Pierre Bastien

𝙋𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣’𝙨 "𝙏𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨" 𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙘𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨. 𝙐𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙’𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙨.

"In Tools, Pierre Bastien explores his long-standing fascination with the concept of “elsewhere” from a new perspective. The title echoes an article by René Van Peer, which opens with this concise formula: “I compose with a screwdriver”. Bastien performs on instruments of his own making —mechanical assemblages built primarily from Meccano parts— which structure not only the music itself but also an image of music. Rather than seeking narrative or metaphor, let’s not imagine anything just yet, Bastien invites us first to observe the raw materiality of his mechanisms: the clash of gears, the hum of rotation, the tension between precision and accident.

The machine-instrument at the origin of this record was composed of a rhythm section, a harmonic section with six valves playing six major chords, a rotating nail violin, eight rotating flute mouthpieces, and an automated skeleton of a record player.

The device holds its hidden secrets. What emerges, unplanned, carries the essence of discovery. The unexpected remains invisible until it materializes. To discover something is to understand that the world we knew has widened. As such, Bastien’s creative process is a precious reminder that “elsewhere” (and its multitude of worlds) is always lurking around us."