local exoticism - jean-baptiste geoffroy (Tape)

Also known as Tachycardie, and part of Pneu, Kick5ive, Binidu, La Colonie de Vacances, the musician, field recordist, drummer and Presque Tout co-founder Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy wears many hats. With 'local exoticism' it is the attentive listener who is summoned and twists the notions of exoticism in a sonic investigation of the Loire river’s shores.

“The idea behind this project is to go against the accepted principle of exoticism, and the envy that this notion creates in many aspects, particularly in terms of sonic research. Therefore, I decided to concentrate on the sounds that surround me, that I live with, that I know, that I can name, and which ultimately have their share of exoticism if we give them enough time to express themselves. No long journeys, no encounters with the unknown though... unless!


Living on the banks of the Loire river, which I regularly draw sounds and inspiration from in my musical work, I wanted to make a piece with the bio- and geophony of its meanders. I started recording as regularly as possible in a restricted perimeter, in places where I like to walk, close to my home. A radius of no more than 2km around my house and the life it fosters is thus explored here, with a focus on the river’s banks.

Side A is a dynamic collage of a number of these raw sounds recorded using aerial, underwater and contact microphones. Local avian, amphibian and mammal dwellers merge with the textural manifestations of their habitat. Everything is edited and a few equalizations are in order, but there's no synthesis.

In contrast with the first side, the aim of side B is to create the feeling of being in unknown lands, immersed in a new and unusual environment (from my point of view, of course), while using only sounds from the same riverside sources. Here, I stretched, slowed down, accelerated and sometimes applied very brutal equalization to achieve my ends, yet there is no synthesis either — only local sounds.” — Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy