WHO? : A REMINISCENT DRIVE is one man: Jay Alanski. Son of a music publisher, his musical experience started a long time ago, when he was 13. He has been a songwriter, producer, arranger, video director for many different artists on the French Pop scene, enjoying a lot of success, awards, gold records... He also released several records as a singer including two critically acclaimed solo albums. However, he decided two years ago to completely change his musical direction, to dedicate himself to a brand new way of making music.
A REMINISCENT DRIVE is the result of this inner revolution. Jay abandonned the studios and drastically changed his way of working; He his now recording the A REMINISCENT DRIVE E.P.s in a small appartement on Paris hill of Montmartre.
HOW? : He works without any sampler or computer, which -in these days of Everybodys got a computer, Everybody makes a record -is really unusual.Everything is recorded on a 8-tracks machine and played manually (except one small drum-machine) using the famous technique invented by the Beatles called tracking. This is reducing the result of 8 tracks on a stereo mix then copying it on a new tape and here we go, we can add new instruments on 6 more tracks. Get it? It brings the spontaneity and the warmth of music created live. However, its not that simple and it requires a lot of musical and technical skills knowing exactly what you want to get and deciding every moment the right musical direction to go into. All the voices, bits of dialogues, spoken words, noises and sound are laid on the tracks through a mike in front of a small cassette player ! He loves this new way of working, which is exactly the opposite of what he was doing before and of what everybody is doing around on that scene. The tunes have a beginning, a middle-part and a end and are constructed as songs.
WHY? :A REMINISCENT DRIVE is a musical trip from the past (reminiscent) to the future (drive), a back-and-forth journey from the ancient sounds and cultures to the energy of a new music. One word about the artwork: first E.P. , plain violet with a yellow flame; Second E.P. , plain orange with an emerald heart. These are meaningful and spiritual colours and symbols. The spoken words samples and voices are also a key to understand and get into Jay Alanskis world full of emotion, magical and musical accidents. I try to embrace everything life brings to me and break boundaries. In a way, I make the record IÕd like to hear. Jay says.
His first LP "Mercy Street", is released since November 97. The first single "N.Y.C." will be released in february 98.
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