larkian

Introduction :
Larkian is a project that started at the end of the 90's. At this time, Cyril Monnard, a lausanne (CH) resident began to record, on an old 4 track tape recorder, a bunch of songs based on the saturation of the most various effects using a guitar.
After some years of experimentation and recordings, Larkian began to play live. Since his first show in 2001, Larkian had the opportunity to share different stages all around Switzerland with different artists such as Disco Doom, Gabardine, Larytta, J&L Defer, Alpen Dynamo, Digitaline, Sanatorium, L'altra, Ghost tape, Cobra (avec logo panthère), Mur/mur, Les Poissons Autistes, D'incise, Putes Cigolana Ortcele, Thomas Korber, [SIC], Jason Kahn, Shintaro Myazaki, Hopen, dDamage, Isobrown, Balduin, Bio, Receptor, Christian Gergarabedjan, Tokoloten, Morfrom, Reverse Engineering, Opérateur Fotokopieur, Triphase, Hori Tetsuya, Softland, Das Konzentrat, Roy and the devil's motorcycle, ... .
Larkian also collaborate with differente persons (live improvisation with D'incise, collaborations with [SIC], Yellow6, Echozen, Les Poissons Autistes, Bio, ...).
The concept with Larkian is not to create a perfect sound piece but to develop sound sequences captured at a given moment in time, while keeping later possibilities of development, like a world in perpetual movement.
News :
07.10.2009 : the collaboration with Yellow6 is still on and after four songs, we decided to change our way of working.:
A new record should see the day soon, maybe on the mighty October man recordings label :
The collaboration with Bio et Les Poissons Autistes will start in November:
03.09.2009 : recordings are now on the run ... :
first, a collaboration with english artist Yellow6. Three songs are now finished and the result at this point is very interesting. There is no prevision about a release date yet (label ... ??!).
secondly, material for a new Larkian ep (album ?) is also beeing recorded. It should see the light of day by the end of the year (label ??!).
thirdly, with Les Poissons Autistes and Bio, we'll start a collaboration in the forthcoming days (four musicians).
No live dates for now on (please get in touch if ...)
Booking :
Larkian is always searching for live dates, in Switzerland or ... internationally (never tried it, but having a big interest in it). If you are interested in booking Larkian or give a hand : larkian(a)myspace.com:
Discography :
"Bezdna Radio Essentials 001" (net audio VA comp / silent flow - 2009)
"October in blue" (cd-r / October man recordings - 2009)
"Guitarz" (cd-r / Dead Vox - 2009)
"Larkian vs. Phoamtoan" (cd-r / Dead Vox - 2009)
"Distorted2/Endoh/Nekken" (cd-r / Dead Vox - 2008)
"Droxma" (cd-r / Dead Vox - 2007)
"Droxma_1" (net audio / Adozen.org - 2005)
"Rencontres Occasionnelles" (D'incise & Larkian live improvisations / cd-r - 2005)
"Séquence 3" (3inch cd-r / Tricycle Evolutif - 2004)
"Séquences 1/2" (7inch / Tricycle Evolutif - 2002)
Demo / free copies and stuuf :
If you are insterested in getting free stuff by Larkian, please get in touch : larkian(a)myspace.com and give some explanations concerning your request Filmography :
Larkian's "Droxma_1" track was used in a film by Lillian Fornaud.
Reviews :
About the droxma_1 song released on adozen.org (and available on Dead Vox), it has been said :
By disquiet.com :
One is tempted to call Larkian’s "Droxma_1" a drone, but it’s so much more than that, more specific, more earthly, more tangible. There’s too much detail in "Droxma_1" to relegate it to mere, to even superior, drone-ness. It begins in these shifting waves of tone, with particulate percussion flitting in and out. Drone purists might consider the noises to be flies in the ointment, but in this case the extra material makes the whole thing all the more interesting, more eventful, more palatable. At nearly half an hour, "Droxma_1" begins in one place (this nascent realm of sounds competing, lazily, for prominence) and drives eventually to elsewhere, to a peak of rollicking maximalism, like a Glenn Branca symphony, like one of Michael Gordon’s post-rock chamber works, like the famous “tuning up” moment in the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” but distended, like some tumultuous communal experience replayed on the evening newscast in slow motion. "Droxma_1" is the third and most recent release from the adozen.org netlabel. It’s available in two file sizes: 256 kbps (MP3) and 128 kbps (MP3). In general, the latter should be sufficient for casual listening, but this piece deserves the density of the higher bit rate.
By betweensounds.com :
The first solo release of the young netlabel Adozen by the also young Larkian is really "beautifully crafted" as the label describes it; its strength lies more in its superb sense of timing, its structure than the sounds themselves. "Based on guitar sound and feedback", it features mainly the not-so-thick flow of sounds that at the same time reminds you of drone and of psychedelic rock (certainly its more experimental side); for the most of the time of its 24 minutes duration, some tiny rhytmic noises (presumable also made with the guitar) are adding loose counterpoints. What is the most exciting about this release that it manages to carve out its own place between the strategies of drone and of psychedelic music; which is quite a paradox, as drone mostly has a strong sense of stability (where changes often occur imperceptibly) while the kind of psychedelic music that is evoked here mainly uses the strategy of raising and raising and raising the tension - and then erupting at a cathartic culmination point. For the first part of Droxma_1, the music (and the listener) is hesitating (perhaps lazily, an appropriate attribute used by Disquiet in a slighty different context) between the sense of stability and raising the tension; the you feel that things are getting thicker: you are waiting for the catharsis; but then in the last part, you get only the aftermath of the catharsis. But it's not quite true: the catharsis is definitely there, except you can not show or hear its definite place (contrary to most psychedelic rock music). It is there everywhere and nowhere; one is tempted to say it comes afterwards, but certainly is not; neither consciously nor unconsciously, you hear it in retrospect. This is why this music certainly deserves repeated listening: you hope you will find it next time but you're sure you won't. And you know this is much better than the well-known worn-out catharsis you get most of the time.
About the "séquences 1/2" 7inch on Tricycle Evolutif :
By Norman Records :
There's a 7" by Larkian which is floaty ambient atmospheric music. Sequence is 7" only and......Nice....
By Dérives.net (french only) :
Larkian est le projet solo de Cyril Monnard, originaire de Lausanne (Suisse) et tête pensante et chercheuse de l’excellent label Tricycle Evolutif. Si la plupart des sorties de Tricycle Evolutif, où en général de la scène post-rock suisse, sont à classer dans un registre plutôt rock et orientée songwriting (Honey For Petzi, A Season Drive, Toboggan, Parazit, Bela, Lity Pisc,…), Larkian s’en distingue quelque peu.
Les deux plages ici présentes appartiennent plutôt à ce style d’ambient guitar post-rock space-rock auquel on peut rattacher les Stars of The Lid, Landing, Flying Saucer Attack, Windy and Carl, Rafael Toral ou Yellow6. Cyril utilise guitares, synth, sampler et effets pour arriver à générer des soundscape planants et épanouis, entre drones, nappes et réverbérations. Le bleu de la pochette donne une bonne idée des ambiances azurées des deux plages, simplement intitulées ‘Séquence 1’ et ‘Séquence 2’ et qui combleront sans l’ombre d’un doute l’amateur du genre même si elles ne sont en rien révolutionnaires. On y décèle cependant une sensibilité évidente et attachante, Larkian semble appartenir plutôt au côté chaleureux du genre, celui de Windy and Carl, Rafael Toral ou des meilleurs moments de Yellow6. On ressent une certaine quête intime de pureté et d’absolu et c’est ce qui rend l’écoute de ce disque utile et justifiée.
La face A est plutôt aquatique et nocturne, basée sur des sons électroniques. On imagine d’énormes masses d’eau en mouvement, le phénomène de marrée et certaines oscillations et vibrations à peine perceptibles qui ont chez nous des effets quasi hallucinatoires. On contemple l’horizon marin la nuit, l’esprit comme aspiré par l’univers liquide. La plage devient peu à peu extase, immobilité enivrante où le sol semble se dérober à nous, le sommeil nous envahit et notre esprit ne veut plus faire qu’un avec la mer.
La face B est plutôt aérienne et diurne, basée sur des nappes de guitare manipulées. Ca commence avec le vrombissement d’un avion dans le lointain puis nos yeux s’ouvrent pour apercevoir le vide et d’énormes masses de nuages blancs parsemés dans un ciel azuré. Vertiges et sentiments d’immensité, les respirations se font profondes et apaisées. On goutte au sentiment de plénitude, on y dépose les lèvres, on découvre de nouvelles dimensions, les nuages nous traversent le corps. On évolue comme à la recherche d’un paradis perdu. On oublie jusqu’à l’existence de notre corps, quelques minutes durant puis il faudra malheureusement réatterrir. Mais l’aiguille ne demande qu’à être replacée à son début.
Au total j’ai une préférence nette pour la face B. Il reste qu’avec ce premier 7’’, Larkian réussit déjà à intriguer, envoûter et à nous laisser avec l’envie irrésistible d’en entendre plus.
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