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French guitarist Olivier Jambois releases his latest solo album, a captivating exploration of sound crafted in Barcelona, Spain. Drawing inspiration from years of experience (including several acclaimed albums), in this solo work, he blends electric guitar with tape echo effects meticulously modified by himself. These unique echoes, built by hand from vintage reel-to-reel recorders from the 60's-80's era, push the boundaries of conventional sound, creating a truly immersive listening experience.
"For the story, it all began as a fun experiment. I tried to create a delay effect the way it was done in the 50's. At that time, the technology used for storing audio was magnetic tapes. The idea is simple and fascinates me: the guitar sound is recorded on the tape and played back a few hundred milliseconds later. By adjusting physical and mechanical parameters, I discovered that the delay time and many other factors, can be tweaked.
This project has been a deep dive, both technically and musically. In fact, every technical advancement became a source of inspiration for composing or improvising music.
I hope you enjoy this album as much as I enjoyed making it."
The guidebook serves as a companion to the album. In it, I demonstrate how I created various tape echoes (-> 'Self Tape Echo'). I explain how a tape echo works, what is needed to build one, and how to modify them using electronics, with detailed illustrations, schematics, and photographs. I also explore the possibility of controlling the tape echo with an Arduino, detailing the necessary electronics, connections, and programming involved. At the end I discuss my creative process during the construction of the machines. This is a PDF file of approximately 50 pages, formatted in A4
Released October 23, 2024.
Olivier Jambois : electric guitar, prepared guitar, reel-to-reel renovation and modifications for tape echoing.
Recorded by OJ during the year 2023 / Master by Leo Cincinelli.
This work has been supported by the Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
