It was time that set everything in motion; it’s all because of time. Time that passes too quickly. Time that makes us forget we aren’t immortal. For decades now, his loved ones, his friends, and the occasional listeners who’ve crossed his path have been urging him to take the plunge, to not keep his music all to himself!!
And what did he do? Well, nothing! He just kept composing, playing, and dreaming that one day he would do it.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll do it later,” “I have time, I still have time to share all this,” he told himself.”
Then, one fine day in 2019, he suddenly realized he couldn’t wait any longer, that he couldn’t let time slip away without doing it. He’d wanted to do it so badly since he was a kid that he just had to take the plunge. So he decided to put his professional career on hold long enough to record an album and organize concerts to share his music—which, like him, had been waiting for just that for over 30 years…
Once the decision was made, he suddenly found himself facing a vast, empty void, a profound moment of solitude, because he now had to select several tracks from the twenty or so he had composed. But which ones should he choose? What style? Based on what criteria? How many? How long should they be? And what title should he give the album? And so on… nothing but questions, and at first… no answers.
After a few weeks of reflection and discussions with his loved ones, he selected the songs that meant the most to them and to him. And looking back, it seems to him that they made the right choice. They are all very representative of his musical range. As for the title, it came naturally. He simply took to heart what people said about his music:
“It’s like an intimate dialogue coming to life,” “It’s like a story expressed through the guitar, with various chapters each reflecting different feelings.”
And so he titled this album, “Dialogues Between Two Worlds… Mirror Self.” It came to him all at once, just like the titles of each of the tracks on the album:
“Cartographie des Sens,” “Obsessions,” “Kytička,” “Révélations,” “Une petite Promenade avec Juliette,” “À l’Ombre des Rivières” and “Funny Jérémie.”
Once the songs and the title were chosen, Gaël immediately set out to find a recording studio and a sound engineer whom he could entrust with the task of capturing the sound he wanted to share.
“I wanted the clarity and natural brilliance of my guitar to wash over you, to envelop you. I wanted you to discover my sound in all its nuances and resonances, just as I hear it myself on the guitar.”
After a few days of searching, he contacted Pierre Tassinari, owner of “Studio du Lac” in Annecy, and shortly thereafter met Rob Carson, the studio’s lead sound engineer. He explained his project and expectations to him and played a snippet of each of his songs. Rob immediately understood what Gaël wanted and instantly envisioned the recording setup that would work best. Gaël could then move forward. Things were looking good. He couldn’t wait to start recording.
Recording began a month after that interview. Over the course of three days, they recorded the seven songs Gaël had selected. It was a special moment, but also a very grueling one. The days were long, and the work was intense, both physically and mentally. Gaël played guitar for 5 to 7 hours a day and was determined to record his music exactly as he plays it in private, for his loved ones and himself. Both Pierre and Rob found ways to put him at ease. He quickly felt at home during those three days dedicated to music—his music. This allowed him to focus on his playing and perform all his songs with the sensitivity he had envisioned.
Once the album was recorded—almost two years after his famous “revelation”—all that remained was to finalize the cover art, the masters, and his artist website so that a piece of that childhood dream could begin to come true.
As soon as the recording was finished, Gaël set out to find a photographer who could take on the delicate task of capturing his musical world in images with the utmost fidelity. He quickly found the right person in Virginie Delattaignant of Calista Studio.
“The sensitivity, delicacy, and finesse—in short, the talent that emanated from his compositions—immediately captivated me. ”
After she immersed herself in his music, they came up with several concepts, and the photo shoot that followed was simply a magical moment for Gaël. What patience and attention to detail! She took advantage of every shooting opportunity the moment offered—opportunities that only an artist’s keen eye can spot: she was on the lookout for the right pose, the right expression, the right light—in short, the image she had in mind.
“And today, seeing the result, I’m happy and feel privileged that she agreed to work with me. Her touch, her signature, are in the photos of my album… thank you.”
“Now that all these crucial steps are behind us, I hope you’ll love this music as much as I do. I sincerely hope it will grab you, move you, and sweep you away… whether you like it or not. ”
“Whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, I’d be happy if my songs had the power to make time stand still, to open an unexpected window in the flow of your life, to give you a moment to breathe, a little air, a little comfort, a little love.”
“I would like to thank my wife Klára ‘Kytička,’ my children, Juliette and Jérémie, and my friends—Dirk, Anetka, Ági, Marie Laure, Michel, Patricia, Jo, Virginie, Sylvain, Sonja, and Roland—from the bottom of my heart for supporting, encouraging, helping, guiding, putting up with, and loving me throughout this project.”
