frise lumière is the sound art and performance project of Ludovic Gerst.
Built around the exclusive use of the prepared bass, the project transforms the instrument into a self-contained sonic system. Through extended playing techniques, resonance, harmonic layers, rhythmic patterns and percussive textures emerge simultaneously from a single source.
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“An initiatory or even metaphysical journey…” JazzMania — Belgium
“What poetry is for Llansol, the bass is for Gerst: he plays it percussively, almost like a gamelan, placing it on his lap to coax out sounds and rhythms using brushes and drumsticks.” (page74) Bad Alchemy — Germany
“Perched atop a stool in almost complete darkness, conjuring a hypnotic monosyllabic rumble, Gerst evoked the image of a wizard both in stance and sound.” Epigram — UK (Live at Strange Brew, Bristol)
"Mission accomplished."
• October 2024 print edition (Page 72)Blow Up Magazine — Italy (Print)
“What poetry is for Llansol, the bass is for Gerst: he plays it percussively, almost like a gamelan, placing it on his lap to coax out sounds and rhythms using brushes and drumsticks.” (Page 74)
Bad Alchemy — Germany (Print)
Aired on Resonance FM — Rockfort, October 2024.Resonance FM — UK
Aired on Radio Alhara — March 2025Radio Alhara — Palestine
"The variations in sound and their peculiar resonances is quite extraordinary, with each track imbuing different sensations"Freq — UK
"The composer in Gerst clearly took the lead here and what we hear is wonderfully beautiful, somewhere between jazz, minimalism and avant-garde, without sounding bombastic."Luminous Dash — Belgium
"The music of this atypical one-man band literally obsesses me and not two days go by without me returning to it with an avidity that surprises even me" Exit Musik — France
" At its core, Ambo is a deeply organic album. The music feels as though it’s grown from the earth itself, with the bass acting as a conduit between the natural world and the listener." Thoughts Words Action — Serbia