A rather fine Monday morning Organ Thing of The Day  to set the week off, a second rather beautiful single from the gorgeous new Louis Jucker and le Nouvel Ensemble album On Their Knees, a second single from the album Suitcase Suite (Humus records, out on vinyl and CD on September 15th).

The video itself is a real making-of record of the covers for the DIY Vinyl Deluxe Boxset as well as “a contemplative trip through Switzerland’s sweetest indie workshops”. Not sure the video works in terms of complimenting and flowing with the music as much as it distracts, it is a rather fine second taste of what so far is proving to be a rather rewarding album though and you do get to watch the DIY packaging for the Suitcase Suite vinyl boxset in the making, I guess it is an important part o f the release

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Louis Jucker: “I take each of my record releases as a good opportunity to try new DIY paper tricks. I like to experiment with different formats and printing techniques to achieve unusual & dazzling paper sleeves. Most of all I can count on very talented friends who own beautiful workshops, and I love watching them do what they’re so good at doing.”

The deluxe boxset marbled paper sleeves house a twenty two page booklet and three pieces of vinyl, the new Suitcase Suite album , and two “Suitcase Sessions”, featuring unreleased tracks recorded on the suitcase instruments by various Swiss artists. It is super limited and only available via Humus Records’ webshop and at Louis Jucker’s release shows.

Details of the vinyl and other formats here

And this is what we said about the first taste a couple of weeks back…

Louis Jucker & Le Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain (NEC) – This is just about the best thing we’ve heard in ages, a first taste of the new album – “Louis Jucker has always had an affection for second-hand suitcases. Perhaps because he only travels by train, perhaps because they embody the instability of places, the impermanence of things. Or maybe just for practical reasons, because they’re designed to collect and transport his electro-acoustic bricolages and other little sonic tricks that he takes pleasure in unpacking and unveiling in the course of his concerts.

Suitcase Suite condenses everything Louis Jucker likes to do with his life: rummage flea markets, tinker in his attic, invite other artists to join his projects, recycle clumsiness and happy accidents, share emotions, elaborate shows like mysterious laboratories, tweak knobs, amplify mechanic noises, distort sounds and images, patch cables and sing with friends.

The project begun in 2019, launched by a writing commission from Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain (NEC). Louis Jucker accepted the commission on the following conditions: he would have the right to build all the instruments, be present on stage to sing the songs with the rest of the orchestra, be allowed to make a record or several on this basis, and continue the project beyond the scope of the commission. 4 years later, “Sui

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“This clip condenses 4 years of work around these suitcase-instruments. From the moment I started designing and testing the first cases, then rehearsing with the members of the NEC, to the final editing of the images, a multitude of different stages followed, with lots of things I didn’t know how to do or hadn’t imagined. Above all, a lot of great people were involved. I’m really grateful for all that. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to dive deep into a dream and share it with inspiring people. With this song, I’d like to be able to invite all these people with me in a giant suitcase and take off together towards something beautiful and intriguing.

Shot by Gaspard Gigon assisted by Camille de Pietro. Cut by Gaspard Gigon & Louis Jucker. Taken from Louis Jucker & Le Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain “Suitcase Suite” LP, Humus Records september 2023 Song written and recorded using homemade suitcase instruments. All effects, sound treatments and distortions created by suitcase instruments.

The whole album works in a rather different way, in an intriguing way, more about the whole album later on, it comes out in mid September, more from us before then. Meanwhile more details and here’s the Bandcamp

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