During the pandemic upheaval of 2020, I found myself inexplicably drawn back into the realm of musical creation after a six-year hiatus. My last endeavor before embracing a hermit-like existence was a peculiar reimagining of a little-known Camille Saint-Saëns organ piece titled ‘Improvisation One’ back in the year 2016. There was no grand strategy for re-entering the industry; just a handful of demos that I deemed marginally interesting.
Among these demos, one managed to burrow its way into the recesses of my mind like a tenacious earworm. While not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly held sway over my auditory faculties. Thus began an odyssey of obsession. It was during this time that the notion struck me: why not adorn these tracks with the voices of robots? And thus, PLUM was born. Naturally, the moniker PLUM had been previously claimed by no less than fifty other musical acts, so I whimsically appended a ‘Le’ to inject a touch of faux French sophistication. Alas, my attempt at linguistic levity only served to incur the wrath of purists who hold French grammar in the highest regard. C’est la vie.
As my aspirations of eclipsing the likes of Daft Punk faded into the ether, I enlisted the talents of Robert Shimp for a weekend of sonic alchemy with my scattered tracks. The resulting soundscapes resonated magnificently through the studio monitors, though I remained convinced that it would be difficult to master (it was).
While the song failed to ignite the charts with its brilliance, it did manage to captivate the ears of a modest local audience, for which I am sincerely appreciative. And so, without further ado, I present to you ‘Be There,’ the debut single of 2023 by ‘Le PLUM.’ Bon voyage.