The idea behind sans titre was to capture the feeling of time passing. As we grow older, we collect experiences, discover who we are, and begin to truly understand ourselves — what we want, what we love, and how we want to live. This album reflects that stage of life: the early to mid-thirties, when you’ve already lived through so much, made mistakes, learned lessons, fallen in love, lost, healed, and finally become more grounded in your identity.

Musically, I chose Drum & Bass as the foundation because of its tempo and energy. At 150-180 BPM, it carries that rush of time flying by — moments slipping past so quickly that when you look back you say, “Wow, it’s already been 10 years?” But beyond the speed, Drum & Bass gave me room to explore its melodic side, which for me represents gratitude. That feeling when you look back at your past with a smile: the joy, the bittersweet memories, even the melancholic ache of knowing you can’t relive those moments — yet still being thankful for everything that led you to where you are today.

The melodies are designed to capture that duality: the rush of time mixed with the maturity and peace of finally knowing yourself. By this point in life, you understand your habits, your thoughts, your patterns, your desires, and your boundaries. You’re no longer lost — you’re grounded in who you are.

Why sans titre?

The title means “untitled” in French. I chose it because it’s impossible to give a single name to the last 15 years of my life — the relationships, the growth, the travels, the joy, the heartbreaks, the lessons. No single word or phrase could ever capture it all.

All of the tracks, just like the album title, are written in lowercase. That was a creative choice: to show that every song, every moment, every experience is equally important. Just like every person we’ve met — friends, strangers, even ex-partners — has shaped us in some way. None of those experiences are meaningless; they all matter, and they all belong to the bigger picture of who we are today.

With that, let’s dive track by track into sans titre — exploring the creative process, the ideas, and the stories behind each of the 10 songs.

Track 1: trois deux un…

The album opens with trois deux un… (“three two one…” in French), which is less of a full song and more of an introduction — just over a minute long, with no vocals or lyrics. Interestingly, this wasn’t the original plan for the album. At first, I wanted seasides (track two) to be the opening piece. But when I finished seasides, I realized it launched straight into the fast Drum & Bass energy without giving listeners any time to settle into the mood of the album. It felt like jumping into cold water without warning.

So I went back and rewrote the opening section of seasides into a standalone piece. That became trois deux un…. It shares the same key, sound design, and synth textures as seasides, so the two tracks flow seamlessly together — they can be played as one continuous piece, but they also hold up individually.

Musically, trois deux un… has a soft, welcoming feel. It features mellow synths, gentle piano, atmospheric echoes, and layers of processed vocal textures — actually my own voice, shaped and transformed with effects to create an ambient, otherworldly presence. This short intro acts like a kind of “foreplay” for the listener’s ears, easing them in and preparing them for the high-tempo ride of seasides.

It sets the tone of the album perfectly: reflective, cinematic, and immersive, while also establishing that sense of time passing — a countdown, leading us straight into the journey ahead.

Song Metrics

• Key: E minor

• Camelot: 9A

• Tempo: 90 BPM

• Duration: 1:05

• Time Signature: 4/4

• Energy: Low / Introductory

• Danceability: Minimal (atmospheric)

Behind the Track
The album opens with “trois deux un…,” a cinematic prelude that sets the stage for seasides. This wasn’t the original plan — the album was meant to kick off directly with seasides — but its sudden energy felt too abrupt without a moment of preparation. To solve this, I went back and rewrote the introduction, creating a self-contained piece in the same key, using the same synth palette and sound design as seasides.

What emerged was an atmospheric one-minute build, blending mellow synths, soft piano touches, and echoes of my own voice processed with reverb and effects. The result feels like a breath before the plunge — a moment of anticipation, a “foreplay for the ears” — preparing listeners for the rush of drum & bass that follows.

Although short, “trois deux un…” works both as a seamless lead-in and as a standalone track. Played together with seasides, the two pieces flow as if they were always meant to be one.

Track 2 – seasides

As the first full song of the album, “seasides” is the moment where sans titre truly comes alive. Following the cinematic intro of “trois deux un…,” this track propels the listener into the album’s emotional core — a mix of movement, reflection, and the bittersweet passage of time.

seasides opens almost immediately with the driving energy of fast drums, atmospheric pads, and light synths, anchored by piano chords that set the core progression. From the very start, I wanted the listener to be dropped into motion — but also surrounded by an open, ocean-like space. The track layers high-pitched male vocals (my own, heavily processed) alongside female vocalizations washed in delay and reverb, creating a wide stereo image that mimics the vastness of the sea.

Throughout the song, subtle details sparkle across the mix: scattered piano notes, FX-processed exhales and breaths, and tiny pitched vocal fragments, all positioned carefully to widen the stereo field and create the feeling of water, air, and distance.

About a minute in, the track dips into a breakdown — the drums pull away, only to creep back in with a rising hi-cut EQ automation. To set up the chorus, I added a playful “ta-da ta-ta-da ta ta-da da da” childlike vocalization, drenched in effects. This rhythmic detail bridges into the massive first chorus at 1:14, where everything expands: layered kicks, sub and super-sub bass design, and stacked vocals. To get the low end perfect, I used a physical sub belt — a tool I learned about from one of my favorite producers, Pablo Rindt (Maddix) — which let me feel how the subs and kick interacted in the mix.

The chorus itself is built on soaring female vocals, doubled and layered, with my own vocalizations echoing in reverb and delay. Around them, piano lines, string textures, ocean soundscapes, and ad-libs fill the stereo field, designed to feel immersive and cinematic, like stepping into a vast world that is both familiar and completely new.

Toward the final quarter, the vocal phrasing shifts rhythmically as the track gradually begins to slow down. The drums fade under hi-cuts while the atmosphere blooms with pads and synths, finally resolving into a stripped-down outro of piano chords and the repeated line: “always, seasides, seasides”. The last sung word, “seasides,” becomes the bottle of the track — a single word carrying the weight of memory, longing, and gratitude.

On a personal level, seasides reflects my connection to water. As a Pisces and someone living on the West Coast, the ocean has always been my grounding force. Knowing that the vast Pacific is only 20 minutes away gives me calmness, inspiration, and clarity. It’s a reminder of the space to breathe, to create, and to grow as an artist, a romantic, and a human being.

Song Metrics – “seasides”

Key: E minor

Camelot: 9A

Tempo: 174 BPM (87 BPM half-time)

Duration: 3:20

Time Signature: 4/4

Energy: High

Danceability: Moderate