background

at the end of 1991 i decided to go on stage with nothing pre-planned. and play the piano. this was after i reached an existential dead-end. going on stage like this - and making a career from it - was seemingly the only worthwhile thing left for me to do. the refore, to improvise for an hour in such a way that the "happening" makes musical sense to an audience, was born under intensely focused circumstances.

my first concerts of this kind have been difficult. often i would reach a point where there was nothing in myself to go on playing with. it took a lot of daring do to go through with it, leaving me in a deep depression afterwards. in anticipating a performance, i would go through inner turmoil that i would never be able to describe satisfactorily. what held me through was to tell myself: all you are going to do, is to play ONE note. only ONE not. from there, the rest will follow. but you - you always only play that ONE note.

through the years, my language grew, the exercise shaped itself to become more seamless, and my own psyche underwent a lot of healing, reflecting in more reliable, convincing and communicating music.

technique is not a major concern. technique is but part of the eruption of an inner core, a core that includes both mind and body - not to forget instinct as well. playing like this,fingers need to learn to think, the brain needs to learn how to become flesh again and even the sexual organ learns how to divest energy into the spray of sound. knowledge of music becomes a dynamic sub-part of the holistic interplay of elements, rather than a prerequisite for the rest to follow. playing like this represents a true paradigm-rift: traditional mind-patterns deconstruct to become more flowing and accepting of a wider range of conceptualities.

throughout the nineties i gave regular performances similar to this album, culminating in my first recording in 1998: "Ek Praat Klavier." In 2000 my acoustic phase ended when i acquired a computer and became the "HA!Man." Since then, my piano journeys were few and far between. There were a handful of performances - including a recording - in the Beethoven Room in Grahamstown and now, this recording in Pino Guarraci's studio in Belgium (I met Pino during a recording of one of my songs last year, saw the decent piano and the great studio, and decided it was time to play again).

no, i do not practise the piano. i only touch the keys during shows (mostly keyboard) and when i record-create backings and soundtracks. only here and there on my travels i would find myself with a good enough piano to play on and perhaps ten minutes to indulge! you may ask how it is still possible to produce an album like this with so little playing? it is for you to think about! i can add that i have done this since the age of four (so there is deep memory) and that my piano playing is partly developed and fed by all the other forms of expression i am active with. and then there is life itself.

don't write it off as just a gift or special talent. it is first and foremost a trust, a dangerous freedom and a reconnection between body and soul. then a language that you learn by playing, playing, playing. and then.. a love.

be inspired to something similar.. and enjoy!!

francois / HA!Man July 2007

(this recording is dedicated to Laura Kirsten, who joined me on the road in Dec 2005. when the words started to enter, i had her in mind. i hope that it will inspire her on her own epic journey towards self- and creative realization).