Erik Satie & Les Nouveaux Jeunes, Version 2 / by Steve Peters

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Mar. 11, 2021

Back in 2011 a piece of mine was included on a 2-CD tribute to the composer Erik Satie on the Arbouse label in France. It had a few friends and many other interesting people on it, including Max Richter, Julia Kent, Rachel Grimes, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Hauschka, NIls Frahm, Steve Roden. The contributions range from straight performances of Satie pieces, to more experimental interpretations or homages inspired by Satie in various ways. Mine was a heavily processed version of one of his beautiful vocal pieces..

I only recently found out that this album was reissued in 2015 with a third CD added, and just got a copy in the mail. The new edition comes beautifully packaged in a printed cardboard box and individual CD sleeves + fold-out insert. The third disc includes work by artists I’m not familiar with at all: Delphine Dora, A.G., James Warden, Carlos Cipa, Susan Matthews, Joan Cambon, KO cat, Rich Batsford, and François-Eudes Chanfrault. Interestingly, the first track on the new CD is 16 minutes of silence. I don’t know whether this was intentional or just a manufacturing glitch, but somehow I imagine Satie would find it amusing.