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From Jazz with Love: On Capturing the Moment

    I love jazz. It’s no secret at this point. It didn’t use to be that way, though. For the longest time, I was very intimidated by it. The players’ skill and the complexity of the music was scary to a self-taught, alt-rock musician. I was trying to understand the music, but couldn’t. I thought it was show-offy and too complex for no goddamned reason. Then, at some point, it flipped. I started to enjoy it. I understood. I understood there was nothing to understand. Some sub-genres of jazz are quite intellectual and still too complex for my taste. But most… Read More »From Jazz with Love: On Capturing the Moment

    Before Coffee: The Magical Mornings.

      I’m an early riser. Please wait a minute before rushing out the door. I promise I won’t be selling the perfect morning routine here. Everyone’s been doing that for years now. Trying to look into the lives of very successful people. Finding out when they get up and what they do in that first hour or two, or the whole day even. As always, we’ve pushed things too far. It has gotten to a point where it’s ridiculous. Every wannabe coach is giving a step-by-step guide, a tightly incremented morning schedule. The guilt factor is huge. If you aren’t doing… Read More »Before Coffee: The Magical Mornings.

      Layers: A Brief Chat on the Lost Art of Arranging.

        Arranging is a hard way to make a living these days. It used to be a proper craft, but people don’t even think about it anymore. Nowadays, it’s one of those things that, as a producer, you need to do, but don’t really get credit (or get paid) for. Yet you have to do it. A song without an arrangement is like a bloke who went out shopping for clothes. He bought loads of nice things, but he doesn’t have a clue about how to put them together into a coherent outfit. I don’t care who you are: if you… Read More »Layers: A Brief Chat on the Lost Art of Arranging.

        Summer Break: Does Your Music Sound Amateurish?

          Here we are, The Summer Break Series, Volume 5. August is always a busy month for me. As the cities spill onto the beaches, studio rates go down. It’s the best time of the year to work on the indie-est of projects. I always try to take some time off as well, go see my family in France, and make some music for myself. That adds up pretty fast to a busy summer. This year is no different. Even busier than the previous one, actually. Not complaining: busy is good. Makes me feel alive. But I digress. Today I want… Read More »Summer Break: Does Your Music Sound Amateurish?

          The Les Paul: The Worst Guitar Gibson Has Ever Made?

            Oooh, I can hear you lads from here. Through the screen and from hundreds of kilometres away. The gasps and the screams. What is he saying? How dare he insult the finest piece of guitar history ever designed by the Kalamazoo syndicate?! The guitar that inspired so many and became the emblem of rock’n’roll? A shape so iconic it became a logo? A shape so legendary that it never went out of style? It’s true: the Les Paul and its shape are very much alive. It still is one of the most copied designs on the market. Gibson itself releases… Read More »The Les Paul: The Worst Guitar Gibson Has Ever Made?