Machine Live is Bertier’s Ep Out Now
Good Day Noir Family,
Something is stirring in Machine Live by Bertier, a live reimagining of their album Machine Ronde, that immediately places you somewhere else—not quite the past, not quite the future.
Machine Live is Bertier’s Ep Out Now
The EP opens with “Machine Ronde”, and within seconds, the mood is set: dry, vast, and strangely intimate.
Electric cello hums like a ghost in the wind, tremolo guitars shimmer like heat haze, and distant futuristic textures swirl around Pierre Dungen’s voice—more prophet than frontman. He doesn’t sing to you as much as he delivers truths with a kind of theatrical calm, as if he’s reading forgotten scrolls by firelight.
The second track, “Gaïa,” lifts you from that cracked terrain and throws you into orbit. There’s a cosmic quality here, like Bowie’s “Space Oddity” rendezvousing with The Doors’ “The End”—a track that unfolds like a trance, leaning into psych-rock without losing its French literary heart. Dungen’s delivery floats through the arrangement, hypnotic but never detached.
“Osmose” changes gears—its sparse, acoustic setting draws attention to every word, every string vibration. At times, the vocal phrasing evokes the vulnerable swagger of Mick Jagger on “Wild Horses”, but this isn’t imitation; it’s reference, filtered through a unique identity. The track’s restraint is its strength.
The EP closes with “Demande à John,” a melancholic meditation tinted with nostalgia. There’s a dreamlike haze over the instrumentation, giving the track the faded softness of an old photograph. Even as it ends, Machine Live leaves you unsure of which world you’ve visited—only that it was real while it lasted.
This release isn’t just about music; it’s about atmosphere, storytelling, and vision. With the support of electric cellist Jean-François Assy, Belgian rocker Geoffrey Hautvas, jazz mind Yvan Rother, the multi-talented Lara Herbinia, and guided by the singular guitar of Yan Péchin, Bertier achieves something rare: a moment that feels outside of time.
To complement this sonic journey, filmmaker Lucas Racasse has crafted a striking animated short inspired by the EP. Presented in 4K black and white, the film features a lone figure navigating a world of robots and extraterrestrials, evoking the dystopian mystique of Blade Runner without ever feeling derivative. It’s an artistic extension of Machine Ronde’s spirit—stylized, cerebral, and oddly emotional. You can watch the short movie here: https://www.lucasracasse.com/mdb-short-movie
Machine Live is Bertier’s Ep Out Now!
Sublime!
Machine Live is Bertier’s Ep Out Now
Machine Live is the stage incarnation of Machine Ronde, a richly layered, French-language rock EP blending the lyrical edge of chanson with the grit of blues, psychedelic flourishes, and electric warmth. Featuring four standout tracks, the project brings together a remarkable lineup: electric cellist Jean-François Assy, Belgian rocker Geoffrey Hautvas, young jazz talent Yvan Rother, photographer-performer Lara Herbinia, and Pierre Dungen, whose darkly humorous, poetic vocals lead the way.
Dreaming in French but steeped in Anglo-Saxon influences, Dungen channels a literary kind of rock—earthy, defiant, and deeply human. Co-produced by renowned guitarist Yan Péchin (noted for his work with legends of the French rock and raï scene), Machine Ronde is a celebration of guitars, of roots music—blues, country, rock—and of the soil beneath our feet.
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