Grounding Sounds 004: Julien Demoulin
Julien Demoulin is a French artist, currently residing in Brussels. He is also one half of post-rock/ambient outfit Silencio, whose most recent album ‘When I’m Gone’ on Three:Four records has received much positive acclaim since its release earlier this year.
Julien’s solo work has been released on netlabels such as Resting Bell and Audio Gourmet as well as a physical release on Basses Frequencies with Alex Copeland of IA.
Currently he is working on setting up his label again, called Eglantine records. One of his first releases since re-initiating the project was a new EP of Silencio material and he also has a solo project currently in production, to be released on tape.
http://www.eglantinerecords.com/
Rather than build in intensity over the course of the show, Julien’s mix for Grounding Sounds does the opposite; going from the harsher sounds of metal that influenced him in his youth right through to the peace of Stars Of The Lid. Below, he talks us through his selections and comments on his musical journey through the years:
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Napalm Death – S.C.U.M [1987]
“One of the first things I really discovered about “music” when I was about 12 and moved away after my parents got divorced. I met a friend at this new school who was already a terrific drummer, and somewhat of a weirdo. He told me about all those “loud” bands, that I couldn’t believe existed. I felt like I had been longing for something like this for forever! Napalm Death were one of my favourite.”
Carcass – Exhume To Consume [1990]
“Same story, pretty much. Carcass got to be among my favourite bands for a while as well. I loved the gore aspect of their music / artwork. I can recall looking for really violent stuff for a while (before the Napalm Death discovery) and ended up buying things like Megadeth, because their artwork seemed so badass.. specifically the cover from Youthanasia. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed by this purchase.”
Brutal Truth – Dementia / Blue World (Excerpt) [1997]
“Now THIS was really what I was looking for; and even to this day “Sounds Of The Animal Kingdom” is still one of my favourite records, for sure. It’s metal yet much more than metal. A dizzying mix of grind core, punk, black metal and noise, this record is to me the best Brutal Truth ever put out, and a masterpiece in extreme music.
3.5 – Same record as above. Definitely more than metal.”
Mare – Palaces / Sun For Miles [2004]
“This came later, but boy… what a shock. Something as hellish as it was emo (and here, believe it or not, I mean “emo” in the best sense). Pure suffering in sound…. beauty included (4.5). Slow as hell, too… music from the guts, with brains. Too bad Mare only put out one EP…”
Aluminum Noise – Pain Reminds Me That I Am Alive [2001]
“This one I bought from a friend’s distro; he was mainly into punk and hardcore, and distributed the CrimethInc catalogue. By then I mostly listened to violent music but had started working, quite by chance, actually, on what was then to become Silencio, manipulating sounds into slow, distorted industrial soundscapes. When I first heard this, it felt like something completely new, and at the same time, I was in familiar territory. A great feeling, and a revelation, too. Ambient music talked to me, and was something I would explore for years to come.”
Bruno Fleutelot – Mare Miscoviense [2004]
“If David Lynch films and my reaction to them confirmed my taste for industrial soundscapes, they also got me into more subtle atmospheric moods. I suppose this is part of the appeal I found to Bruno Fleutelot’s 2004 album. For many reasons, it was a big influence on Silencio creatively (and that, in turn, is pretty much why I’m going to release it for the first time on CD on my own label Eglantine Records early in 2013. Don’t miss out!). Night music…”
Sonic Youth – Protect Me You [1983]
“Going back in time a little bit… a little after this Carcass business with my drummer friend, we played together. He was into playing with people who couldn’t play (!), and I “played” bass. This was one of the songs we covered, one that got me into Sonic Youth -a huge influence as well. Rock that isn’t rock, guitars to make sounds… you get the idea.”
Labradford – Sliding Glass [1993]
“This led in the end, quite logically, to Labradford. Ambient post-rock. Need I say more?”
Melmac – Cliff [2000]
“Melmac (aka the Reverter brothers) became friends after I bought some of their CD-r’s straight from them. They were playing regular shows around Paris in the early 2000’s, and we had friends in common (some of whom released the first Silencio album, “Sehnsucht”, back in 2004). Their music pushed me creatively; I made some music with Nicolas, and we toured together in Poland in 2007. Good friends!”
Tarentel – Untitled02 [1998]
“Tarentel made, in what I like to call their “intermediate” period, some of the most beautiful post-rock music released to date. This is the stuff that stuck to me once the novelty of “quiet-loud-quiet” post-rock wore off. The material on “Ephemera” still blows my mind… simply gorgeous.”
Harold Budd & Brian Eno – Dark Eyed Sister [1984]
“I had pretty big anxiety problems in recent years. During that time, little music actually managed to take me to that quiet place… but Budd & Eno did. A valuable gift from two amazing musicians, and a feeling I’d try to convey the best I could in my own music.”
Stars Of The Lid – The Daughters Of Quiet Minds [2007]
“Stars Of The Lid are the best; the stuff Dreams are made of, nothing less.”
