don nino

various D R A W I N G S

P R E S S q u o t e s
About "Mentors Menteurs!"
" Chapeau, Mr Don Nino!"
Spex, Germany 2007.
"L’affaire est entendue : originale et magistrale"
Magic, France 2007.
"Un splendide songwriter qui impressionne sur un album de reprises piquantes"
Les Inrockuptibles, France 2007
About "On the Bright Scale"
" French artist Don Nino has moulded the intricacies of unrestrained folk and electronics to a delectable peak. His sense of location, purpose and sensitive compositions has allowed him to fashion together a deeply moving collection of his feelings. Each track delves deeper into nino’s sack of knowledge and intimacy to sculpt true, dark folksy rhythms. "
Flux, UK 2004.
"Il est difficile de cerner la magie de ce disque à la fois direct et retenu, fragile et tendu, dense et dépouillé... Tout en finesse et en douceur, cet album inspiré s’insinue au coeur de votre quotidien "
Mouvement, France 2004.
About "Real Seasons make Reasons"
"Pitching his tent between Smog and Kings Of Convenience on a bad acid trip, Frenchman Don Nino’s first solo album explores a radical territory where regular instrumentation (guitar, organ, piano) is used to evoke images of what Aphex Twin, Squarepusher might sound like if electricity had never been harnessed. He indulges himself in a manner similar to Sparkehorse’s Mark Linkous, messing with sounds, hitting things, recording it all and pasting the best bitstogether." Spyda Broadcasting, UK 2002.
" Ni folk-singer orthodoxe, ni grenouille du bénitier post-rock, ce songwriter inattendu joue les funambules sur un album qui oscille entre chronique intimiste et manuel d’alchimie, récit au coin de l’âtre et disque d’aventures"
Les Inrockuptibles, France 2001.
cd’s are available here , payment by paypal
Short bio
Raised between Europe and America and shaped through years of numerous musical experiences, Don Nino (a.k.a nicolas laureau) is one of those French artists who builds up their own musical idiosyncrasy.
His voice tends to synchronize with the intricate melodies and rhythms created using his various instruments of choice : acoustic and electric guitar, organ, piano, harmonium, electronics, banjo, glokenspiel, kalimba and many others...
The sober, minimalist poetry of his lyrics, touch a surface and hint at what seems to be a deeply personal source of inspiration.
His uncommon approach to modern urban folk music gives an original form to the songs. They shift from a mixture of deconstructed pop and bittersweet bossa nova to shades of jazz and to darker atmospheres that could be soundtracks of noir movies or to lighter pop songs. Far from easy listening, Don Nino still uses a great sensitivity, an original sense of composition, and the combination of acoustic and electronic sounds to show a new path into a modern universe of various melodies, rhythms and sounds.
His first solo album Real Seasons Make Reasons was a collection of songs which were composed throughout the years he’s spent in various musical projects (Prohibition, nlf3 (trio)). It was produced with a few musicians and recorded by his brother F.Lor who has also recorded as of late: Yann Tiersen, Shannon Wright, Francoiz Breut, Dirty Three and many others.
The second album On The Bright Scale (2004) has been produced and recorded home by Don Nino, willing to find out an absolute intimity in the process of writing, composing, arranging and recording his songs. He isolated himself at his home, in his living room (Le Salon de Mu(s)ique(s), homage to Satyatjit ray) during a few months of 2004 to work out the musical landscapes and words he had kept secret. His fatherhood and all the feelings and changes it generates have also largely contributed to the mood of the album and the way it was conceived.
The new album - the covers album - "Mentors Menteurs!" was recorded and mixed at Microbe Studios, January and February 2006 with Ben Rault, Dominique Petitgand and F.lor. Shane Aspegren played drums, Frederic Simon played cornet and Tuba, Erik Minkkinen played prepaired guitars and Helena Nogerra sang the Caetano Veloso’s cover together with Don. This covers project has been a long term thing, since two other homemade versions were recorded between 2003 and 2006.
Nicolas also shot a fictional documentary entitled "La Fenetre" (trsl. "The Window") shot in 2003 and edited in 2005-2006).
The drawings on this page belong to Don Nino’s Mentor’ serie and were made bewteen 2006 and 2007.