BRUIT ≤: A Different Shade Of Noise

As music fans in a contemporary world, we are very fortunate that music has never been so accessible. It is available on countless streaming platforms, plastered over YouTube, in beautiful vinyl variants, and it has never been easier for musicians to create and distribute content, or for us listeners to devour more music than there are hours in the day. This however, has come with a toll, as we see the market becoming saturated with artists paraphrasing each other, eating up preconceived ideas and spitting out regurgitated recordings that do little to revolutionise or stand out. Many bands are content with sticking to foolproof concepts. And that is fine, but thankfully, there are still those out there that would shudder at the thought of sounding comparable, and employ every ounce of creativity they can muster to build something truly unique. As we’re about to learn, the result can be spectacular.

During an inspired conversation with Clément and Théophile of the French progressive outfit BRUIT ≤, they told us that they always prioritise the idea of forming their own artistic signature, a task that can often be difficult. As Clément puts it.

“In the post-rock scene there are a lot of clichés. We try to escape these and invent new ways of making music in a modern and progressive way. It’s critical for us to find a sound that isn’t a projection of somebody else. The best compliment we can receive is that you can’t really hear any big influences.” This is a level of perfectionism that the band has taken to new extremes, having combed through countless versions of tracks over the course of several years in order to formulate their debut record. “Théo and I are the master brains and if one of us has a doubt about an idea then the other has to be certain, and there is big debate. If he’s convinced by it then I think ‘ok, it must be because I’ve lost some perspective, but he’s still feeling the magic.’ I have the biggest trust in his taste and I think he feels the same about me. We are a pain in each other’s ass and it can be exhausting, but our only interest is in making the best music possible.”

BRUIT ≤ now find themselves at the end of this arduous process, poised to unleash their debut opus into the wild. The recent release of a live performance which unveiled the album’s closing track The Machine Is Burning to thunderous virtual applause has given them a chance to anticipate the critical acclaim heading their way, but when reflecting on what they have created, they remain ever humble. Clément says, “a magician cannot appreciate his own tricks. I already know where the rabbit is hiding. When listening I don’t really feel anything anymore, because I know every single little noise. But when I speak to people who have felt that magic, it touches me a lot. It’s why we do it. We just cannot wait to release it and have feedback. It’s incredible to make people feel something. We just can’t wait to play live with that intensity in front of people soon!” A wish that is greatly reciprocated. 

Their live recording is set in a church, far flung from the Parisian sci-fi location they had originally chosen until the pandemic scuppered that plan, yet ultimately the ideal setting to showcase their extraordinary musical approach. They began writing the track over three years ago – ironically under the working title ‘Churches’. It began with an organ, and as the seasons passed it grew into a wall of sound that perfectly summarises what they aim to achieve. The band name itself literally translates as ‘noise’, and the way in which they go about their business is anything but quiet. “In France, everybody seems to want to put musicians into their own little boxes. GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR invented their own revolutionary sound and so did EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, for example. They have become their own cliché but they invented it. All the different elements we use like classical and electronic music are difficult to put together; there is no word to describe us so people call us ‘post-rock’ or ‘neo-classical’ but that’s only a small part of it.” BRUIT ≤ are everything and nothing all at once, having worked tirelessly to analyse their own sonic DNA before expressing themselves. 

The members come from a variety of musical backgrounds, and each can pin their own colours to the mast. Two of the members are classically trained, whereas the other half understands no classical theory and can’t read music. It’s an interesting juxtaposition that no doubt means them locking horns from time to time, but ultimately provides a rare sense of freedom. As Clément explains, “we have to be very creative when communicating ideas. I have learned so many things from the guys that my musical theory would not normally allow. I learned all these rules! I do my best to forget but I also think the others learn a lot too, especially when it comes to organising ideas and frequencies. We try to sound spontaneous while keeping the precision of a classical musician, but everything is very detailed and controlled.”

Since the days of their EP, BRUIT ≤ have been working with the artisanal Swiss label Elusive Sound. Renowned for their desire to put new genre-defying music on a pedestal, they seem to fit the band’s philosophies like a glove. Clément reminisces on the early days, well before that 2017 EP when they were still desperately seeking their sonic identity. “We initially got in touch with Peter Pires, who deals with artistic queries. We mailed him our demo and he answered, explaining exactly why the song sounded like shit. He was so right! At that point I knew that I was talking to a guy that knows everything about progressive music and has listened to tonnes of albums, and before we knew it, he was sending constant feedback.” 

“I remember once he emailed me about compression and snare echo at 3am before the mastering of the EP, and we weren’t even collaborating with them at that point. He was just a guy who I had conversed with about sound and aesthetic, like a precious external ear that we trusted entirely. He helped us a lot through the creation of our identity. When we finished the EP and he finally said, ‘do you want to release it on vinyl with Elusive Sound?’ we said hell yeah! It was the only time that we found this kind of artistic support and collaboration without even having a contract. Just pure help. His whole team is amazing, but meeting Peter was the beginning of something for us. His contribution is priceless.”

Despite the complexity of BRUIT ≤‘s music, they rest on some fairly simple laurels. They had subjects that they wanted to approach, and sonic ideas they wanted to explore. Clear guidelines such as “never starting a song with a riff, or chord progression” give the band a framework around which they can build. “With the first track Industry, we wanted to have very dark, trap-like music with a 90s heavy drum. So we started there. We built a contrast between very organy stuff and very electronic stuff. Of course we talk a lot about politics and such, and we are very concerned about all the ecological crises, so we quickly decided to make something very natural, to have a mix that is not over produced. Even if the sound is massive, we want to create a sense of organic space.”

This way of thinking is replicated throughout the album, as they explored how to mix acoustic textures and a progressive approach with the sonic DNA of bluegrass and folk, and so on. The result is music so far flung from anything else out there that it’s difficult to even find the words to describe exactly what BRUIT ≤ are. It is approaching movie score territory. The only certain thing is that by releasing their album on the April 2nd, they will strike a chord that will resonate for years to come.

The Machine Is Burning And Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again is set for release April 2nd via Elusive Sound. Pre-orders are available now and can be purchased here.

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