Foch l Delplanque - Secret

In 2012 Philippe Foch recorded for the Signature label (Radio France) his album Taarang, a sonic exploration of the Taarang - a 15 tablas ensemble - involving various collaborators, including Mathias Delplanque.

Some encounters are due to happen; this one led to a deep and long-lasting friendship and to the start of an intense musical collaboration. For the three years that followed, Mathias accompanied Philippe on the Taarang Tour and the many-shared dates gave both artists the opportunity to become musically tame and to deepen their common language.

In January 2015, the duo was granted a residence at Césaré (National Center for Musical Creation in Reims, France) where they recorded within a few days the seven tracks that constitute the material of Secret.

Entirely recorded live with no overdubs, their approach is rooted in improvisation and translates a shared aesthetic to play on timbres, textures, sound space while striving to blur the boundaries between acoustic and electronic, raw and treated sounds, sampled and live produced material.

The melodic and rhythmic parts intertwine, mingle, and musical motifs travel within a moving and cloudy sound mass.

The Press says:

Equal parts electronic and acoustic, this fiercely imaginative collaboration between Philippe Foch and Mathias Delplanque strikes a flawless balance from start to finish. In a country that celebrates liberté, égalité et fraternité, Secret should be celebrated as a kind of alternative national anthem. Exclaim, Canada

In my eyes – this album is a testament to their shared friendship. But it should also be seen as a product of that time and instantly celebrated as a nostalgic look upon a short timespan. That time being the first buds of friendship between two sparring musicians. A sparsely populated, sonically inquisitive album – I have not heard anything quite like this for quite a while. If you are out for an adventure – look no further than Foch Delplanque’s “Secret”. Sigil of Brass, Avant-Garde Music Review

Zeer mooi werkstuk. Hoe meer ik van Delplanque hoor, hoe meer ik geneigd ben om mezelf een fan te noemen. En die Philippe Koch moet ik ook dringend wat meer aandacht geven. Koopwaar! Dark Entries, Belgium

Un percorso vibrante e ricco di sfumature, reso interessante dalla variegata gamma di soluzioni che informano ogni singolo capitolo. So What Music, Italy

It’s a richly textured and deep bit of experimental percussion work with a lot of character. It might perhaps be a little more entertaining to watch live than it is to listen to in stereo, where the unique selling points of its construction seem a little lost, but if you like your drum work deep and dubby, definitely have a listen to this. Chain DLK