News
Welcome to my new website :-)
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
1.Back on the road with Jarre for a unique private concert in Poland
After a long break we were all very happy to meet again for a one off private concert in Warshaw-Poland. After the huge 2011 European Tour last year , following intensive touring (more than 150 concerts in all Europe from Ukraine to Scotland in the last 5 years) we all needed to concentrate on personal projects that we had put aside. Touring is very addictive so we were happy to have another shoot Oct 9th :-)
The venue was amazing : the Warshaw Opera House (One of the widest stage in Europe). See a video i posted on my FaceBook Page
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151084760632314&set=vb.686252313&type=2&theater
2. 5 audio Medleys from my Antigone 34 TV Series score on SoundCloud
Sorted by styles I edited a kind of "best of" for 5 categories : Chase, Themes, Cinematic, Action & Suspens, Club & Bar. It gives a good idea of the identity of the series soundtrack.
http://soundcloud.com/claude-samard-polikar/sets/antigone-34-tv-series-audio/
3. Music Library
More composing and collaboration for FLE music library , including working with Alice Guerlot-Kourkoulis
4. Site update with a video page, more audio in the Showreel
See the bar menu on top the page , next to Studio 124 and Photo Gallery
JUNE/JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2012
1.My Bio in Chinese on my web site + a business trip to Beijing Aug 2012
I discovered China in 2004 when i first started working with electronic music Jean Michel Jarre as his Musical Director for a unique concert at Beijing Forbidden City. This major event was broadcast live for more than 600 million viewers on 3 CCTV channels !!!. Since then China became an important part of my life and i developped a lot of business relationships with Chinese Music Industry executives.
In fact it had all started in 2001 when i won the Best Music Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival, but i was not present at the ceremony , so that Beijing Concert with Jarre was a real premiere for me.
That s the reason why a Chinese version of my bio was asked by a lot of non english speaking chinese professionals
During that trip I met my friend James Wang the man behind a brand new chinese musical social network, a great concept that will certainly be a good source of job opportunities for musicians as well. I m part of his team of course :-)
The rest of my time there was shared between the A-String Studio, (the best in town) the Beijing Opera House for personal projects soon to be released and projects with some major advertising companies based in Beijing.
2. Composition for 4 Musical projects for Bon'Art Creation
Bon'Art Creation (http://www.bonartcreation.fr/) is a young film/tv series/documentary production company based in Paris with already a lot of great releases to their credit.
Khris Houin (Filmmaker) and Florence Brissard (post-production) offered me the oppotunity to work on 4 projects as a music composer for their various projects ranging from TV series to Street Festival movie teaser
1. A new Cooking TV Series : Destination Papilles" Produced by Bon"Art Creation. First film of the series shot by Khris and scored by Claude Samard Polikar. More about it soon.
2. A cooking recipe "Fish en papillote"a 1'21 long movie that you can see on YouTube
Co-produced by Bon"Art Creation and Comnoo agency and Studio 1+1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_FATd_JOjPM#!
Diet food recipe movie
Music by Claude Samard Polikar
Filmed by Khrys Houin for Bon'Art Creation
3. Street Festival movie teaser : Festival des Vendanges Suresnes 2012: The music is in the fanfare style that evocates balkans, spain, gypsy dance, all very punchy and joyful.
Visible here on my FB page
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151039627247314
Arts de la rue . Festival des Vendanges. 28 compagnies et 200 artistes issus du cirque, du théâtre, de la danse ou de la musique.
4 Industrial movie : Picard keys, locks and doors manufacturer: a 3'30 film also filmed by Khris for Bon'Art Creation , music by Claude Samard-Polikar, a mix of industrial, epic and electro.
Film soon on that site
3. Claude Samard-Polikar on Twitter and SoundCloud
You can now listen to some of my music that is not featured in my site player , just available on SoundCloud.
I'm also part of the Twitter network
http://soundcloud.com/claude-samard-polikar/sets/antigone-34-tv-series-audio/
4. MORE GEAR AT STUDIO 124
Thanks to the awesome computer music evolution the live DJs scene shows an increasing use of "small but efficient" new tools that modify not only the musicians live sets but also the studio creative gear .
Among those i ll mention all the live performance controllers and the amazing available iPad musical instruments apps.
For an easy and pro use of them with no latency i got the Alesis iO Dock , designed to house the iPad2 , equiped with all the necessary audio , USB and MIDI connectors.
List of the apps i use : JamUp Pro, (fantastic for amps and pedals simulation) Korg Electribes and iKaossilator, Sunrizer, DM21, FunkBox, iMaschine, Moog Filatron and AniMoog ...of course :-)
As for the performance controllers i first choose the Akai APC 40 Ableton controller, specially designed to work with Ableton Live. This is not only for DJs. For Ableton Live studio users like me, when it comes to mangle and tweak sounds in a breeze and make a mix interesting with a better use of all the power of Live it s really a "must have" .
Plus when used at a compositional stage it s of a big help for my sounds palette that i can import later in my ProTools session.
On the guitar side i think that i forgot to mention that a Danelectro Baritone has joined my guitar collection.
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MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2012
1.ANTIGONE 34. All 6 episodes have been completed, mixed and broadcast.
The series first season (6 episodes) was a success., we managed to face up to our competition and kept up a loyal audience of 3 000 000 on France 2 national TV Channel, 3 friday evenings in a row.
I'll soon put some musical excerpts of the soundtrack i composed, they ll be available on this site but also on my recently created SoundCloud pages.
2.Claude SAMARD-POLIKAR on TWITTER and SOUNDCLOUD
After the end of Jarre s European Tour last Oct/Nov, I had no time at all to do the necessary networking duties a composer has to do to show his work (online musical resume) and discover new talents, new influences. I had to complete first all my composing work and the recording sessions i had put aside for 2 months on the road with JM, Jerome and Francis..
SoundCloud is a great source of inspiration , listening to all kinds of compositional works may help to evaluate your own work and listen to some music you would just not "naturally" visit easily.
As for Twitter I use it mostly to be informed on the gear latest releases, i follow all the companies that design the instruments/software/hardware i work with.
3.Claude SAMARD-POLIKAR now a NATIVE INSTRUMENTS -DAMAGE "Artist"
As most of today s "electronic musicians" I m a big fan and user of NATIVE INSTRUMENTS products. They make a great balance with all my vintage analog gear. I had the chance to meet their managing team several times in Berlin while on tour with JM Jarre and i m regularly in touch with their distributor in France. DAMAGE can be heard in my Antigone 34 series soundtrack. I have been happy and honored to be offered the opportunity to say a few words about DAMAGE on the ARTISTS pages on the NATIVE INSTRUMENTS official site
http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/powered-by-kontakt/damage/?page=3045
I say honored because among the other artists/composers are people like James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson Williams etc… so i m in a very good company.
4.HOLLOW SUN "Artist"
Hollow Sun creates sound libraries for Kontakt. I had the chance to meet Steve and introduce him to Jarre , it was a natural encounter since HS specialized in the recreation of rare and vintage synths. With Dan they released a fantastic sampling of the legendary Novachord and all HS virtual instruments instruments are worth a try. Plus their products are offered at a great price so they need to be promoted.
Here again i m proud to be part of the artists/users who wrote a few lines about those innovative and original VI's.
http://www.hollowsun.com/instruments
5.NEW TV Film recorded at STUDIO 124
This time it s for a TV film for FRANCE 3 TV Channel that i m recording at Studio 124. I m working with composer Jean Musy , a long time friend and unique composer/artist . http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006207/
The movie is called "Frere et Soeur" , directed by Denis Malleval, the action takes place in the Pacific ocean so it s the opportunity for me to use my Pacific Island arsenal (ukulele, guitalele, baby guitar, hawaian guitar…). We also record some tahitian songs a big tropical "premiere" here at Studio 124 !
6.Flamenco virtuoso MANUEL DELGADO recorded at STUDIO 124
Manuel Delgado is a long time friend. Each time there s a need for both a true flamenco guitarist and an open minded musician Manuel is my first call. You can also hear him in the soundtrack of Antigone 34 TV series i just scored. http://www.manuel-delgado.com/
Manuel is currently working on a project for Cezame Music Agency.http://www.cezame-fle.com/
I ll be happy to welcome Manuel on my next solo project.
7.THREE MORE SONGS RELEASED on CEZAME MUSIC AGENCY (Music Library)
"BIKINI" (Exotic and Happy) and "FLEA MARKET" (New Gyspy Jazz) are part of the "The Art of Leisure" album.
"LOST IN SHANGHAI" (Delicate & Peaceful) is featured in the "Asia geopolitics" album
http://www.cezame-fle.com/compositeurs/fr/60/Claude-Polikar.html
http://www.cezame-fle.com/liste_resultats.php?classif_247[]=18800&type_search=compositeur
8.MORE GEAR AT STUDIO 124
Among the new plug ins i needed Studio 124 acquired and licensed a few interesting cinematic Virtual Instruments :
Audiobro : LA Scoring Strings bundle (Full + LS)
Sonokinetic Vivace
Musicrow : Golden Ensemble for Reaktor
8Dio : Aura and Hybrid Tools
Zero-G : Spiritoso, Animato and Perception
Puremagnetik : various kits and instruments for Ableton Live
XLN Audio : more kits for Addictive Drums (Indie, Metal….)
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JANV/FEB 2012
ANTIGONE 34 TV Series for FRANCE TELEVISION : Episodes 4-5-6
Episodes 1-2-3 having been mixed last June, i started working on ideas and new themes for episodes 4-5-6 last summer, but most of the remaining work was done between Dec 2011 and Feb 2012. A new director, Roger Simonsz took the place of Louis Pascal Couvelaire.
I had the chance to use a lot of new gear that i chose to improve the performances at Studio 124. New guitars (Martin EC Model, Gibson J 185, Danelectro electric baritone), new microphones (Royer R-121 ribbon, Soundtronics Halo dynamic, Series 500) new outboard gear to fill the 10 spaces Series 500 Purple 10 rack : Neve 1073 peamp, API 527 comp, Al-So comp, a new hardware TC reverb 4000...I also had the chance to get 2 rare vintage Russian analog synths : the famous Polyvoks and the "Queen of Russian synrhs : the Aelita !!!
Pictures will be featured in my Gallery and in the "New Gear" section of this site.
Some can already be seen on my FaceBook pages.
A lot is happening with this Antigone 34 TV series,
More infos soon : broadcast scheduled : end of March 2012
Please check this out :.
https://www.facebook.com/antigone34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yam3eJY3kHw
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NOV/DEC 2011
Nov 20th End of JARRE European Arena Tour: 28 concerts in Arenas, 22.OOO km in planes and tour bus
The tour was a huge succes, it was great to meet all our friends coming from all over Europe, and discovering new places like Kiev, Austria etc...where we had never played. Thanx to all the fans, you all will find the photos of all 28 venues in my Gallery. Hope they will revive great memories.
You can also see them here on my FaceBook pages : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150522947397314.368740.686252313&type=3
For me this tour was a very special personal experience with great musical moments on stage alternating with lots of hard times due to the passing of my dear mother Charlette (RIP) in the very middle of the tour , Oct 30th . It was the opportunity to appreciate the support of JM, Francis, Jerome, Louis, Fiona, Pierre, Edith and all the crew and fans during these very tough days.
Recording sessions for french newcomer Dave Dario for Universal Mercury label at STUDIO 124
Right after the end of JM Jarre tour i completed the work for Universal Music artist Dave Dario. I ve always been lucky when working with artists from Caribeeans or Indian Ocean Islands : Rita Marley, Edith Lefel, Ph.Lavil, Stephanie Payet, Ralph Thamar, Jocelyne Beroard .... and now Dave Dario, from Mauritius. If some have reached #1 at Top 40, with Platinum and Gold records sales, they all where great human and musical experiences. As all these prestigious artists, Dave has a great voice and his music demonstrates his love for cool sunny moods, with the unique perfect blend of cool grooves and catchy melodies that is the island music trademark.
I played a lot of different guitars ranging from pedal steel to banjo and had the pleasure to work with Patrick Dupond and Jean Pierre Dreau who produced the album.
http://www.universalmusic.fr/dave-dario/videos/
https://www.facebook.com/davedariomusic
http://www.davedario.com/
SEPT/OCT 2011
NEW EUROPEEN TOUR WITH JARRE : 28 concerts in Eastern & Central Europe, Scandinavia
JEAN MICHEL JARRE "2011 TOUR"
09/10 . . . Sofia/Bulgaria
10/10 . . . Belgrade/Serbia
11/10 . . . Zagreb/Croatia
14/10 . . . Kiev/Ukraine
16/10 . . . Kaunas /Lithuania
18/10 . . . Moscow/Russia
20/10 . . . St-Petersburg/Russia
22/10 . . . Turku/Finland
25/10 . . . Stockholm/Sweden
26/10 . . . Oslo/Norway
28/10 . . . Bergen/Norway
31/10 . . . Frankfurt/Germany
01/11 . . . Hannover/Germany
02/11 . . . Hamburg/Germany
04/11 . . . Dortmund/Germany
05/11 . . . Koln/Germany
07/11 . . . Dresden/Germany
08/11 . . . Berlin/Germany
09/11 . . . Erfurt/Germany
10/11 . . . Trier/Germany
12/11 . . . Brno/Czech Republic
13/11 . . . Katowice/Poland
14/11 . . . Warszawa/Poland
15/11 . . . Bydgoszcz/Poland
17/11 . . . Vienna/Austria
18/11 . . . Graz/Austria
19/11 . . . Munchen/Germany
20/11 . . . Zurich/Swiss
FESTIVAL DES VENDANGES de SURESNES 2011 The production (composing, recording) of film soundtrack, and DVD sound design of the event is completed .
Please check out the video which is played as a promo teaser in all the Paris area movie theaters.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-124-Claude-Samard-Polikar/137924149626058
http://www.facebook.com/festivaldesvendanges
All the multimedia promotion films, dvd etc... produced by Bon'Art Creations : http://www.bonartcreation.fr/
MORE MUSIC CUES FOR "ANTIGONE 34" TV Series for FRANCE 2/MASCARET
I now have read episodes 4-5-6 scripts by Brice Homs and Alexis Nolent and recorded some new temp tracks. I ll resume the studio tracking in November, when the shooting of the last 3 episodes by Roger Simonsz is completed, while still working on new ideas for the project.
http://www.facebook.com/antigone34
NEW GEAR AT STUDIO 124 : New Vintage Tube Neumann microphone from the 50's, New 60's WEM Copicat tape echo, API series 500 preamp and compressor, New plug ins ....lots of pics in the Studio 124 section
http://www.claudesamard.com/studio-124.html
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JULY/AUGUST 2011
BACK ON THE ROAD WITH JARRE : After the Jelling Festival in Denmark we played a concert event for the celebration of the wedding of Prince Albert and Charlene in Monaco.
Francis Rimbert, Jerome Guegen and me were on stage with Jean Michel for this spectacular free concert which could be watched live on Euronews TV Channel.
More pics in my Photo Gallery
MORE MUSIC CUES FOR "ANTIGONE 34" TV Series for FRANCE 2/MASCARET
A new spectacular car chase cue with 160 BPM metal guitar parts on steroids and agressive drums.
Some more composing for the next 3 episodes to come.
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FESTIVAL DES VENDANGES -ARTS DE LA RUE - SURESNES
Composing a 30" soundtrack for a 30" promotional movie produced by Paris based "Bon'Art Creation" http://www.bonartcreation.fr/
On screen soon in all the Paris area movie theaters.
NEW GEAR AT STUDIO 124
A new 1995 Fender Strat, Bonnie Raitt signature, more vintage synth with a 70's Korg Micro Preset, a vintage Calrec microphone, a great Timmy overdrive pedal, repaired Juno 106, modified original 64 Fender Deluxe amp, and new software audio applications...
Pics and more info in STUDIO 124 and GALLERY/NEW GEAR
JUNE to DECEMBER 2011
It was a pleasure to work with Denis Leleu who mixed that TV film.
3 more episodes have been written by Brice Homs and Alexis Nolent, which should be shot next fall, and scored before the end of 2011.
I have to do a lot of archiving and "cleaning" in my folders , a good archiving is the key when composing for TV series when you have recurrent themes to develop and rearrange.
In July i ll have to start working on new themes as well, corresponding to new characters and situations featured in those next 3 episodes.
ANTIGONE 34 : an amazing new TV series on FRANCE 2 in 2012
The screen wiriters : Brice Homs & Alexis Nolent
The dialogue writer & showrunner : Brice Homs
The producers : Benedicte Lesage & Ariel Askenazi for Mascaret Films.
The actors : Anne Le Nen, Claire Borotra, Bruno Todeschini, Aubert Fenoy, Hammou Graia
The directors : Louis Pascal Couvelaire, Roger Simonsz
The music : Claude Samard Polikar
For more info, regular updates and peek previews, join Antigone 34 on FaceBook !
