project "Brave New Secrets", Philip has released "The Pawn Overture".  The track starts off with white noise, static, news reports and an overall sense of discord.  It quickly focuses in and becomes very airy and atmospheric.  Using a reading from Romeo & Juliet, we are then thrust into something that doesn't feel exactly right.  It's ominous and foreboding like something just outside the periphery is watching you.  You feel it on the back of your neck but can't quite place the feeling.  As the ambiance changes into something a little more fevered, you feel like you need to quicken the pace of your stride because it's just not safe.  The track is brilliantly put together and is done with such aplomb it actually caused an emotional response in me.  My heart rate actually increased a little and I was able to feel a connection to it.  There's a lull around the 7 minute mark that makes you feel like you've taken refuge or sanctuary and as soon as you feel rested, there are these discordant church bells that increase your anxiety once again but you soon realize that you may have thought you were fleeing from something that in actuality you were running toward someone.

Someone that you just might be star crossed with.  His use of "Mirror" by Ellie Goulding is genius.  It's not one of her more well known songs as it was on The Catching Fire Soundtrack and not one of her releases.  As a photographer, it amazes me that his skill at mixing and music production is as strong as it is.  There isn't a flaw in this piece.  It's built amazingly and it is brilliant in it's execution.  When he is actually able to put the images with this song, I think people are going to be blown away.  I may be a bit biased because I am a tremendous fan of his art and I think that with his point of view, there are many people that will be affected by this work.  It's incredible to me when people are able to lay their soul bare for the world to see and in doing so cause people to become more than what they were to begin with.  I've had the opportunity to get to know Philip and the man you see in the art is the man he is.  There's nothing pretentious or obtuse about him.  He is what you expect him to be and that honesty is priceless.

Philip on the Web
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipBonneau
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbonne20