Country : France Label : Indépendant Genres and styles : Ambient / Jazz / Minimalist / Neoclassical Year : 2020

A Seed Story EP

· by Alexandre Villemaire

After ten years of touring with Lilly Wood and the Prick, Ayo, and Zaz, the Parisian pianist Augustin d’Assignies returns to his two loves: composing for piano… and the vine. On this first EP, d’Assignies takes his listeners into a colourful musical universe where Debussy-influenced music rubs shoulders with American minimalism, jazz, and electronics.

The first track (“Gouttes de Dieu”, first released as a single) is a tribute to Japanese culture and its imaginary worlds. It has a colour and vitality reminiscent of composer Joe Hisaishi, famous for composing the music for Hayao Miyazaki’s award-winning animated films. The title track “A Seed Story” intelligently combines piano lines and electronic effects to create a world where the sound of the piano mechanics is always brought to the fore, but in a different light as the piece unfolds. “Miniature #1 (for Brad)”, dedicated to the versatile American pianist Brad Mehdlau, and “January” both have a serene and melancholic nocturnal character. Like an aquatic reminder of the opening piece, “Ondine” is in the purest minimalist style, repeating a single arabesque pattern that unfolds to let only a few crystalline notes resonate at the end. 

With this short album, d’Assignies is planting a seed whose fruits have the potential to reveal a variety of flavours and a musical identity where mastery of the material and inventiveness are constantly evolving. It remains to be seen now how this musician winegrower will maintain his vines and develop his next musical vintages.

Latest 360 Content

Mundial Montreal | Royal Treatment for Magdala

Mundial Montreal | Royal Treatment for Magdala

Mundial Montréal | Eli Levinson Presents The ENTIRE Program!

Mundial Montréal | Eli Levinson Presents The ENTIRE Program!

Festival Marathon de M pour MTL | Mikey’s Programming Overview

Festival Marathon de M pour MTL | Mikey’s Programming Overview

Tryptique

Tryptique

Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt – Forever Stories of: Moving Parties

Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt – Forever Stories of: Moving Parties

Andrew Wells-Oberegger – Déjouer le glas

Andrew Wells-Oberegger – Déjouer le glas

Alfredo Santa Ana – Before the World Sleeps

Alfredo Santa Ana – Before the World Sleeps

BADBADNOTGOOD – Mid Spiral

BADBADNOTGOOD – Mid Spiral

Elisabeth Saint-Gelais – Infini

Elisabeth Saint-Gelais – Infini

Bryn Roberts – Aloft

Bryn Roberts – Aloft

Quatuor Esca – Esca

Quatuor Esca – Esca

Arthur Levering – OceanRiverLake

Arthur Levering – OceanRiverLake

Steven Osborne/London Philharmonic Orchestra, dir.: Edward Gardner – Tippett : Concerto pour piano; Symphonie no 2

Steven Osborne/London Philharmonic Orchestra, dir.: Edward Gardner – Tippett : Concerto pour piano; Symphonie no 2

The inner cinema of composer and sound artist Roxanne Turcotte

The inner cinema of composer and sound artist Roxanne Turcotte

Coup de coeur francophone – Gabriella Olivo + Daria Colonna

Coup de coeur francophone – Gabriella Olivo + Daria Colonna

Guillaume Villeneuve and Quatuor Cobalt’s Reflets du temps

Guillaume Villeneuve and Quatuor Cobalt’s Reflets du temps

N NAO – Pleine Lune

N NAO – Pleine Lune

Coup de cœur francophone | OGB: A Triptych of EPs and A Pair of Jazz Bangereux For a Strong Comeback

Coup de cœur francophone | OGB: A Triptych of EPs and A Pair of Jazz Bangereux For a Strong Comeback

Elisabeth St-Gelais: “Poursuivie par le même rêve” at l’Infini

Elisabeth St-Gelais: “Poursuivie par le même rêve” at l’Infini

Coup de cœur francophone | Sarahmée Ascends The Throne

Coup de cœur francophone | Sarahmée Ascends The Throne

AmyJo Doh & the Spangles – Spangle Landia

AmyJo Doh & the Spangles – Spangle Landia

OSM | Alpine Symphony: When Woods Become Sherpas

OSM | Alpine Symphony: When Woods Become Sherpas

Francis Choinière and OPCM: 10 Seasons And Counting

Francis Choinière and OPCM: 10 Seasons And Counting

SAMWOY – Poison

SAMWOY – Poison

Subscribe to our newsletter