Focus on John Malfoy: An artist with many hats

Make way for art. In a complicated time for the artistic world due to the pandemic, we try on Justfocus to be a showcase for some talents that we appreciate within the editorial team. Today we focus on John Malfoy who wears many hats: author, composer, performer, arranger, lyricist, sound engineer and music producer.

A true love for music

His grandmother, Marie-Bénédicte Bonnard, an opera singer and master of French singing, introduced him to classical music at a very young age. At the age of 6, he began the conservatory where he studied violin and singing. Subsequently, during his adolescence, he will self-teach other instruments such as piano, bass, electric guitar … Ben Harper, Damien Rice and many other references of music inspire him for his first songs. 2005 is a real turning point for him since he leaves for Australia at 22, where he produces his first solo album, Old Memories. He does everything by himself and spends himself without counting to promote his opus by playing in the streets and other places such as Open Mic nights. He returned from Australia 2 years later and multiplied artistic encounters. He will compose, share scenes, participate in the making of sets, and will also make the soundtrack of several short films including a particularly striking one dealing with the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. He is currently based in Rennes where he has set up his recording studio and where he works on various projects.

Our opinion on John Malfoy's music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKzer_-89UU We notice on this track a judicious use of the looper for a country / pop / minimalist performance with the appearance of a blues ballad. The timbre of his voice is right and blends well with his guitar playing. He uses 2 chords to structure this 7-minute piece. The harmony is 100% minor, a logical choice that will not be the most original for some ears but that coincides well with the Blues Country atmosphere. We appreciate the very authentic live performance. Regarding the rhythm, it is binary (a 2 and a classic 4). The hand clap is over-reverbed, a relevant choice to support the live stage side. Within the editorial team, we will closely follow his next productions. You can follow him on several social networks. The photos are by: Alice Didier (@alicedidierphoto) The design of the album cover : Géraldine Gentil (@gentilge)