Edouard Ferlet

One man. Two pianos. Four machines.
French pianist Edouard Ferlet has spent the last few years exploring the boundaries of humans and technology. Edouard sits between two pianos. He can play one of them but placed atop the piano are two algorithmic switcher machines. Ferlet can flick various switches on and off to trigger matrix patterns on the second machine, which in turn allows a machine to play the second piano. It’s like when you see a haunted piano playing itself but the results are far more tuneful in Edouard Ferlet’s hands! The composer has named it the PIANOID and his video explaining how it works is fascinating.
‘Reflex’ is the first single from his forthcoming EP ‘Reset’ which is due for release on the 9th of December. The idea behind ‘Reflex’ is using the machines to create a rhythmic pattern on the PIANOID whilst Edouard plays his own melodies on the other piano. It’s a slow burn that gets increasingly more bombastic as the robots get more into the jam and cascades of note waves run up and down the keys. It’s an inventive way to make music and fans of Philip Glass, Nils Frahm, Grandbrothers and Hauschka will enjoy these ivories. It’s a rich mixture of tech, piano improv and classical themes.

Édouard Ferlet
Pianoïd 2
(Mélisses)
Jazz robotique
Un homme, deux pianos, drôle de tête à tête ! C'est Pianoid, conversation entre humain et machine, spontané et programmé, impro et techno... Et si ce numéro deux a une raison d'être, c'est qu'Édouard Ferlet a creusé son sujet. Plus joueuse, plus riche, plus escarpée, cette suite est aussi intéressante pour son arrière-cuisine que pour ce qu'il en ressort : une poésie ténébreuse et cubique où chaque son a sa fonction et où, c'est primordial, le dispositif n'entrave jamais la musique. De ce joli micmac pianistique (bruits de caisse, cordes étouffées, jeux avec les timbres, les couleurs etc...) on retiendra les grands gestes, les envolées, les cycles obsédants qu'on avait déjà croisés dans « Think Bach », les tensions et pauses détentes, les beats technoïdes et reflux mélancoliques. Tout cela fait de Pianoïd 2 une sorte de film, road-movie d'un doux entêté du piano, aussi habile soliste que machiniste.
On s'y plonge avec délice.
David Koperhant

French pianist Edouard Ferlet has announced the release of a new EP called Reset which will be out on December 9th via his own label Mélisse. According to the press release, With this new EP, the pianist continues on his crossroads. He mixes composition, improvisation and interaction between two pianos, makes dialogue between acoustic and technology to survey the borders of contemporary music, jazz, pop and electro.
“Reflex” is the first excerpt. Composed with the same set up as Pianoïd, the latest album by the musician, it sees Ferlet playing side to side with a second piano controlled by a machine (a Disklavier™ and a piano Silent™). It explores the robotic rhythm possibilities of the piano as every sound in this track is generated by the two instruments. This composition brings the piano, as we know it, in an another dimension and witness the complex and always fascinating relationship between Man and Machine.