Microcosm by Roger Moutenot

Roger Moutenot has been behind the recording console since his first 4-track studio he built in his parents basement in 1974. In the decades that followed, he worked continuously as an engineer and producer on every genre under the sun; jazz, folk, rock, noise and all points in between. Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney, Lou Reed and They Might Be Giants may immediately come to mind when thinking of his credits but the body of work is vast.

More recently, Moutenot found himself composing film scores with longtime friends Robin Eaton and Jack Silverman. “Those processes helped unlock a new palette of sounds and inspired me to work in a less conformed structure,” he remarks of the collaboration. “In all the years I’ve been writing, since those days in my basement in `74, I’ve been trying to write something that had intention yet felt effortless. Microcosm represents that to me.”

While renowned for his collaborative work, Roger launched this endeavor from an initial state of solitude. “Everything was at my reach and I could jump easily from one instrument to the next. Songs started either with a drum pattern or a chord structure, once I had a basic form I would start building up the track,” Moutenot says of his Haptown studio setup, adding “I needed to find a flow and compose it myself, bring it to a conclusion and then see how it fairs. Once I felt it was finished I played it for some close friends to get feedback.”

The resulting ten tracks of Microcosm work as concise movements within a larger piece; blending the wildly diverse influences from across Moutenot’s career. The album serves both as a testament to Moutenot's prowess and as the start of a new chapter. One in which Moutenot is free to explore new, authentic, sonic spaces and bring us along for the journey.

Studio contact: haptown491@gmail.com

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