Under The Reefs Orchestra is an instrumental power trio that blurs the lines between jazz and alternative rock. Clément Nourry, guitarist, composer and close collaborator of Yokaï and Nicolas Michaux is joined by the saxophonist Marti Melia (Flat Earth Society) and the drummer Louis Evrard (Robbing Millions, Ottla). Together they create a soundtrack haunted by the ghosts of Moondog and Adrien Belew.
A sonic-minded power trio of obsessive, biting riffs and mists of asymmetrical sonic cycles. Inspired as much by French chamber music of the 19th century as by Jim O’Rourke or Moondog, Under The Reefs Orchestra’s hypnotic music unleashes a cosmic energy and leads the listener to a trance among underwater volcanos.
Guitarist Clement Nourry’s gentlemanly demeanor masks the great fiery passion of a true musical virtuoso. “I focus on one thing, and one thing entirely” says Nourry. For him, that one thing is the guitar. Combining the deep theoretically understanding of a skilled mathematician (which he actually is) with a true musician’s soulful instinct, Nourry is as comfortable with John Fahey as he is with experimental jazz. To put it simply: he shreds.
This trip through the timeless realms of sound can be heard as a soundtrack of the ecological apocalypse we live in.
The band manages to sound equally loose and tight, structured yet expressive, and this stems from an approach that welcomes improvisation but then settles on a firm approach. “Once we find the sound and structure that works for us, we keep it but with slight variations,” says Nourry. “When we play live we are playing a really structured set but with very defined improvisation spots.”
Nourry went into this album with zero expectations but has come out with something that far surpassed any that he could have had. “I had no idea how I wanted it to sound,” he says. “I just wanted to experiment with these people.”
LIVE
- 1/10, Les Nuits Botanique, Brussel
Check out the album HIER.