RQTN: Simplicity with French flair

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It opens with the utmost of simplicity. Three haunting notes. Equally spaced. They repeat themselves, this time laced with feedback. The lower register kicks in, a single recurring tone to drive the melody forward. Four simple pitches. They draw you in.

You probably haven’t heard of RQTN. The name is far from ubiquitous in South African musical circles. However, this regional anonymity is not due to a lack of talent. Far from it. It’s a matter of proximity. The one-man musical project hails from France, some 9 000 km away.

RQTN is the moniker for multi-instrumentalist composer Mathieu Artu. The Parisian composer has paid his dues in the French musical landscape. His career was born out of his experiences in the French post-hardcore scene and he has been actively involved in creating music, whether it be with other people or by himself, ever since.

The music walks a fine line, but results in a perfect balance between classical forms and contemporary accessibility. It is never pretentious and draws on minimalist aesthetics found in Western art music and freer compositional styles common in post-rock arrangements.

Artu’s musical training began at a young age. When he was six years old he began to study music theory and organ, but stopped when he was ten. “I guess religious music just wasn’t my thing,” he says.

It was his father that ignited his passion for music. “He had a Dire Straits cover band that marked me forever,” says Artu. “He played saxophone, drums and guitar. I loved being in the room when his band played. I guess that was when it started.”

During his teenage years he took up the guitar in order to “play in a band like Nirvana”. It was only when he was sixteen that he began playing keyboard instruments again.

Artu’s musical output has evolved considerably since he started RQTN six years ago. In recent years he has deviated from the sombre feel of his original compositions. In his 2010 album, Decades and Decisions, Artu began incorporating synthesised sounds into his arrangements, diverging from the traditional textures that were characteristic of his previous endeavours.

The album narrates a journey from 1928 to 2010, is characterised by the consolidation of digital and analogue sounds, and is driven forward by powerful drum lines and soaring synths.

However, RQTN’s latest musical offering is his magnum opus. Passenger, released earlier this year, can be found wandering in the enigmatic no man’s land between Max Richter’s The Blue Notebooks and Balmorhea’s All is Wild, All is Silent. His compositional style draws you in with its melancholy piano lines, lofty string section and permeating drums.

The piano has become the “voice” of his music. It sings. An unusual trait in instrumental music.   

The album draws on textures found in his earlier works, but the tone has changed. The music not is not only more developed, it is hopeful. The mammoth crescendos inspire the imagination while the more intimate moments instil an air of sensitivity.

If you are looking for something refreshing, give RQTN a listen. You will not be disappointed.

This contribution was produced as part of a collaboration between LitNet and the University of Stellenbosch's Department of Journalism in 2013.  

 



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