Jojoni by ensemble 0

Crammed Discs present
JOJONI 徐々に (Made To Measure Vol.49) the new album by
ENSEMBLE 0

In 2010, three friends (Stéphane Garin, Joël Mérah & Sylvain Chauveau) were dreaming of playing concerts in Japan, so they decided to write a series of instrumental, acoustic pieces for small instruments, with the following, self-imposed rule: each of the three friends’ equipment must fit into a suitcase which will comply to airline regulations. With the sole use of guitars and small metal percussion, they spent two years writing and recording an album, entitled Soñando, which came out in 2013 and defined the identity of the trio. Their dream came true: they did play in Japan & Taiwan, and toured in several European countries.

After these tours, and amidst Ensemble 0’s burgeoning activities and collaborations (see below), it took them four years to write 'Jojoni', the follow-up to that first album of original music. 'Jojoni' means “gradually”, “slowly” in Japanese, and refers to the pace of their compositional work, which is part- ly due to the fact that the trio’s members reside in three different countries (France, Spain, Belgium). But, beyond that, the title reflects Ensemble 0’s attitude towards time, a precious commodity within their creative process: they place care, meticulousness and organic evolution above the reigning injections to ‘perform’ and obtain short-term results.

In 'Jojoni', the trio refine and expand their style. The seven pieces are built on rhythmic and melodic elements which keep joyfully blending, shifting, moving apart and coming back together again. With a new element this time: a minimalistic drum machine which enters into a dialogue with the percussion and the guitars on a few tracks. This is music which doesn’t copy anyone else’s, and mostly sounds like... Ensemble 0.

Given the environmental crisis, Ensemble 0 decided in 2018 to concretely reduce the impact of their touring. They are avoiding flights and are experimenting a low-carbon combo: train+ bicycle. They arrange to play several dates per region, reach the initial destination by train and, from there on, travel on rented bikes, equipped with carts in which their instruments are placed. The itinerary is planned accordingly, with distances between concert locations comprised between 25 and 50 km (which requires a good level of coordination between the organisers). Audiences are also invited to come to the shows by using low-impact means: walking, cycling or using public transportation.

Ensemble 0 [ã.̃ sãbl ‘ziro] is a contemporary music ensemble founded in 2004 and directed by Stéphane Garin and Sylvain Chauveau. It mostly performs works by modern composers, as well as compositions by its members. The size of the ensemble varies according to the projects.
In cartography, zero is the level of reference, in relation to which all altitudes are calculated. Depending on the chosen directions, compositions and instrumentation, Ensemble 0 plays with an astonishing variety of topographies. First and foremost with its own compositions and with the trio, which is like the beating heart of the collective: Sylvain Chauveau (acoustic guitar, glockenspiel), Stéphane Garin (metal percussion) and Joël Mérah (acoustic guitar). And also with contemporary repertoire, for which the ensemble expands at will. They’ve played and are playing music by Moondog, Arthur Russell and Ligeti and have a real inclination for currently active composers such as Tristan Perich, Michael Pisaro and Rachel Grimes.

ensemble 0 (pronounced zero) is a band whose line-up and instruments can change according to the repertoire performed. The band has played live in Europe, Asia and South America.

ensemble0.com