When nature sounds new. Since 1999, the Musiques Nouvelles ensemble has been collaborating with the Studio Art Zoyd in Maubeuge on the creation of 'mixed' works that blend acoustic and electronic sounds... The Marni, in Brussels, is hosting... five world premieres by composers from diverse backgrounds... Born in 1935, Mâche is their oldest member. But this pupil of Olivier Messiaen and friend of Iannis Xenakis has retained a delightful freshness of inspiration that continues to lead him down highly original paths, seeking in traditional music and the sounds of nature models that for him are akin to archetypes. Canopée', premiered on Sunday, is another eloquent example. This word refers to the upper zone of the equatorial forests, which is virtually inaccessible and therefore little known. In 1972, in Borneo," says Mâche, "I recorded insect noises and bird songs that made an unforgettable impression on me. Mâche uses only strings (double quartet with double bass), which are mixed with two samplers used either as instruments in their own right, or as sophisticated tape recorders triggering the recorded sequences". Real music "Mâche has a very special relationship with nature: I have an extremely realistic approach from the outset, a very faithful transcription of the rhythms and pitches of the sounds of nature. There's more poetry in precision than in vagueness. I'm not attracted to musical impressionism, I act as if these sounds were emitted by performers, musicians. If we analyse them in detail, we discover that bird songs are structured like "real music": there are organisational dimensions common to both animals and humans! To dismiss aesthetics as a dimension that cannot belong to animals is a mistake prompted by our anthropocentrism. There is no evidence that the need for beauty that we seek through the manipulation of sound is unique to humans. In my music, I want to convey the wonder I feel for these natural models. " 

                          Michel Debrocq, Le soir, 29-30 November 2003