Antonin De Bemels

"With Nina, it was a different story. Her song came first. It remains untamed, shaking its rider from its shoulders every time she dares to claim it. Like a bird trapped in an attic, waiting for someone to open a window and set it free."

antonindebemels.bandcamp.com/album/la-douceur

Composed and played by Nina Hennart aka https://soundcloud.com/nina-sky-w-k-coeur

Recorded and mixed by Antonin De Bemels

Mastered by Yvan Hanon

Image: Nina in the studio, March 2025

"One day, Hugues came. He brought a bugle, his instrument of choice. But he noticed the piano. Hiding in the shadows. Waiting for a stroke. He took the plunge. Playing the piano had always been his retreat to somewhere safe. Antonin knew it, having attended Impromptus at houses. Not this one, or that one, but those of friends. That’s why he asked Hugues to come back, in March 2025, without his bugle."

https://antonindebemels.bandcamp.com/album/la-douceur

Improvised by Hugues Devos

Recorded and mixed by Antonin De Bemels

Mastered by Yvan Hanon

Image by Stéphanie Paulus

"Julie lived in the House in the 90s. She’s not sure anymore on which piano she began composing her piece. But she did record it on the one in the House. 32 years later. Precisely."

https://antonindebemels.bandcamp.com/album/la-douceur

Composed and played by https://soundcloud.com/julie-nayer

Recorded and mixed by Antonin De Bemels

Mastered by Yvan Hanon

Image by Stéphanie Paulus https://www.instagram.com/steph_paulus

"With this 'Emoditation' piece, I'm closing off a chapter rooted in deep melancholia about the state of our planet, our leaders, our humanity. Inshallah, to better years to come, personally and collectively. Always remember the power." (Shelbatra)

antonindebemels.bandcamp.com/album/la-douceur

Improvised by https://soundcloud.com/shelbatrajashari

Recorded and mixed by Antonin De Bemels

Mastered by Yvan Hanon

Image by Stéphanie Paulus

"Playing the piano had always been Hugues' retreat to somewhere safe. Antonin knew it."

antonindebemels.bandcamp.com/album/la-douceur

Improvised by Hugues Devos

Recorded and mixed by Antonin De Bemels

Mastered by Yvan Hanon

Image by https://www.instagram.com/steph_paulus

"One day, Hugues came. He brought a bugle, his instrument of choice. But he noticed the piano. Hiding in the shadows. Waiting for a stroke. He took the plunge. Playing the piano had always been his retreat to somewhere safe. Antonin knew it, having attended Impromptus at houses. Not this one, or that one, but those of friends. That’s why he asked Hugues to come back, in March 2025, without his bugle."

antonindebemels.bandcamp.com/album/la-douceur

Improvised by Hugues Devos

Recorded and mixed by Antonin De Bemels

Mastered by Yvan Hanon

Image by Stéphanie Paulus

L'amour est toujours là. On reprend son autonomie, on se reconstruit chacun-e de son côté, mais on ne s’éloigne pas. On évolue en parallèle, mais sans se perdre de vue. On s’est débarrassé des entraves, mais pas du lien. La liberté, ce n'est pas juste un mot, c'est un mouvement. La liberté c'est un mouvement.

https://www.radiocampus.be/emissions/melancolie-douce

Illustration: "Robinson Crusoe On His Island" (artiste inconnu)

00:00:00 Les Antonymes - Mélancolie douce jingle

00:00:35 Anja Garbarek - It Seems We Talk

00:04:15 Shlohmo - Remains

00:07:35 Triad God - I Luv U Freestyle + La Dispute - Rose Quartz (intro)

00:08:35 Broadcast - Minus 3

00:09:20 Vincent Gallo - Was

00:12:17 King Midas Sound - Sumtime

00:13:26 Boy & The Echo Choir - A Great Sorrow

00:15:46 Cranes - Diorama

00:17:20 La Dispute - Fulton Street I

00:21:27 Lloyd Miller - Gol-E Gandom

00:25:29 Cranes - Golden

00:29:03 Sami Ateba, Nana Vasconcelos, Tomas Gubitsch - J.S. Bach_ St. John Passion - Ruht Wohl, Ihr Heiligen Gebeine; Bombé, Cérémonie Bouiti ApinDJi

00:32:33 Anja Garbarek - Her Room

00:34:06 Diabologum - Blank Generation

00:37:42 Shlohmo - Beams

00:42:03 Shannon Wright - Seemingly

00:44:45 Cranes - Wonderful Things

00:48:46 La Dispute - In Northern Michigan

00:52:36 Boy & The Echo Choir - Nina Jane

00:56:13 Koreless - Last Remnants

01:00:18 Henryk Mikolaj Górecki - Kleines Requiem Fur Ein Polka - Iv. Adagio - Cantabile

01:04:51 Olafur Arnalds - RGB

01:08:42 Cranes - Collecting Stones

01:11:40 Circuit des yeux - Philo

01:15:57 Olafur Arnalds - Say My Name (Destiny's Child cover)

01:21:23 Anja Garbarek - And Then

01:25:18 Triad God - Hay Wan

01:27:12 Vincent Gallo - Bad

Improvisation au piano un jour de brume, en janvier 2025, qui me renvoie à cette photo prise 24 ans plus tôt, en septembre 2001, en Chine, sur un sommet des Montagnes Jaunes, un jour de brume...

Sur la photo c'est Melanie, avec qui j'avais fait ce long voyage. Quelques mois après notre retour, pour mon anniversaire, elle m'offrait une boite à chaussures contenant toutes les photos que nous avions prises là-bas, avec écrite à la main sur le dos du couvercle une lettre qui commençait par ces mots:

"Le voyage en Chine était aussi un voyage dans le pays d'Antonin. Six semaines 24/7. Atelier: Expérimenter une autre approche à soi et au temps. Je le referai toujours."

My mixtapes series Mélancolie douce becomes a monthly show on Radio Campus Brussels, 92.1 FM or https://www.radiocampus.be/ every first friday of the month from 10 to 11:30 AM !

Pour lancer cette émission mensuelle, petit retour en arrière avec l'épisode III. Composé il y a 7 ans, en pleine rupture amoureuse, quand on s'accroche désespérément à ce qu'on avait, et qu'on veut tout faire pour que l'amour perdure encore un peu, beaucoup, passionnément. Quitte à plonger tête la première au fond du gouffre, puis rejaillir, et replonger. Jusqu'à trouver un nouveau souffle, un nouvel apaisement. Et repartir.

À toi, encore et toujours.

Illustration : "Les aveugles", Anto Carte (1886-1954)

Playlist:

00:00:00 Les Antonymes - Mélancolie douce jingle

00:00:44 Last Days - Your Silence Is The Loudest Sound

00:03:42 Joy Division - The Eternal

00:09:07 The Black Heart Procession - When You Finish Me

00:12:09 Caspian - Crawlspace

00:17:29 The Black Heart Procession - Blank Page

00:22:47 This Will Destroy You - A Three-Legged Workhorse

00:31:33 A Silver Mount Zion - Movie (Never Made)

00:34:42 I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - The Ghost

00:39:32 Grails - Deep Politics

00:45:00 This Will Destroy You - Quiet

00:49:49 Grouper - Holding

00:57:01 Lost In Hildurness - Shadowed

00:58:59 This Will Destroy You - There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease

01:05:06 Mice Parade - Milton Road

01:09:11 Peter Broderick - Eyes Closed And Traveling

01:12:39 Explosions in the Sky - Remember Me as a Time of Day

01:17:42 Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - I Love Creedence (Live)

01:20:57 Jon Hopkins - Luminous Beings

01:26:28 65daysofstatic - The Undertow

"Offrande insensée de la vie

Nous rappelle à l'éphémère joyau de l'émoi

Rendue je suis

A toi mon destin

Fais-moi danser entre tes mains" (Shantala Pèpe)

Image: Roxane Métayer https://www.roxanemetayer.com

Listen to the previous (and future) episodes here: https://www.mixcloud.com/antonindebemels

Playlist:

00:00 Half Asleep - Interlude 1 (invisible as music)

01:10 Nina Skywōkeur & Lloyde - Medusa

05:43 S280F - owls sing for the birth of Lilith (F168)

07:37 Giraffe - Drought

12:28 Shantala Pèpe - Entre tes mains

13:52 Klimperei - De branche en branche

15:53 Roxane Métayer - Première image

17:38 Yasmine Laassal - Rêve 11/04/23

18:54 Monika Bugajny & Gareth Davis - On The Edge Of Shadows I (Edit)

19:55 Christophe Petchanatz - musique pour le demi-sommeil 1.5

24:19 Refurinn Kitsune - Je t'aime à la folie (Madame Patate Cover)

27:10 Giraffe - Pressure

29:31 Roberto Musci - Water Music

31:20 Khôra - Echemythia

35:52 Klimperei - Lola Petit Chagrin

37:30 Khôra - Golden Femur

42:37 Antonin De Bemels - Au temps pour moi

48:53 Mariane Mendels Flandre - Trouble # 9

50:26 Roberto Musci - Back Railway To

54:01 Klimperei - La rencontre

57:36 Half Asleep - Ah! Whence is this- What is this severance-

59:15 Olivier Taskin - Comme ça