From: "Jeff Marx"
...great recommendation on Redjy Emond's "Sphere"-- this man deserves to be
mentioned in the same breath as Emerson, Wakeman, Fritz, and Lindh.
From: Mark Fonda
Redjy Emond is a French-Canadian and is an individual keyboard artist who
employs a vast array of digital synthesizers and related equipment. He records
out of his own studio in Montreal and all his music is composed, arranged,
programmed and performed by himself with engineering/mastering by others. This
is his sole release to date and it has 15 tracks of pure instrumental keyboard
heaven. The music ranges from classical to progressive and he obviously has some
real keyboard talent playing everything from delicate piano to pipe organ,
harpsichord and some great synth work... along with a strong drum rhythm in most
tracks. A couple of tracks have a more orchestral arrangement with horns,
violins and bass drums. Some have described Emond as a cross between Wakeman &
Emerson and perhaps P? Lindh. As we all know it is very easy for computers to
sanitize music and this is where Redjy Emond shows his brilliance in adding
"feel" to his music. Sphere is highly recommended to all fans of keyboard
virtuosity. This is a real sleeper of an album. Another release is planned for
1999.
From: "upnsm0ke" <>
Things are quiet tonight, so I'll use up a chunk of bandwidth, and post an old
review of Canadian keyboard wizard Redjy Emond's debut CD, "Sphere" (1997):
For those of us who subscribe to EXPOSE, a mail-order prog-zine out of San
Francisco, you may recall a favorable review of an all-electronic release called
SPHERE, by a French-Canadian synthesist named Redjy Emond. I ordered a copy from
Ken Golden's outfit, The Laser's Edge, and here is my review:
Redjy Emond plays/utilizes: E-MU Proteus 1 & MPS; Roland Sound Canvas SC-55,
Digital Piano RD-300S; Korg DW-8000; Kurzweil Micro Piano; Yamaha & Ensoniq
signal processors; Mac Master Tracks (sequencer program).
Track sequence:Intro FX 0:30, Impact 4:48, Mistral 6:02, March 1 1:16, Periodos
4:22, Civitas (Part 1) 4:15, Civitas (Part 2) 1:18, Impression 4:30, Sphere
(Part 1) 1:50, March 2 1:08, Ancestral (Suite), a. Evocation 3:47, b. Epopee
2:52, c. Celebration 2:51, d. Epilogue 3:13, Sphere (Part 2) 4:09.
"Intro FX"...the title says it all. "Impact"...after 0:03, it is apparent
who Emond's influences are, and so is his playing ability. Emond seems to be
classically trained, and executes some nice, smooth, octal sweeps atop stacked
fourths and fifths with analog brass and synth-strings and piano. It's not
(quite) instrumental ELP, but it's not far from it. Very rhythmic and melodic
playing, very lush. Emond's drum programming seems modelled after Carl Palmer a
la early-mid 70s ELP, as well. "Mistral"...very nice. This guy is a bona fide
pianist, proving it with nice legato passages played with a great piano voice,
which must come from the Kurzweil. Emond kicks things a little uptempo about a
minute-and-a-half later. There it is! The great Oberheim-esque (portamento)
analog voice, made famous by monophonic-lead keysmen such as Emerson, Wakeman
and Mark Kelly. But EMusic enthusiasts should not be repulsed, or they'll miss
out on some beautiful soloing by Emond on a piano/xylo-ish layered patch, and a
great square-wave lead. Another aspect of Emond's composing which deserves
attention is his attention to "human" bass-lines. No quarter or eight-note
[repetitious] bass-sequences, but great [real-time] lower piano and synth-bass
parts.
"March 1"...a much calmer piano piece, which works up to a staccato ending.
"Periodos"...synth-violins set the pace: frantic and unstable. Chorals provide
the backdrop for another great thick analog lead; I certainly appreciate Emond's
fondness for these voices. Emond pulls a slow break two minutes inward, heading
into Franke/Haslinger-period TD. Then it's back to a march-like (replete with a
great military snare) interlude before the tom-toms and analog lead cut through
and bring the composition to its end.
"Civitas (Parts 1 & 2)"...beautiful. A descending piano passage culminates in a
whirlpool of notes (sounds like E minor; I may be wrong)...and gives way to a
church organ, tympani and harpsichord providing a grandiose soundtrack-type
feel. I'd describe what folows as orchestral rock: chimes play Q & A with analog
brass, before the latter consumes the former with a flawlessly executed
octal-leaping solo (don't forget the bass-line, which sounds great coupled with
the lead). Emond isn't afraid to show his virtuosity on different voices: he
grapples the Proteus organ voice and wrestles with it, subduing it with more
great neo-classical riffs. Part 2 reprises the theme and organ part. Engaging
music!
"Impression"...begins with bluesy piano (no, not like Edgar's opening to
"Thru Metamorphic Rocks"); reminds me of a Western, actually. Pretty cool. Then
an ominous bass-line reminds us we're not "in the old days." Rather than tire my
ears with his forte for "motion-picture action-scene scoring," he reinforces his
knack for arranging. This is one of my favorite tracks. Several seconds after
the song "ends," Redjy reprises his opening piano part.
"Sphere (Part 1)"...Emond must have a sense of humor. The opening synth-violins
remind me of Michael Myers, knife raised to shoulder level. This even reminds me
a little bit of Goblin, or Claudio Simonetti, to be exact, with the overlapping
of chorals atop a gnat-like sequence countering the organ line.. Then things get
a little "happy," but they have to, as this track doesn't even reach two
minutes.
"March 2"...Anyone heard ELP's adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" from BLACK MOON?
The opening has that dunh-dunh, dunh-dunh rhythm, complete with the portamento
square-w. lead. This is a companion piece to "March 1," but more textured, with
Emond's harpsichord and percussion added.
"Ancestral (Suite)"...a) Evocation...electronic chamber music. I figure this is
Emond's further exploration of previous themes, on a larger scale, giving
himself over twelve minutes to work it out of his system. The cinematic feel of
the opening "evocation" or overture is intoxicating, beyond melodic, and even
somewhat Celtic/Renaissance-flavored, whereas the previous tracks were not....
b) Epopee...The speed-violins are back, and Emond exercises some bona fide
restraint, topping the viols with chorals and floor toms, allowing the violins
to reign in this part. Nice... c) Celebration...an apt title. This ventures into
Mannheim Steamroller territory with its festive characteristic, but doesn't
sound as New Agey. Emond rips with alternating passages of synthesized flute and
the nearly-ubiquitous harpsichord...oh, yeah, Redjy's "drum-kit" programming
also resurfaces. d) Epilogue...synth-trumpets herald the approach of the end (of
the suite). The steady 4/4 beat and some low-A layered chorals give you no fair
warning of the ear-tickling over-modulated, LFO-tweaked square-w. patch which
makes its sole appearance (for no more than four bars) on the disc. Emond breaks
the flow up with a revved-up midsection before it spirals back to a steady 4/4
coda.
"Sphere (Part 2)"...Redjy knows we all love "Karn Evil 9, Part 2." Just kidding.
By now, all you GoldTri'ers may have jotted down that SPHERE leans farther to
the prog side of things than you may be comfortable with. Don't do that! Emond
does not even skirt the ambient/spatial side of EMusic, opting to exercise his
classical chops instead. SPHERE yields some great, uptempo results. The titles
led me to believe this would be a disc courting the early-mid 80s Tangerine
Dream sound, coupled with the usual modern (i.e. ambient, techno influences),
but my judgments went straight out the window. SPHERE exhibits that Emersonian
flair for compositional bombast; for an album that was 100%
electronically-generated, this is one of the coolest EMusic releases of 1997.
From: Mark Fonda <>
Here's a little tidbit from his agent, Louise Rivard <>:
> A European Tour is expected to present the second album in 2000. At the
dawn of the 3rd millenary REDJY would present a "one man band" new concept
presentation on stage. Welcome to Tour organizators, sponsors, interested to
inclued REDJY EMOND in their calendar!
His website is
http://pages.infinit.net/redjy There are audio samples and
ordering information.
From: "Andrew J. Rozsa"
I finally got to listen to album...it's been sitting patiently on the shelf for
a while now... I listened to it once and was bowled over....stupendous....then I
went back to Mark's E-Prog HomePage and read the reviews. The I listened to it
again (which is rare for me -- too many CDs, too little time....like a T-shirt I
have says). I couldn't possibly even attempt to do a better or more complete job
than Elias did (now I know how he became a contributor to 'Progression'
magazine). He is right on the money with his review.
http://www.geocities.com/~e-prog/bands/emond.htm This is an album not to be
missed! At times, when I hear good music, I fancy myself thinking that if I only
were born 20 years later I could and would probably have done some good music.
What with all the nifty equipment around...and all that. When I listen to Redjy
Emond I KNOW I couldn't even approach either his talent or his ability to work
so incredibly hard. Utterly amazing one-man show. Breath-taking.
From: "Mark Fonda" <>
>Redjy Emond has provided an autographed copy of his outstanding debut CD
"Sphere" to NEARfest. I have to admit I am usually skeptical of these "one
man band" efforts, but Redjy is such a masterful keyboardist and composer this
CD blew me away. Classical-rock/progressive style, kind of a hybrid
between Wakeman and Lindh. There is a great deal of depth to the
compositions, it keeps you coming back for more. I have to admit Redjy
narrowly missed a slot at NEARfest, we could possibly have him in 2000. Even if
you don't care to bid on this CD, please check this one out if you are fan of
keyboard oriented symphonic rock...now...I've gotta buy this one myself since
this one is being auctioned!
Join the crowd of Redjy Emond enthusiasts!! You really should have
got him to perform... that would have surely brought in visitors from Irvine,
Palm Springs and Pelham,AL !! ;-) Here's a little tidbit from his
agent, Louise Rivard <>:
"A European Tour is expected to present the second album in 2000. At the
dawn of the 3rd millenary REDJY would present a 'one man band' new concept
presentation on stage. Welcome to Tour organizators, sponsors, interested to
include REDJY EMOND in their calendar!"
From: "Jeff Marx" <>
You better believe the Irvine contingent would be off and running!! But I
think Rob will be better off booking him next year, after Redjy releases his
second album. Emond will be looking to lengthen his compositions and
develop them a little more fully. I'm looking forward to hearing him
stretch out a bit more. I'd also like to see him use some analog synths in
with the digital that he seems to prefer, but then that's my beef about almost
everyone :)
From: "Andrew J. Rozsa" <>
I got this reply from Redjy Emond's publicist. If anyone has any ideas
[Rob...you have nothing to do after June :-))], please spread the word and help
this magnificent musician's career. Eli.... ask Dr. La Duca if one can get rich
promoting concerts, and then jump on it. :-) I am sure Ms. Rivard won't mind me
posting this...
Hi Mr. Rozsa, Sorry for the long delay of replying, I'm presently trying to
organize a Tour for REDJY Emond.... for the launch of his second album. Altough
a Tour in Europe is desired, we would like to offer it also to USA booking
organizations. If you could help me with some good tips for serious
organizators that I could take under consideration a concert's proposition....
let me know.
From: Andrew Rozsa <>
Don't know how many of you keep in touch with the Redjy Emond, so here is his
publicist's latest email (excuse their French, please):
Now available in our "Audio Samples" 'section: http://pages.infinit.net/redjy/en
(click on MP3) ...or directly at this address: We are working on the
organization of a TOUR for Redjy in 2000. We are in the process of booking
shows. The next album of Redjy Emond is already composed and ready to perform.
In show, Redjy utilize a very wide range of keyboards and sound modules. As a
solo performer, he realized the programmation of the instruments and sounds with
maintaining the ability to reproduce his music in a live performance. He is
playing all instruments; only the rythmic partition is sequenced. Redjy Emond is
showing his dexterity and quality as a composer in a musical live
performance...Breath-taking! A not to miss concert... The new album will be
release for summer 2000. Redjy Emond's show is on the market...any serious
proposition will be study! Any good tip will be appreciate!
Redjy and Lou
Les Productions Redjy Emond
C.P. 238, Succ. M
Montreal, Quebec
CANADA H1V 3L8
http://pages.infinit.net/redjy/en
redjy@videotron.ca