Formed in 2021, Paris-based collective Asynchrone — Aloe Blacc‘s Clément Petit (cello), producer and musician Frédéric Soulard, Hughes Mayot (clarinet, sax), Delphine Joussein (flute), Manuel Peskine (piano) and A.L.B.E.R.T.’s Vincent Taeger (drums) — features a collection of musicians across the city’s free jazz and electro scenes, who wanted to honor the work of the late, legendary Japanese jazz keyboardist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Influenced by Sakamoto’s freedom, mysticism and his ability to draw inspiration from Debussy and Kraftwerk equally, the Parisian collective revisits his massive back catalog with a breath of rebellious freedom and a communicative pleasure of playing. Fittingly, the members of Asynchrone see their endeavor as more than a tribute to a frozen, seemingly static body of work, but a tribute to pure creative freedom.
The Parisian collective burst into the scene with last year’s debut effort, Kling Klang EP. Sakamoto died from rectal cancer earlier this year, and a few months after his debut, the members of the Parisian jazz outfit announced that their full-length debut, Plastic Bamboo, will see a a September 29, 2023 release through Nø Førmat!
Plastic Bamboo‘s first single, title track “Plastic Bamboo” is the Parisian outfit’s loving yet subtle interpretation of Sakamoto’s “Plastic Bamboo,” which originally appeared on his full-length debut, 1978’s Thousand Knives. The original version sonically seems like a mischievous mix of Man Machine-era Kraftwerk, Parliament Funkadelic/Bootsy Collins-like funk built around a deceptively minimalist yet classical- melody. The Asynchrone rendition subtly modernizes the original, giving it a jazzier and percussive L’Eclair/Mildlife-like trippy groove while retaining the minimalist classical melody.
“The original version sounds like slow Funk mixed with influences from Kraftwerk, with a very melodic theme that reminds you of François de Roubaix’s music,” the members of Asynchrone explain. “This new refined and dynamic version gives more space to the drums, cello and rhythm boxes that give a sense of urgency to it, while the flute and the piano are playing the theme, giving it an exotica touch.”