New albums!
Somehow for the holiday season I’ve got not one but two new albums to share with you.
• CORY SEZNEC DEEP OF TIME (Officially releases January 12, 2024)
ORDER VINYL, CD, DOWNLOAD HERE
• TOUKI PLASTIC MAN (Officially releases March 1, 2024)
ORDER VINYL, CD, DOWNLOAD HERE
1) The first, Deep of Time, is my “covid opera” – forged during the pandemic with producer partners-in-crime Jean-Etienne Loose and Geoffroy Dauptain. We went brick by brick through each track, arranging, then recording first as a demo – which in another era may have become the final product – to facilitate the final recording sessions. A handful of exceptional musicians were then brought on board to add their magic touch: harmonica player David Chalumeau, drummer Raphaël Chassin, pedal steel guitarist Paolo Conti, upright bassist Thomas Garoche, organist Jean-Max Méry, guitarist Daniel Mizrahi, percussionist Renaud Ollivier, sousaphonist/trumpeter Rafgee, fiddler/cellist Duncan Wickel…
A good chunk of the music was recorded on an old Studer A80 24-track tape machine at Tonehouse Studio outside Paris. Instrumentation-wise we went “70s” on it: an old Ludwig drum kit, Hammond C3 organ, Rhodes piano, Juno synth, miniMoog, vintage guitars, tube amps, harmonica, percussion, violin, cello, pedal steel, etc.
The album artwork features photography by brother Yann Seznec shot at Hollywood Farm, and design by Tom Baxendale. It is now available for presale on Bandcamp in vinyl, cd and digital formats (where you can also listen to a few tracks)
In fact, the cd and the vinyl have arrived in time for Christmas!
2) The second is a new album with Touki, my project with Senegalese artist Amadou Diagne. Made possible thanks to a grant from Arts Council England, the album was recorded at the renowned Real World Studios, and produced by Oscar Cainer, with arrangements by virtuosic American cellist/violinist Duncan Wickel.
Plastic Man focuses on climate change, environmental activism and spiritual matters—weaving together West African fables, personal stories and large social, economic and political questions facing our world. The name of the album was inspired by Senegalese climate activist Modou Fall, who dresses up as a plastic “kankurang” (protective spirit figure) to draw awareness about plastic waste. The photography for the album, taken by Italian photo-journalist Giulio Piscitelli in the Libyan desert, harks both to the continually unfolding human tragedy of displaced populations, and the plague of plastic pollution.
About the music:
Touki’s sound infuses East and West African styles and traditions with Appalachian banjo, folk motifs, and orchestral arrangements. Diagne’s powerful percussion, Seznec’s muted guitar-picking and rapid-fire banjo-frailing, and Wickel’s cello-grooves provide a rhythmic foundation, while vocals, kora and violins add beautiful texture and emotional depth. The scorching sounds of Endris Hassen’s masenqo (one-stringed bowed lute) are peppered throughout the album, providing punctual pitstops at an Ethiopian azmari-bet.
On the road this project is fortunate to tour with French strings wizard Marius Pibarot.
Listen to a few tracks and pre-order the album in vinyl, cd or digital formats here.
Happy holidays to one and all!
-Cory
