Chronogyre. It’s the invented word that comes to mind when listening Aerosol, the fourth album by Félix Dyotte. Chronogyre? Spiral-shaped machine that allows you to access the date and location of your choice in the anticipation series At the heart of timevery popular on channel 10 (future TVA) in the 1960s. Synopsis: the bébelle not being very well developed, two scientists “fall” into it and are carried from watch to watch of historical events (the attack of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, the assassination of Lincoln, and so on).
Dyotte perfected the chronogyre, it’s the only explanation that holds. He rushed to 1991 and slipped into the studio where Étienne Daho was recording his fabulous Paris elsewhere. And then he teleported to 1973, to an EMI studio in Lagos, while Paul McCartney was recording Band on the Run. “You can hear that, eh,” comments Dyotte, not displeased with his move. This sound of synth as Linda McCartney plays in the intro to Band on the Run, I took it there. » Among new wave groups, among the aces of hit machines, in the vicinity of the most skillful success makers of these decades blessed by the gods of the charts, he interfered, soaked up everything. “Total immersion,” sums up Evelyne Brochu’s regular collaborator. The friend followed him in the chronogyro. “She sings backing vocals throughout the album, she really followed me on my playground.”
The stadium
Thus Félix Dyotte was able to dress his own new compositions in authentic period finery and devote himself without embarrassment to his crazy project: creating an album of perfect popular songs. “It’s very intentional. I found this playground and assembled my Lego blocks there. ” Literally, Aerosol is the album of a construction game. “For the previous album, Pagan tunes, we can talk about a so-called organic song, even if I don’t really like this term. Everything is played on real instruments, there are no artifices. ” For Aerosol, it is sprayed by machine. “There are still so-called real instruments, but what predominates are the synthsTHE drum machine, the very identifiable aesthetic of an era. »
My writing challenge, to evoke the character’s ambivalence in his sexual identity, was to choose a series of words of which we always wonder whether they are masculine or feminine. That’s the game of popular song: I had fun with words for a serious reason. Ambiguity at the service of the subject.
This is intended to be both an exercise in style and a fun demonstration. “The rule of the game is that at the start, everything is composed by me, generally guitar-voice. The techno arrangements come later. A pop song, for me, is a pop song in all its forms, but initially stands on its own. » We think of McCartney, again, with Wings at the time of London Town or, more radically, at the time of Press to Play : the more he advances in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, if he adds layers of electronic sounds to be in tune, he creates melodies which are already beautiful in their own right. “That’s my basic criterion. Arranging comes later, it’s for fun. It’s the opposite of the group New Order, for example. The machine is their foundation. »
Between Delpech and Daho
With his beautiful deep tone, Félix Dyotte plays the popular singer. Between Michel Delpech and Daho, he never pushes the note, just follows the tune. “The lyrics and vocals are front and center, but while there are dramas playing out in some of the lyrics, notably the post-breakup despair in Good morning, the voice is never the exacerbation of the feeling. We are not at The voice, let’s say. » As part of the demonstration, it counts: a popular song must be pleasant. We are a lot closer here to a Pierre Lalonde than to a Joe Cocker. “In hindsight, a performer can take a popular song and push it really hard. But in its essence, the first version is more neutral, leaves space. »
Fascinating process. Swaying atmospheres, dancing sequences, everything can be expressed… without insisting. Even the sadness, which is nevertheless read in black and white in the very nicely titled song Tell me that life is not what we expect it to be, is not highlighted in the rendering. Felix sings pleasantly, invariably. Even these harsh words are sweet to the ear: “Death, novelty, cruel truths / Sex, pain and the colors of the sky / Tangled are the paths of deliverance / Attraction, disgust, in turn, will have precedence.”
Understand who wants
The popular song, in this demonstration, never adds suffering to suffering. Words are enough, and even then, it is not obligatory. We can very well sing terrible refrains without dwelling on the meaning. “In my definition of a popular song, you always have that choice. Understanding is not the first goal. ” In the song The tentacles of feelingon a slightly tense electro rhythm, the verbal play reaches its climax: “On the silicone writing desk / You engraved the word “alone” / In organic terms, zygotes and gametes / There needed to be an escape / You made amulets / To ward off your dark thoughts.” Damn! He goes strong, the strong in theme.
“My writing challenge, to evoke the character’s ambivalence in his sexual identity, was to choose a series of words of which we always wonder whether they are masculine or feminine. That’s the game of popular song: I had fun with words for a serious reason. Ambiguity at the service of the subject. » The timbre is no less sweet, the melody no less charming. Who knows, maybe success is on the way. Who knows, maybe attentive listeners will catch the intention. “I don’t ask myself these questions. The song will exist, come what may. » Once in the time warp, the protagonists Doug and Tony want to return to their time, but never know where they will end up. That’s the whole point.