Laurent Assoulen has a sensorial calling; the composition of music and the interpretations of perfume which both fill the air and soul with a thousand stories.
As a young French boy living in Lyon, France, Assoulen was greatly influenced by a rich tapestry of music, the eagerness to play piano and his Algerian/Sefaradic roots. The budding prodigy at six years of age was improvising melodies so effortlessly that his musical gifts were acknowledged with the acceptance into the prestigious National Conservatory of Music. It was during this impressionable time that the young Assoulen learned the intricacies of classical music. By his early teens he escaped to the local jazz club to jam and improvise hot jazz licks, incorporating his multiple talents before live audiences. At age 21, he entered into the Conservatory of Jazz, where, (under the tutelage of famed jazz great, Mario Stanchev who developed the original jazz program) he eventually graduated at age 24 with the ability to cross-play innovative jazz and classical themes to original compositions.
Assoulen knows the score, musically and ‘scentsuously’. By combining the imaginings of certain oils and sounds, he is able to articulate through his piano stylings, an aura or whimsical journey for the listener. Not unlike a small gathering in a cozy, ambient environment, Assoulen enraptures his audiences with musical stories of Camels in New York, where two cultures collide in parallel universes. During one concert, he decided to challenge the audience to name an untitled song on paper, based on their impressions and emotions of the piece. The consensus was to call it “Rain” which was incredibly re-confirmed recently with perfumery students who had no prior knowledge of the name.
Relying heavily on the aesthetics of his senses, his passions eventually moved beyond the realm of music into the world of perfumes. With the release of his latest CD
Reasonances, I recently had the opportunity to interview this passionate man by phone in Paris:
Marian Bendeth: Which fragrances have had an effect on you in your life? What was your first purchase?
Laurent Assoulen: My brother first bought me a bottle of 3e Homme Third Man No 3 – Caron and I loved it. My first purchase was Dior’s Fahrenheit. I went on to purchase scents such as VO Jean Marc Sinan, Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel, and Guerlain’s Vetiver. These days, I am wearing – L’Artisan’s -Premier Figuier and Bois Farine.
MB: Are there any new scents that you admire?
LA: Although I am a bit disappointed with some of the newer scents, I think one of the greatest scents to be recently launched is Terre D'Hermès (Jean Claude Ellena is a fan of jazz too!) and the original Dior Homme which is Orris (Iris) for men.
MB: Can you tell us about your beginnings with scent?
LA: I studied International Business at the University and I had a real attraction to the world of perfume but I didn’t know if I could work in the business.
MB: How did you initially get into the business?
LA: Ah, my birthday is a unique day for me, and I decided one birthday to visit all the unique perfumeries in Paris! I wanted this day to be special and do all the things I have ever wanted to do so I planned where I wanted to go. I went to; the rue Cambon Chanel store where you can smell exclusive Chanel perfumes and L’Artisan Parfumer. I then met a lady in Annick Goutal who recognized my passion in fragrances and recommended that I contact Jean Kerleo, who was Master Perfumer of Jean Patou at the time and he actually invited me!
Jean he took me into his lab and made me smell the different concretes of jasmine and rose. His obvious passion with his smelling techniques was so exciting, pointing out certain oils exclaiming “smell this! and oh, smell that” and I was fascinated. He then told me all about the business. Kerleo also informed me that this is a business for passionate people who love what they do. I recall him saying ‘You will find people who love painting, music, any kind of art connected to perfume”. So I said to myself, this is my world! When I decided to work in the fragrance industry, I wanted to use all of my senses.
MB: Are you a perfumer?
LA: No, but I practiced smelling different oils on my own and eventually became a Key Account Manager for Takasago Fragrance & Flavour House. The position was the go-between the perfumer and the client. As a project manager, I developed perfumes such as L’Or Torrente; My Torrente; Guerlain’s Aqua Allègoria Colours of Love Floriflora, Jean Couturier Lilas Mauve and Givenchy’s Insensé Ultramarine for Her, Nina Ricci, so many accounts!
I was playing at night at smelling during the day. The exercise when discussing fragrance is to go and look deeply inside yourself and I did this a lot for a few years which helped me to compose music as well. Those words inspired the music. I worked at Takasago for five years and soon realized, you need to have a coherence between the smell and the name in order to present something to the client. In turn, I tried to be logical in expressing the universe of my music and finding the right name. If you take jasmine, for instance, you might say, you think of summertime, you think of love etc. In music, you don’t see the connection between the name and the music so it was very important to announce a title and to be logical and play what I feel. I want the audience to see an image when I play. I left the industry two years ago when I was approached by a Producer to concentrate on my music and CD’s, but I am still involved with the industry.
I recently did a lecture and exercise at the ISIPCA (High Institute of Perfume, Cosmetic and Food Flavouring in Versailles) regarding the relationship between music and perfume with the perfumery students. They created accords on three of my musical pieces and this is a first, to work on the musical side of scents. The songs were:
Reasonances, A camel in New York and
Rain off my latest CD
Reasonances.
I told the students that composing can come from the sounds around you, that you may not notice, but if you concentrate, you might hear the sound of the wind, noise of a car, bicycle or a dog barking that might have a rat-a-tat tat, tat, tat - that might end up in a sound. Human beings come from nature and all of these beautiful things can be inspirational. The students created a brief based on my music and some of them were very creative and coherent with their speech. In fact, a few actually got close to my olfactive thoughts. As I listened to their stories, I had this sensation some of them understood my subconscience. When you compose, it is not only the conscience that works...you can reach people subliminally.
MB: When you are composing a piece of music, do you use scent as a tool for inspiration?
LA: When I compose, I never sit and say to myself, now I will create. These things come to me while walking, sitting or even when I smell something, some notes might pop into my mind. When a certain beat or idea comes, I always connect with a perfume when I sit at the piano.
Perfume is part of my thoughts in composing, improvising but it is not always connected because all my senses are involved in creativity.
MB: Do you think there is a correlation between fragrance classifications and genres of music? How do you perceive their similarities - Could you give us some examples of what a fragrance classification would sound like if it were a piece of music?
LA:
Hesperidic – This would be a light classical with violins and harp always playing in the acute notes. Major scale most of the time played in a happy way very shiny music!
Oriental –Smooth jazz in a club with comfortable sofas, candles, where people can hardly see each other. Faces are lightened with these candles and people whispering in a warm atmosphere. I see the sensual sound of the saxophone and the woody dry and sensual aspects of the double bass. The dry sound you get when you hit the strings, and the amber sound that the double bass speaks could be connected to a great accord….
White Floral – These are split into two different genres:
The romantic white florals (lilly of the valley, lilac…) might be either a chamber orchestra, mainly with a cello and flute and piano playing on the white note.
The other aspect, the heavier white florals such as: jasmine, narcisse, tuberose these are heavy –I would have to say African Music! Provocative and sensual.
Fougère – Between Rock (external) and Blues (internal). For me, in the bluesman you have the very elegant and deep virility. The internal masculinity. The rock player is sure of himself, provocative, out of rules, facing the world. They both play the same instrument but they don’t express it in the same way. The “Fougere man” can be both styles of music.
Chypre (mainly the accord rose/patchouly)– This connects to Indian music. If a Chypre was a painting, it would be Rothko. There is a very strong personality in a chypre but a real silence as well. An easy-going power.
Gourmand – This is children’s music. It’s childhood.
Resinous – A classical guitar solo.
Oceanic/Nautical: Bells concert. Sounds that you can hear from far away as far as where the sea goes…
Floral - stronger florals such as Rose, Iris, Geranium etc: Gospel songs. A happy choral of flowers singing religious accords. Generosity, strong presence and lightness, perfumes of love.
Animalic : Slow dance….
MB: What advice would you give to someone with an aspiration and creative passion for perfume or music?
LA: To keep playing perfume while smelling musical notes !!
Further Reading
Discuss article | 
Print | 
