Conversations with François

By George Moraitis

Earlier this year at the Munich High End Show, I had the pleasure of spending some time with my friend François Saint-Gérand. François owns and operates ANA Mighty Sound in Paris, a store which is rapidly becoming a ‘must-visit’ experience for many audiophiles and lovers of analog music replay.

Part of the charm is François’ passion for the arts which makes him a great host and DJ. You will hear amazing music that you have never heard before and hear the most entertaining stories in between the tracks. Such is the charm of François, that the audio heavyweights DarTZeel and Stenheim asked François to run their room during the Munich show, and boy was it fun!

François is a colourful character with an infectious laugh and playful nature which belies his colossal knowledge of music and how to put together a great hi-fi system. During the show, we were having an interesting discussion. He played an awesome piece of French electronic music and I posed the rhetorical question “why do we love music so much?” I wasn’t expecting him to answer but to my surprise, he said “Immanence, Synesthesia, Kinesthesia & Catharsis!”

What? I turned around but he was already up laughing at something that had caught his attention, starting a new conversation and the moment was gone. I thought about those words which were quite a serious answer to my whimsical question. What was he talking about?

Immanence

This refers to the state of being inherent or exclusively existing within something. Perhaps rather than music being a linear expression of our creativity, it is an inseparable part of our being. We exist within it and it’s in the expression and experience of music that we find our meaning, or that we see a reflection of our true nature. In some theological traditions, immanence refers to the state or quality of a Deity exclusively existing within the universe and time. What do you think? Is music separate to us as something to be experienced outside the self or an inherent part of the self?

Synesthesia

This refers to a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality. For example, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualisation of a certain colour. François may have been referring to the phenomena experienced when we listen to music – we visualise certain events, people, places, events, memories & all sorts of visual expressions of emotion. This undeniable consequence of listening to music can often be unpredictable as well as grounding.

When I hear the song ‘Easy Lover’ by Phil Collins & Philip Bailey, I’m immediately transported back to the summer of 1984 when I was a teenager hanging out with a group of friends at the beach every day, swimming, playing cricket on the sand, making bonfires at night, first girlfriend….. This song was hot on the radio at the time and was playing frequently from our little boom-box. I remember that we all sang along while lying on the sand enjoying the sun. It was such an uncomplicated, innocent time in my life. I hear the first few bars and I automatically smile as my mind re-lives that summer. Do you have a song or piece of music that evokes a specific visualisation?

Kinesthesia

This refers to the sensation of movement or strain in muscles, tendons and joints. In other words, we hear music and we have a physical reaction. Not only macro responses like tapping the foot & dancing. Even subtle physical responses can be interesting. Butterflies in the stomach, relaxing into the seat… When we play music for people at Nirvana Sound, I love watching the variety of physical responses that arise and I have come to believe that better sound quality increases these physical responses.

Can you think of a song that always creates a physical response in you? Sometimes when my wife is cooking, I play songs that I know she loves and although she’s totally focussed on the cooking, I love how she starts little dance moves as the carrots get chopped and thrown into the pot. Apart from the one that ended up under the fridge, which she didn’t notice…

Catharsis

Catharsis is the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions. Many people specifically refer to this as a consequence of experiencing certain kinds of art, such as a play with a tragic plot, standing in front of a painting like Melancholy (Edvard Munch) or At Eternity’s Gate (Van Gogh)… or music.

I have witnessed countless moments where people become emotional when listening to music and it can happen when you least expect it. There’s music that reminds us of people that we have lost or uplifts us and restores our faith. Music can often express a feeling better than a thousand words and some music seems to act as a portal to the deepest reaches of our heart. Do you have a song that creates a powerful expression of emotion in you?

When I asked François that question in a crowded, busy room at a hi-fi show, I wasn’t expecting an answer. But I certainly wouldn’t have guessed in a thousand years the four words that he said to me. That’s another moment that I can add to why I cherish him.

So why do we love music so much? According to François, it’s because it’s an inherent part of us, it evokes powerful visualisations & physical reactions and because it facilitates us releasing our emotions.

What do you think?
Is he right, or is there more to the story?
Maybe “because it’s cool” is just as valid.