After making a nickname for herself to command the dance floors, Ourielle Auvé, known as Ouri, begins a new stage in her career with Frame of a Fauna, a first real album whose release coincides with the inauguration of its own record label, Born Twice. Complex in its musical forms as much as in its palette of emotions, this first album bears witness to the astonishing evolution of the musician, which breaks down the barriers between avant-garde pop, electronic music, contemporary music and R&B.
From his training at the Rueil-Malmaison Conservatory, in the suburbs of Paris, Ouri remembers this: “I was judged so much because I liked borderline dissonant cello sounds, but at the same time harmonic! Still, I’m sure a lot of other people like these sounds too. “
This duality, dissonance and harmony, will be the breadcrumb trail of the formidable, unclassifiable, complex and intimate. Frame of a Fauna, on which she did not hesitate to put intriguing cello motifs. In opening, Frame and The More I Feel, Auvé’s muffled voice softens slow and corroding rhythms; comes next Two, a brief interlude in which the cello seems to tune in with an orchestra which will then point itself discreetly to Odd or god, tender ballad sung in duet with Mind Bath. The cello will however be in the spotlight on the fragile Shape of It, where the musician is soberly accompanied by her bow strokes and the sounds of a harp.
This is one of the two songs composed for her mother: “I sent it to her, but when she listened to it, she didn’t understand it…” says Ouri, with a smile. The album was pretty much done when her mom suddenly passed away last June. “And I was like, ‘I can’t do my first album without putting a song in it for her, that’s not possible!’ ” Grip was composed and added at the last minute to the end of the record; a languid hip-hop rhythm, the sound of a finger sliding on a bass string, Ouri’s voice weaving fragile harmonies. An infinitely personal conclusion and a simple beauty.
Thus, for the first time, Ouri has the feeling to speak about her. Naturally discreet, the musician reveals herself on this record which, she says, is based on her family ties: “It started with the birth of my nephew; I feel that I cannot exist without my family. I feel so far away from her that I try to involve her in my musical world, sometimes unconsciously or in a very distant way, but I want my family to be a part of the thing. “
In early 2020, she sublet her apartment in Montreal, packed her cello, computer, microphone and a few synths, and flew to London in order, first, to isolate herself for write this first album and then get closer to his sister and his nephew in Belgium. During her creative stay, she also had time to do a little road trip with her father all the way to Italy before COVID sent her home.
“In London, I went to record stores to listen to music, I did research, I met people,” says Ouri. “I have the impression that the composers that I admire the most come from London, and they are sometimes bizarre in their productions”, she continues, admitting her admiration for the work of Mica Levi, Tirzah, Koreless of FKA Twigs, whose musical vision approaching R&B of experimental electronic music will be compared to that which motivated the Montrealer to do Frame of a Fauna.
“There is a person that I met who inspired me so much, a musician, director and singer named Kidä, continues Ouri. She does everything, she doesn’t limit herself to one style in order to be better understood and that makes her work unique. When I saw what she was doing, I thought to myself: “Oh yeah, it’s possible to be part of this industry. [en travaillant de la sorte] and to assume ”. She was the one who told me: “Don’t just hide behind the title of producer or director! You can sing, so do it! ” “
Her voice was first discovered to match that of Helena Deland in their project Hildegard, which gave birth to a remarkable first album of avant-garde songs last June. On the album, her voice even steals the show from her cello: assumed, inhabited, she is the breath of this eclectic record which, on a few more dynamic songs – the electro rhythm of the suave High Choking Pt.1, the jerky Fear of Being Watched, the muted techno of the powerful Wrong Breed and Chains -, reminds us of the musical roots of Ouri.
In retrospect, the Hildegard experience already foreshadowed the intuitive and modern form of Frame of to Fauna, which represents the sum of the influences of the composer, performer and director, known above all for her house productions. “I really wanted to launch into a musical direction that I had never taken by merging everything that interests me, everything that I am capable of doing. “
The album, and his new label Born Twice, will be the springboard for the new stage of his career: “This album for me announces all the musical directions that I could take, as the base from which I will embark on other projects. Today, I just can’t wait to hear people’s reactions, to see which songs touched them the most. This is the first time that I have launched a project without being afraid of being judged. I just want to know: what did you like? What touches you and why? “