About Sequentia Legenda
Sequentia Legenda is a musician, songwriter and performer
Sequentia Legenda spent his teenage years permeated by the electronic music of the 70s and 80s, more specifically the “Berlin School" music movement. Sequentia Legenda now creates atmospheric electronic music composed of synthesizer-based pads and melodic lines punctuated by the phrasing of the sequencers. The musical journey of Sequentia Legenda transports you to hypnotic and cosmic musical landscapes.
This is an extended vision of Berlin School music.
What is your name?
Sequentia Legenda
Where are you from?
From the blue planet named Earth. More precisely, from France.
What does your music sound like?
It is electronic music, made of pads and sequences using synthesizers and sequencers.
What are your influences?
“Berlin School” electronic music, “Krautrock” and Klaus Schulze.
Anything else?
My vision of sequencing - an extended vision of the Berlin School music.
Sequentia Legenda – Interview Part1
Question: “Can you present yourself, speak about yourself, about your music?”
Sequentia Legenda: “I am 49-years-old and I have a young spirit, lots of projects in my head, musically and privately. About my private life, I wish to keep it to myself, but from the musical point of view, it’s simply to live my music, to live my dream, to enjoy giving my best. Producing my album is a dream which first flourished when I was 17, immediately upon discovering Klaus Schulze, and this project matured over all these years. During all these years music was always present around me and within me.”
Question: “Your music is mostly inspired of Klaus Schulze, can you tell us more?
Sequentia Legenda: “Listening to Klaus Schulze's album "Mirage" was for me a musical breakthrough! A musical revelation! From that moment on, I didn’t want to listen to anything but songs from this Berliner composer. At the age of 17, I was buying my first monophonic synthesizer and I started to create sounds, to play electronic music for long hours, sometimes even until late at night. A little later I purchased some of the instruments Klaus Schulze had too: the ARP Odyssey, the Korg PS-3200, the Moog Polymoog and later, the Roland JD800. I went to Klaus Schulze’s concerts. I wrote him too.”
Question: “What is your musical career? Did you go through conservatories or are you a self-taught man?”
Sequentia Legenda: “I indeed am a self-taught man. Although I took few accordion and music theory courses when I was eight, it is primarily through this musical revelation as mentioned before, that, alone at home, I learned to really play music. Soon thereafter, I took few more keyboard courses and I had the privilege to be able to play and to handle the potentiometers of the magnificent Minimoog.”
Sequentia Legenda – Interview Part2
Question: “A first album is something important. Can you tell us a little more about it?”
Sequentia Legenda: “It is indeed, an important step, it is a part of me, emotions, a first exchange with the listeners. It is an investment, energy, uncertainty, work, passion. The first album must, in my opinion, be more than an achievement, an invitation for the future. I would like to thank my family and friends who supported me throughout the project. As I answer you, I can say that there is still a long way to go before BLUE DREAM is really finished. He's on the right track. I still have to include the second track of FLY OVER ME. I dedicate this album to my two wives, the one who was and the one who will be.”
Question: “Why BLUE DREAM as the title for this first album?”
Sequentia Legenda: “It's a long story. I was looking for an artist's name and among this long list of names was BLUE DREAM, which would become the title of my first album.
Blue is my favorite color, symbolizing for me the space, the infinite, the serious, representing both the technical and mystical side. The dream symbolizing an imaginary world, my musical dream, the dream of finally being able to produce my first album.”
Question: “How can you describe FLY OVER ME, the first composition of this new album?”
Sequentia Legenda: “If spontaneity is an integral part of my personality, of my work, the process of creating and producing this piece was long. Many factors are responsible for this length. I knew what I wanted, what atmosphere I wanted to create: a mixture of nostalgia and hope. It took me almost sixteen months to finalize FLY OVER ME. And it keeps spinning above my head, I'm proud of the result.”
► Interview Sequentia Legenda by Harald Gramberg (Hippiesland April 2016) in German, in English, in French
► Interview Sequentia Legenda by Philippe Vallin (Clair & Obscur 2016) in French, in English
1980 – A musical flash of inspiration.
It was in 1980 at the age of 15 that I discovered a new music coming from elsewhere, a new tone, an unknown world was going to open to me and somewhat by chance.
Among all the 33-rpm vinyl collection of my parents, a particular album got my attention. The particular look of the cover intrigued me. A distinctive style, a refined cover, a face, a name: Klaus Schulze.
At this time, I did not know yet that by taking out the long-playing off its sleeve and that by putting it delicately on the record player, that the listening of it was going to change my musical vision.
It was indeed a crush from the first minutes!
Unknown sounds, a captivating atmosphere, a journey, a revelation. Yes, this record was a revelation to me.
On that day, I began to listen to face A, then face B, in a continuous loop. I analysed the musical structure, the length of the tracks, the tones, the sleeve, the editorial content. Everything went through scrutiny.
A few days later, I went to the nearby record shop to find Klaus Schulze’s other albums. Around me, I only talked about my musical discovery.
I knew from then on the name of this strange instrument: the synthesizer.
At that time, curious things spread about this instrument. My cousins, for instance, claimed that the synthesizer was in fact a filter we needed to place near the speakers to be able to modify the sound as we pleased. Some told me that it was an “improved” organ. Some others said, “a simple touch on the buttons and it plays alone!” An uncle promised me to find that instrument in an antique dealer that he knew.
The synthesizer made me curious.
So I began an intense research. I passed through the music stores, the bookshops, everywhere. But it made itself very discreet, hard to find.
Then finally I was able to meet that instrument by chance. I had decided to take music lessons and it was at the back shop of a little music store in my town that the introduction to music theory and the initiation to keyboard took place. It was right here that was located the most emblematic of the synthesizers, the famous Minimoog!
