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Yang (French Art Rock band)
Founded by Frédéric L’Épée in 2002, Yang is an instrumental quartet made of 2 guitars, bass and drums, which compositions melt guitar counterpoints, odd time signatures, oriental modes and powerful rock pulse. They released only 3 album in 15 years so far: A Complex Nature in 2004, Machines in 2010 and The Failure of Words in 2017. {à droite cartouche avec: Origin - Genre - Website} {à gauche cartouche avec: Content : 1 History - 2 Instrumentation and style (2.1 !st line-up 2.2 2nd line-up) - 3 Discography (3.1 2002-2005 3.2 after 2005) - 4 See also - 5 References - 6 External links}

History
After the dissolution of landmark French band Philharmonie and their swan song Le Dernier Mot in 1998, guitarist Frédéric L’Épée resumed his unique and intricate take on modern instrumental rock with his next project, Yang, in 2002. L'Epee, Bassist Stéphane Bertrand, drummer Volodia Brice, and second guitarist Julien Vecchie (a guitar student of L’Épée's) each contributed to an immediate, tight-but-lose sound that is carefully constructed but never deprived of its power and rawness. A gathering of influences from Robert Fripp, jazz fusion and heavy rock, Yang reinvigorated an approach that is at once metrically diverse and comfortably inviting. In February 2005, the line-up changed. Bass player Nico Gomez replaced Stephane Bertrand and Laurent James (also a guitar student of Frédéric’s) took over for Julien Vecchie on second guitar.

A Complex Nature (2004) was the band's debut and presented a rough-edged but quite sophisticated progressive statement. The cuts are unified yet diverse, with inventive mixes of angular rock and jazzy escapades and was recorded sparsely over three days in order to retain spontaneity and a live feel.

For fans of instrumental rock fusion with equal parts precision and garage atmosphere, Yang is strongly suggested and is a fresh departure in the distinguished career of Frédéric L'Épée.

The new musicians has bring some more powerful and harder music. The Machines album was composed to fit the background of each musicians (contemporary music, contemporary jazz, metal, prog and fusion). After a few years of hiatus, due to the regathering of L’Épée’s 70’s band Shylock, Yang went back to work for a new album released in 2017, The Failure of Words.

The Failure of Words is a touchstone in Yang’s evolution. This album, unlike the others, aims no more to sound like in live situation but is a musical process itself.

The idea behind the project was to express the inability, as human beings, to really communicate with our species, always experiencing conflict, disharmony and delusion. Only art, love, are able to convey our deepest feelings and ideas. Words failed us.

This album is linked to the art of Bruno Mendonça†, whose work is in a big part inspired by the deprivation of communication, the impossibility to deliver a message. Bruno passed away in November 2011 before Frédéric and he could give shape to their collaborative album project.

Recorded in different studios then mixed and produced in Berlin by Markus Reuter and Benjamin Schäfer, the album The Failure of Words has been built for a recording. Not only rough guitars here, but also different keyboards, acoustic guitars, some special sound treatments, and a very dedicated and sophisticated production.

Instrumentation and style
Yang's main instrument is guitar. At the very beginning, the band was a trio made of 1 guitar, 1 bass and drums. Frédéric was playing with a looper to multiply guitar parts, but it appears rapidly that in one hand the loop, when covered by the upper layer, was difficult to hear for the other musicians, in the other hand, once the loop was recorded, it gave a static feeling which dehumanized the song.

First line-up: 2002-2005
Then another guitarist was necessary. Julien Vecchié came with his precise and very clean sound, contrasting with Frédéric's distorted guitar and Stéphane Bertrand's growling bass. The name of the band came when, after putting together the 3 first pieces, they played them to their friends, girlfriends and family and none of the girls or women liked it. At that time, Frédéric was learning Chinese and he decided to call the band like the masculine principle of the Tao.

This formation recorded A Complex Nature released on Cuneiform Records in 2004. In 2005, came a disagreement about concert procedures and Stéphane and Julien decided to withdraw.

Second line-up: 2005-present
A concert was scheduled as Stéphane and Julien leaved the band. By chance, Frédéric just got back in touch with Laurent James, also one of his former students, and one of his old friends Nico Gomez just came back from London where he was earning a living as a bassist. Both were available for Yang and they worked hard to be able to perform the concert 3 months later. Laurent's sound was almost the opposite of Julien's. As the leader of the metal prog band Lord of Mushrooms, he used to play with heavy distorted sounds and very modern guitars. Nico, the bassist, very melodic, was involved in several jazz and latin-jazz bands. These two musicians gave to Yang's music a new twist bringing even more diversity in the repertoire.

This line-up is the actual one and recorded the two albums Machines, and The Failure of Words

Discography
A Complex Nature - Cuneiform Records Rune 197- Recorded and mixed by Frédéric Bétin at Studio 26, Antibes. Artwork by the band - CD, 2004

Personal: Frédéric L'Épée, guitar Julien Vecchié, guitar Stéphane Bertrand, bass Volodia Brice, drums

Machines - Yang Music Voc1527 - Recorded and mixed by Frédéric Bétin at Studio 26, Antibes. Artwork by Anne Chomicki, cover design and layout Frédéric L'Épée - Mastered at Mastering Suite, Aix-en-Provence - CD, 2009

Personal: Frédéric L'Épée, guitar Laurent James, guitar Nico Gomez, bass Volodia Brice, drums

The Failure of Words - Yang Music YM1702 - Recorded in different studios including "Le Cri de la Tarente" Studio, La Ciotat for Drums, mixed and produced in Berlin by Benjamin Schäfer and Markus Reuter for Unsung Productions - Artwork by Bruno Mendonça(✝), cover designs and layout Bernhard Wöstheinrich - Mastered by Lee Fletcher, Berlin - CD, Vinyl, 2017

Personal: Frédéric L'Épée, guitar Laurent James, guitar Nico Gomez, bass Volodia Brice, drums

DVD Yang at the Blue Star - Yang Music YM1700DVD - Performed at the Blue Star on July 15th 2016 - Recorded and mixed by Shain Rafati - Filmed and edited by Kevin Sempé - Artwork by Frédéric L'Épée with elements from Bruno Mendonça's art - DVD 2017

See also

Frédéric L'Épée - Shylock - Philharmonie