Might Brank

TRANCE / ROCK / SYNCRETIC

Might Brank* is a solo for drums, percussion, voice, vocoder and electronics. The tribal rhythm, the double pulsations, the onomatopoeias, as well as the resulting tones promise the discovery of a rather unusual universe. There is something deep and spiritual about this kind of trance which has its roots in medieval secular music, progressive rock and traditional music from the Far East.

* might [n. eng.] = forcefully / branc d'acier [old.french] = large sword from the Middle Ages wielding two hands

« Jà te verras tot detrenchier ; Ne vois-tu ci mon branc d’acier ? »

« Li quens voit le baurhant devant lui aresté,
U li loi branc lendoient à l’archon noielé. »

Emmanuel Scarpa - drums, gongs, jing cymbals, chinese cymbal, bells, metal tubes, wood block, voice, vocoder, effects pedals, composition

LE PÉRISCOPE (Lyon) _ crédit photo : Mlle DOU & B.Belleudy

CREST JAZZ FEST_ crédit photo : Christophe Charpenel

LE ZORBA (Paris) _ crédit photo : JJGFREE

V I D E O S

P R E S S A R T I C L E S

"Ritualistic voice, percussion, electronics - electric shamanism"

A Jazz Noise Blog Posts

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"Might Brank's first album, EP#1, was presented under happy auspices. With The Masks, Emmanuel Scarpa is beefing up his game, as a ball lover would say. Musically, the album is in line with his outdated, but he has gained in composure.

The spiritual dimension is still very present, and still a little veiled. Freewheeling, it wants to be syncretic and seems devoid of intention. We won't know what's behind the mask, but maybe that's where the intention lies: that everyone makes it their own.

If one can sometimes have an impression of trial and error, the originality of the vocal parts and especially the inventiveness of the rhythms are there. The thickness of The Masks is due to its rhythmic composition and the richness of the sounds, which will carry the house no matter what. In other words, saved by the bell."

Raphaël Benoit, Citizen Jazz

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"Sensitive to the morphological plurality of musical writings, attentive to the movements of his compositions, Emmanuel Scarpa plays solo. With his voice, his drums and his percussions, the musician exposes the vulnerability of his arrangements. He ventures into the sensitive world of listeners with the help of "sound alterations" (tribal onomatopoeia, Chinese cymbals, etc.) His logic is not that of departing from European music, nor of placing himself in the class of existence of the welcoming the world. The Might Brank project leads our ear into a dynamic of morphological creations. Its openness is contagious, its unfolding contaminates our senses, we distance our memory and inhabit its sound universe."

Valérie Lagarde

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"The recording moniker of the very talented Emmanuel Scarpa, as Might Brank he brings his vast experiences with both punk and classical, and many places in between, to this drum focused journey.

“Tempus reductionis” opens the listen with harmonic singing alongside playful percussion and plenty of Eastern influences inhabiting the layered climate, and “Onomato” follows with soothing chanting that flows into an ominous quality of medieval like sounds.

In the middle, “onoff” gets quite primitive with its furious and precise drumming acrobatics, while “Sur la harpe” gets a bit hazy and drones with a progressive appeal that’s hypnotic. “Circum ambulatio” exits the listen, and benefits from mysterious percussion and drumming that truly showcases the immense skill that Scarpa possesses.

ASBA drums, gongs, jiny cymbals, Chinese cymbal, bells, metal tubes wood block, voice, vocoder and effects pedals are all handled by Scarpa here, and it’s about as unusual a listen as those instruments imply. It’s also alluring in a trance-like and spiritual sort of way."

TAKE EFFECT REVIEWS, MARCH 2022

P O S T E R S