Week in Pop: Chancellor Warhol, Ensemble Economique, Friends in America

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Ensemble Economique

The always amazing Brian Pyle from Ensemble Economique; press photo courtesy of the artist.
The always amazing Brian Pyle from Ensemble Economique; press photo courtesy of the artist.

Feast all available faculties of senses upon the remarkable Caroline Edholm et Pauline Soleil video for Ensemble Economique’s Soft Metals collaboration “Blossoms in Red” that mixes sensuality with abstract visual arrangements of nudes in various poses of intimate congress. Predominately cast in a monochromatic b/w visual color palette, the Caroline Edholm et Pauline Soleil direction provides an illustrious exception with splashes of red seen painted on luscious lips, nails & the inside of a spiky rambutan. Originally featured off the Denovali Records release of the same name, Bryan Pyle’s Soft Metals collaboration is treated to a wealth of visuals that flux between the sumptuous & strange depicted in the most sophisticated of art house fashions.

The two power-house forces of EE & SM collide together as a meeting of synth wielding sound-weavers that create landscapes rich in the iciest chills of feelings. The video for “Blossoms in Red” focuses on nude bodies communicating to one another through touch & entanglement where the title allusions of ruby blossoms are scene in sparse adornments amid the b/w lens. Ensemble Economique x Soft Metals’ cinematic piece creates a resonance where plots & subtexts arises to the surface in the imagination of the listening/viewing audience while the visuals portray an orgy of models seen between silk sheets, on beds of sandy shores, pressed against glass, or blurred in the captured eye of the soft focus. “Blossoms in Red” engages all receptors of feelings where full immersion into worlds of touch & a steamy intensity overtakes everything.

Ensemble Economic’s Brian Pyle provided the following insight about the making of the “Blossoms in Red” video & working with Soft Metals:

The basic idea for the video started with my friend Laurent in Paris, who’s teaching film there. He proposed the idea of creating a video as a workshop, this group project. I thought okay, why not, let’s see what happens and I proposed the title track “Blossoms In Red” as the song for them to work with. I really had zero expectations, my only directive was simply to channel the energy of the song however they saw fit. I mean it’s a very sensual/erotic track so my hope was that the video would reflect that. So under the supervision of Laurent the video was directed by the team of Caroline Edholm and Pauline Soleil, working with three actors and then after the shoot, the footage was sent to another team for editing, so a real proper group process.

And yes, they exceeded my hopes for the video in a profound way, I think it’s incredible. They really managed to capture the energy perfectly and the aesthetic is exquisite, very sensual/sexy/erotic, exactly what I wanted, I really couldn’t be happier with the result. I’ve always felt a great connection with Paris so it was a real pleasure to have that Parisian feel with one of my videos, very happy.

Brian Pyle getting statuesque in Bologna, Italy; photo courtesy of the artist
Brian Pyle getting statuesque in Bologna, Italy; photo courtesy of the artist

As for the track itself, the collaboration with Soft Metals. It started out simply enough. I was having dinner with Patricia and Ian and after dinner we decided to have a little music session. I had a rough idea of the vibe I wanted, the direction and we started with a simple bassline/beat, added some synth flourishes/undercurrents and that was it. I took the stems/the basic ideas home and then really started the work on building up the piece, adding the many little elements/layers, really filling out the sound, processing, shaping it into that classic EE vibe. It was a lot of work but well worth it, i love how the track came out. And i’m very happy to have this collaboration on the record, they’re lovely people and amazing artists, great to work with them.

Ensemble Economique’s Blossoms in Red is available now from Denovali Records.