Paradoxe

Biographies

Marc Parazon is a Paris-based composer, sound artist, and sound engineer known for his unique blend of sound creation, art installations, and stage performances.

Drawing from his professional experience in sound recording for the film industry and cultural institutions such as the Pompidou Center and Ircam, he infuses his compositions with a cinematic touch.

Parazon’s innovative approach involves utilizing obsolete audio tools, notably magnetic tape, instead of computers during live performances offering a fresh sonic perspective.

 

Romain Beauchef, a Paris-based pianist, is a versatile musician with a strong classical foundation. He is also an improviser and performer who currently teaches piano at Paris Conservatoire Camille Saint-Saëns.

Beauchef’s musical interests span a wide range of repertoires, from baroque music to improvisation, and he explores various musical approaches, including prepared piano techniques and the extended use of electroacoustic instruments.

He has garnered awards for his piano performances at renowned conservatoires under the tutelage of esteemed teachers such as Marie-Bénédicte Lavoine, Pascale Amoyel, Hugues Leclère, and Réna Shereshevskaya at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris.

Interview with Paradoxe – Translated from French

Q: You both come from different musical backgrounds. How did this project come together?

A: A composer friend we have in common, Nadir Babouri, put us in touch.

Romain wanted to create a new musical project using electronics but without computers. Marc, who played electroacoustic and experimental music, wanted to expand his music to include more complex rhythms.

We each found Steve Reich to be an influence on our musical styles.

Romain had formal training in concert music writing and is an accomplished pianist. Marc has always been focused on art music and performed in the noise-rock scene.

We’ve developed a sound that melds two distinct approaches, and that’s where “paradox” comes from.

 

Q: Tell us a little about how you work together.

A: In the beginning, we didn’t have the same vocabulary or the same tools.

Marc’s approach is intuitive and a little chaotic, whereas Romain has a strong sense of common practice harmony writing.

Marc couldn’t directly relate to Romain’s experience as a composer, while Romain was unfamiliar with working with electronic instruments.

So, we were a little afraid of each other’s judgment.

Our respective uncertainties were transformed into our current approach to music writing.

As for our individual strengths, Marc proposes raw musical material, while Romain looks for unifying threads to structure the composition.

Today, we feel on an equal footing in composing, reinforced by our friendship over the years. When working, any proposal from either of us is considered.

 

Q. What does a perfect day look like to you?

A: A perfect day doesn’t exist for us, but they’re all fruitful in their own way.

We can spend days experimenting with things without coming to a conclusion, but at a given moment, something clicks and crystallizes.

That magic moment doesn’t belong to that particular day but to all the work carried out over several days.

For example, during a residency at Loggeloù in Brittany, we spent a week creating a piece, three-quarters of which was eventually abandoned. Still, one idea emerged at the end of the work. Today, it’s our favorite piece.

Credits

Executive Producer: Peter Vukmirovic Stevens
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Romain Beauchef and Marc Parazon at La Cave à Son, Paris
With thanks to Giulia & Julie
Album art and layout by Sean Waple