Composer
Christmas 2009. The saxophonist had arrived in Paris two years earlier, and in no time at all, he had brought the jazz community together at L'Olympia in December. In the Parisian temple, he turns up the heat with his band, The Electric Epic.
The adventure began a few months earlier, and the buzz is only going to grow as the wait for his first record continues.
It will take until 2012 for him to finally reach the ears of everyone, stunned by this extraordinary sound. Starting with the demanding John Zorn, who described it as "nuclear with emotion" and released it on his New York label, Tzadik. Raccord, the press was soon in unison.
On the eve of his 32nd birthday, the Annecy native - born on June 21st 1980, as if by fate? - looks like a messiah with this UFO-shaped album.
It sold like hotcakes among a community of converts, won over by this formula, a fusion of all kinds of music, his vision: between funky twists and more abstract harmonies, between screaming metal and dominant breath, between impressions of retro-futuristic Africa and post-psychedelic deviations...
And so on.
All in all, an electro-shock where all the influences that have nourished the composer collide, all the experiences that have shaped the saxophonist since he first appeared in the jazzosphere at the dawn of the millennium.
Since he was a teenager, Guillaume Perret has played in every register, as a composer or soloist, in many different styles as long as he found room to create, as a composer for theater, in the studio and on stage, with musicians from all over the world. All this is reflected in his first album, which traces a singular path and opens up new perspectives.
This is echoed, right down to its title, in the second instalment of his adventures, in 2014: Open Me, preceded by a Doors EP.
Always with a thirst for uniqueness, Guillaume has been enhancing the sound of his saxophone with analog effects since 2003. Working with a number of engineers and manufacturers, he developed an electric saxophone equipped with microphones, sensors and lights that can be adjusted from his instrument. His augmented saxophone and advanced effects enable him to reach the range of a full symphony orchestra on his own. He can also use it as a percussion instrument or even an electro drum, as well as bass, guitar, synth, choir... The result is unlikely melodies and rhythms, since the starting instruments are not normal.
Taking this approach to its logical conclusion, he released his 3rd album, "FREE" solo this time, on September 23, 2016, where he exploits all the capabilities of this new instrument, this time with the help of several loopers so he can build, record and perform his productions live on stage.
Since the age of 18, Guillaume has found himself at the heart of a number of artistic projects calling on his skills as a composer, and has been responsible for the musical arrangements of several plays, as well as numerous choreographic creations (Kaori Ito and Ballets C de la B, Carolyn Carlson).
These writing commissions have greatly influenced his creative approach, giving each of his works a dramaturgical dimension. Sensitive to the work of lighting, he would later attach great importance to the scenography of his concerts.
Subsequently, he was able to realize his long-held desire to work for the film and audiovisual industries. He composed the music for several short films in 2012 and 2016.
His discographic creations were used in synchro for several documentaries, including "L'étoffe d'un héros", a documentary on the preparation of Thomas Pesquet, the French astronaut at NASA in 2017.
This was followed by a writing commission for the film version of the images Pesquet shot during his 6 months in orbit on the space station, in 2018.
A pedagogue at heart, he has taught since the age of 21 (2001), in various music and jazz schools until 2013 (EJMA Lausanne, CH). Most of his creations are accompanied by cultural activities in various forms for all kinds of students, as Guillaume has a natural ability to adapt.
During his international tours, Guillaume has made many contacts with different musicians. Fascinated by improvisation, encounters and sharing, he spends his days off joining local musicians in concerts, private sessions, jam sessions, or inviting traditional artists on stage. These exchanges have always helped to expand his musical vocabulary, and it's in this spirit that several unique creations have been staged abroad to further this approach (creation "Pacifico Electrico" France Colombia 2017, creation "G.Perret meets Indian Ocean" in Mauritius 2017...).
In this same idea of sharing, he responds to Jessica Mangiapan's initiative and orchestrates the "Yes We Play" sessions (2016-2017). The concept being that Guillaume arranges an exchange of repertoire with different composers before performing it on stage. With, among others, Malian singer Inna Modja, rapper Lino (Arsenik), percussionist Minino Garay, DJ Cut Killer, counter-tenor Fabrice Di Falco, singer China Moses etc., these cross-fertilizations without borders offered audiences the chance to discover artists from a different angle.
The most recent sessions were commissioned by Culture Box for a broadcast project.