Catalan musician Pascal Comelade is preparing a new solo album without guest artists from his studio in Ceret for release next year. The pianist and multi-instrumentalist is also preparing to perform on stage while artist Miquel Barcelo creates ephemeral paintings.
Comelade works from a garden level studio inside his home in Ceret, in the Pyrenees-Orientales department. The space is filled with posters, scattered records, books, unusual small guitars, toy musical instruments, and small automatons including one built to play cymbals.
At the center of his workspace stands a piano, which Comelade considers the foundation of his career and the key to his creative process. He has released more than 50 albums and roughly 100 when counting collaborative projects, though he noted that the total number means nothing to him.
Based in Ceret, Comelade has established himself as a prominent figure in international music. His creative sphere forms a complex network that connects painters, singers, and experimental bands.
Born in 1955, Comelade released his first self-produced album, Fluence, in 1974. That release marked the start of an electronic period influenced by German groups, which lasted until 1981.
During those early years, Comelade felt an immediate pull toward Barcelona. He explained that young people choose a central capital, and he quickly chose Barcelona because he felt a creative vibration and an artistic community there.
At the time, Barcelona had not yet undergone transformation for the Olympic Games or suffered disfigurement from mass tourism. The city functioned as a thriving hub of creativity, initiating a relationship that continues to influence his work.
Formation of Bel Canto Orquestra
In 1983, Comelade expanded his sound by founding the Bel Canto Orquestra in Barcelona. The group operated with a flexible lineup, incorporating traditional instruments, found objects, and toy instruments to build a distinct signature sound alongside repetitive musical structures.
The orchestra performed its very first concert at the Medamothi gallery in Montpellier. The venue was an important art gallery at the time, hosting exhibitions for artists such as Robert Combas, Claude Viallat, and several Barcelona creators.
Comelade said he had no formal career plan when starting the ensemble. He explained that assembling the group was simply a logical step after playing with other musicians and deciding to take their work to the stage.
The group's unusual instrumentation frequently confused listeners and critics. Classical audiences were puzzled, jazz figures looked down on the performance, and the music did not fit traditional rock definitions.
Industry observers cataloged the ensemble under the category of new music, a label Comelade ignored. He maintained that he simply produced instrumental music, noting that he could easily list everything his work was not trying to be.
Comelade performed extensively across Spain, booking dates in concert halls, churches, and bars. He joked that he played everywhere except in prison because securing access there was too complicated, while building a strong connection with audiences across the region.
His performance circuit also extended to France, including appearances at the Theatre de la Mer in Sete as well as multiple dates in Montpellier.
Media visibility and high profile collaborations
A major turning point arrived in 1992 when Comelade signed with the Paris record label Delabel, a satellite of Virgin. The contract arrived just as Barcelona was undergoing massive urban construction for the Olympic Games.
The record deal provided Comelade with direct access to national French media outlets, leading to features in Telerama alongside television and radio appearances. He later moved his catalog to the label Because Music.
Following his signing with Delabel, Comelade released Haikus de piano, which achieved commercial success. The momentum opened opportunities to compose film scores and launch international artistic partnerships.
Comelade collaborated with Soft Machine founder Robert Wyatt, proposing the track September Song to the English musician. The two artists managed their creative exchanges entirely through postcards.
English singer PJ Harvey revealed in a Spanish newspaper interview that she regularly listened to Comelade's compositions. Operating before mobile phones and email were common, Comelade mailed her three piano tracks and a vocal demo, which Harvey completed to finish the song.
French actress Jeanne Moreau recruited Comelade to accompany her on piano during a poetry recital in Brussels. Stage director Bob Wilson also commissioned him to write music for the ballet Wings on the Rocks.
Comelade composed music for a Japanese stage adaptation of The Threepenny Opera starring Kenji Sawada. In Catalonia, he collaborated with singers Lluis Llach, Pau Riba, and Sisa.
He partnered with French group Les Liminanas on the album Boom Boom, which featured his Riffifi project. The setup used two separate stages and two eight-piece orchestras playing simultaneously in stereo as a tribute to famous rock riffs.
Composition process and tape editing
Comelade begins every composition at the piano. Although he listens to music almost daily, he stated that external listening does not influence his creative decisions, adding that two weeks can pass without him thinking about composing.
When Comelade decides to work, he records every session on a microcassette recorder. Once a week, he reviews the tapes on a dual cassette deck and transfers promising segments onto a secondary tape.
During a second review, Comelade edits the recorded material aggressively, comparing his method to using a machete. He extracts useful chord sequences, short melodic fragments, or groups of two to three notes.
He loops selected fragments, such as recording a chord progression for 30 minutes to test its potential directions. He discards all remaining recordings without regret and keeps no original master tapes.
Once Comelade gathers sufficient material for a 12-track album, he can record the entire project in three days. He explained that working at high speed generates the most interesting qualities in his music.
As he prepares his upcoming solo release, Comelade continues to plan live performances, including his scheduled project accompanying Miquel Barcelo on stage while the artist paints ephemeral works.
