Performer in Turbulence and Initio

Combining analog synthesizers, wind instruments and airy sounding delay, Axel Rigaud develops live and ornate sound paintings, plunging his audience into a hybrid musical universe where electronics and acoustics are merged.

Exploring the limits of what is possible for him to accomplish on his own, he takes the risk of never relying on pre recorded audio elements during his live shows. This bias allows each of his performances to be varied and linked to the context in which they take place. A strong connection is then established with his audience, for whom he shapes a unique sound. Thus the flute, immersed in a cathedral like reverb, hovers above warm saturated analog sounds. The arpeggios suggest a heady pulse, as the kick drum joins in to support the sound structure with regularity and breadth.

In December 2012 he joined forces with Antoine Karacostas to form the duo Moiré and released an EP, “Hush” on Someone Records.
In May 2015 he released his first solo EP, under the name of Tarsier. Composed between December 2014 and March 2015, the five tracks testify of his desire to create a living and organic electronic music. The meticulous production of this recording was guided by the interest to combine the precision and regularity of machines, with the grain and lightness of wind instruments. A sound thread connects all five tracks: the recording of a crowd at Gare de l’Est, where he spent a lot of time during the composition of this EP.

Initiated to music at the age of 6, Axel Rigaud began learning the saxophone at the Conservatory of Châlons en Champagne. 20 years later he graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and got to work on his personal project, Tarsier, a solo synthesis of all his influences: Nils Frahm, Chris Clark, Ametsub, Steve Reich, Colin Stetson …