the Abbaye aux Dames, a blessed setting for the inspiration of UssaR

On the wall of the auditorium, behind his keyboard, a craftsman has left his mark, a name engraved in the limestone of the Abbaye aux Dames. “We too are in an artisanal approach,” compares Emmanuel Trouvé, alias UssaR. Since Monday January 13, the musician has immersed himself in this cocoon of another century, and the approach is “fruitful”. “We will end up with four or five original pieces. There are two or three that stand out, which I really like. I think there are things that will stay,” smiles this tall guy, hat screwed on his head.

It is Wednesday January 15. Jules Minck, on electric guitar, and Eliot Allegrini, on cello, try to tame a melody. The violinist Arthur Simonini, specialist in film music, is expected the next day. UssaR chose to arrive in Saintes with a blank page, to “capture the immediacy of things, to see what comes out, like a game”. The public will be able to taste these titles hot out of the oven this Saturday, January 18, at 6 p.m., during an end-of-residency meeting, a forty-minute window open to the creation in progress.

Local partnerships

The director, David Théodorides, is over the moon. “We launched a cycle, “Les Voix de l’abbaye”, three years ago. The idea is not to limit ourselves to the heritage repertoire, to early music. We take a step aside. » Last year, in partnership with Cristal Production, Abbaye aux Dames welcomed Alexandra Hernandez, who shapes sounds captured in the ocean.

This time, David Théodoridès extended the pole to another local operator, the Transe Atlantique festival. “I really appreciate the director of the festival, Raphaëlle Chovin. She has a lot of talent, energy and modesty. I asked her to suggest artists to support, she quickly sent me five projects. I chose UssaR, which has beautiful, very evocative texts, writing that leaves a lot of room for the imagination. His music is electro, a little rock, but he wanted to confront it with acoustic instruments. Here it made sense. »

“UssaR has beautiful, very evocative texts, writing that leaves a lot of room for the imagination. His music is electro, a little rock, but he wanted to confront it with acoustic instruments. Here it made sense. »

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From CharlElie to Mathlouthi

UssaR knew the place, he slept there in 2023 when he shared the poster for the second edition of Transe Atlantique with Diane Tell. He maintains the relationship with the Quebec singer, “a love of person, an extremely talented artist”, whom he found on Saturday December 14 during the “boum du Transe At” at the Magnolias.

Aged 40, he has long accompanied others, in very different registers, Youssoupha, Kery James, CharlElie Couture and Emel Mathlouthi. “I didn’t plan to make songs, it happened on its own, in 2020, after confinement,” confides the man who chose the name of the riders of the Polish army (without the h) as his nickname. , because, to surrender in this way, “is to go to the front line”.

Two EPs and a first album, “Étendard”, set the milestones. The next disc is planned for 2026, with perhaps some notes which will have seen the light of day here, and which we will be able to preview this Saturday, January 18.