Urban Pipes

Erwan Keravec is the awesome bagpiper in the band Les Niou Bardophones. For this “Urban Pipes” project, he has indulged in an exercise of solo performance, totally free of special effects. His extreme virtuosity elegantly matches up to his zestful compositions. He skilfully handles the paradox between his respect for traditional culture and his taste for innovation.  “Urban Pipes is an utopia aiming to show that the bagpipe is a universal instrument. To imagine music for solo bagpipe that does not evoke its cultural origin, music that is only music, with no other function than to be listened to. This project also entails a modification of traditional playing modes, as well as work on how to use the bagpipe sound and harmonic strangeness outside of strictly melodic practice. All this seems paradoxical for a traditional musician like myself. Yet it is the way I have chosen for Urban Pipes, in order to see what kind of music I can envisage for my instrument.” Erwan Keravec