Veneris Dies is this Parisian duo’s first EP. And it’ll be a revelation to anyone who lends an ear. If we absolutely need to label things, these six tracks are electronica, but with that extra spark that makes all the difference. Both in their early twenties, Pierre-Elie Robert and Charles Valentin had not produced anything officially until now. A couple of tracks individually, but never anything that truly satisfied them. They had to join forces.
Chance is only the starting point for Vendredi. And it is never enough, even if they give it an important role in their music. Chance is the melody of an accordionist they met in Venice (Chiara) whom they hired on the spot for an improvised session right as they were finishing their EP in the coastal Italian city. Chance is also the crackling sound of a fire starting in their tiny student apartment right as they were recording Le vide et la lumière. This very concrete approach is reminiscent of English musician Matthew Herbert, creator of a type of house music inspired by everyday sounds.
That’s how Vendredi works. By tuning in, with their instinct, and then by patiently polishing their work in order to reach a beautiful and fragile equilibrium. That moment suspended in time between two opposites. The cold of machines and the warmth of sound. Phantasmagoria and reality.
The rhythms are soft but they are filled with a muted violence that grows more powerful every time you listen to their music. When he creates them, Charles finds inspiration in the techno roots that he grew up on as much as in the Russian romantic composers, especially Rachmaninov. Harmony is Pierre-Elie’s job. Which makes sense considering his baroque upbringing listening to Bach and Haendel. And when the two of them tune in to perfection, it results in the certain vertigo experienced in a few of their compositions. Vendredi truly is the day of endless possibilities.
