Production and diffusion of the
musical compositions of Scott MacLeay
SMALL CROWDS (LES PETITES FOULES)
Scott MacLeay's cabaret opera, released by iconic French independent label, Sordide Sentimental, has been remastered and re-released by Creative Process on a variety of streaming platforms, including:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/.../small-crowds-remaster/1557475656
Youtube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kWP7NYtxp6z3KSNCSTDU17qtUsxNKCkGc
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/12s2fykV2VdRqwNhgdciph
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/213412692
The project was conceived by composer Scott MacLeay as a series of intertwined nocturnal processions – a collection of night arias and assorted urban love songs set in a universe populated by an assortment of anonymous marginal personalities wandering aimlessly through the night, stopping from time to time to reflect on their respective destinies.
Performed by his pick-up group Private Circus, the colour of the music varies from an almost “trashy pots and pans” sound to velvety string-based arias reflecting the changing moods and emotional states of this group of lost souls seeking comfort and compassion in the darkness of night. The wanderers sing in English, French and a number of strange unknown dialects. In many of the songs, the vocals are nothing more than another musical element, barely audible above the drone of a rhythm section, while in others they assume a more tradition place in the mix. The objective was to convey a sense of ambiguity and confusion, of unpreparedness, vulnerability and doubt, while at the same time affirming the inevitable confidence-building camaraderie formed by those who share a common destiny, even if only for one delirious night.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY
A compilation of music composed for La Compagnie Nadège MacLeay between 1989 and 1995. The dances were performed in Paris and other regional capitals during this period.
This compilation is available on a variety of streaming platforms including:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/fr/album/the-other-side-of-the-story/1560194369
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_Ia0YhHOM&list=OLAK5uy_m74Sq8cDO-9ig86WDGkW0OZcfStBOUZY4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3aoR9Ru17wDdYBgu2WvdWB
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/217660702
MacLeay began composing for contemporary dance in the early 80s, often collaborating with François Raffinot. From 1982 to 1995, he composed for numerous American and French choreographers / dance companies including Ruth Barnes, Robert Kovich, Jean-Marc Matos (K-Danse), Artifact, Valérie Crépin and Nadège MacLeay.
CELTIC DAYS / LATIN NIGHTS
For many years after leaving his high school R&B band, “The Erbs", to go to university, MacLeay nurtured the dream of writing some alternative country-rock / americana songs and forming a group to perform them. In 1993, twenty-five years after leaving The Erbs, he finally wrote those songs and made some demo recordings with regular participants in my musical research group Private Circus. The project, entitled “Celtic Days / Latin Nights”, was a fun break from his daily compositional work for contemporary dance and video art.
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/celtic-days-latin-nights-the-demo-sessions/1568211788
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI109N8w-ZE&list=OLAK5uy_mHhmREK-eKECUHhpEHLQK42BX2ASmlRr8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1c2qlHAN866MXZtD0eiLrN
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/231089182
For various professional and personal reasons, the group was never able to make the final recordings or perform the work live, but MacLeay felt that the demos, although simple and quite raw, had merit and so has made them available on streaming platforms. (Scott MacLeay: vocals, keyboards, samplers / Christel Desjardin: vocals / Peter Rist: guitar)
LOCKED DOORS, OPEN WINDOWS
The first of an ongoing collection of daydreams and ethereal musings based on acoustic perceptions and fleeting melodies drifting into open apartment windows of an alienating contemporary urban environment. The soundscapes in this collection were composed and recorded over a thirty-year period from 1990 to 2020.
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/locked-doors-open-windows/1574415815
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV59EDLQzJU&list=OLAK5uy_nxXpf2Zsi12ME-V1lByJTglm_J-jITWu8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7kb8OFQ8NVhO1qhj0zwf4j
Although the original group disbanded in 1996, Scott MacLeay continues to compose and record under the name Private Circus.