Sébastien Schuller is incontestably
an artist who takes you by surprise.
Sébastien Schuller is a classically
trained percussionist who became an accomplished
and eclectic multi-instrumentalist over
the years, composing and interpreting his
own work, backed by a few hand picked friends,
including Paul Hanford (Brothers in Sound,
Sancho).
A
thirtysomething from Les Yvelines in the
Parisian suburbs, Sébastien Schuller
thrives on enhancing sounds of acoustic
and natural resonance with touches of electronica.
Throughout the album, which balances tantric
instrumentals with tinges of pop you can
almost dance to, a thread of tortuous and
contrasting emotions is unravelled. The
mood is predominantly melancholic, but,
as in life, there is a constant undercurrent
of hope.
Dreams can sometimes become reality, even
though ghosts of the past inevitably haunt
the present.
The more you listen to "Happiness",
the further you will be drawn into its playful
secrets : the vocals tease the listener
with a game of hide and seek, first concealing
themselves behind the filters of machines,
then suddenly being revealed, raw and bare,
before retreating again to let the atmospheric
music speak for itself.
In short, there is one theme which perseveres
throughout the album which is as rich as
it is diverse: that of a love for the sounds
and melodies so strong it's almost tangible.
Or maybe it is just the constant strive
for perfectionism and the pursuit of happiness
which is a never-ending quest.