Groundbreaking music could be divided into 2 main categories in a word: Firstly, a ‘magnum opus‘, and secondly a ‘life experience‘. Tonight, we feel honoured to host the exclusive video premiere of Your Favorite Enemies‘ lead guitarist, gear freak & noise maker at Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows, Sef Lemelin‘s ‘Courtage‘, taken from the 2nd album ‘Modulation‘, out on May 28th. This 9+ minute audiovisual, post rock/idm/dark ambient experience starts in an almost celestial way with the xylophone bringing in mind Goblin‘s “Suspiria” main theme, to swiftly turn into a dark, dystopic Lustmord-ian universe with the abrasive violin bows on a Jazzmaster Lee Ranaldo signature conquering our sonic cosmos.
Regarding the a la David Lynch, desolate, hallucinatory visualizer Sef said: ‘And for the video, since music was created surrounding the tragedy that happened to George Floyd, for me, it was important for the visual identity to represent the reflection of those inner struggles we live that are fundamentally linked to the ones we need to share to see transformation in our society.’
Turn off the lights….Put on your headphones…..Take a deep breath…..
Press Notes:
Montreal, May 2021 – Sef Lemelin, spokesperson for Orange Amps, Eastwood Guitars and many more established names in the realm of gear lovers, announces Modulation. This second album in career will be out on May 28, 2021, following the successful release of his first album Deconstruction nominated for Best Instrumental Album of the Year in Canada.
Lemelin starts 2021 strongly despite the pandemic. After releasing his first single Courtage on March 26, he contributes to his partners’ creative content with tutorial videos for BOSS effect pedals and Chase Bliss Audio who, alongside other partners, have been faithful contributors to his creative sound exploration endeavours. With his first album being more industrial, Modulation comes with a more experimental tone, yet strongly supported by the gear freaks of this world.
Recording his new opus as a one-man band – Live at The Upper Room Studio – during the pandemic, was an answer to his feeling of hopelessness following many tragic events driven by hatred during the year. He said: “The album “Modulation” is 7 of the songs I performed during the “600 Times Digital Tour”. There were a total of 16 songs and I picked the most significant moments.”
“The idea of “Modulation” came following my “600 Times Digital Tour” at the end of 2020, which was a way to express my thoughts and feelings about everything that happened last year through sounds and noises. Those 30-minute live streams on my own were my reaction to all of it. I kind of felt like the hatred we were being exposed to, whether it came from racism, sexism, religion, had taken roots very deeply, especially with our isolated reality, where each and every one of us is facing our own self and where our humanity is slowly being diluted and foggy, leading some into serious distress. I didn’t expect for those live sessions to be as significant for me, but they truly have been, so I decided to go back to the recording board and explore.
I will always remember a specific moment during one of those live performances that I believe translates the heart of this musical project. Sounds and noises were raging all around me, like a violent storm and I could have stopped it at any moment. But I let it go for a brief moment when this thought came to my mind… The relief is not about stopping the storm, but deciding to let go, so that I can hear something different than what my senses perceived at first. I believe this is what I could share with you all through this musical journey: hope and love. Despite everything raging all around us, we can imagine something different in our present!
I’m glad to bring this musical adventure further with you even more now with my new album “Modulation”.” -Sef