Tricatel founder, Bertrand Burgalat, on his musical origins

Bertrand Burgalat is a French producer, musician, composer, arranger, and singer. His interest in music began at the age of 6 when he first started learning the piano. After studying at the French Lycée in London, he returned to France, where he discovered and fell in love with rock music. Always eager for travel and discovery, he has worked in studios across Sweden, Japan, the United States, and many other countries throughout his career.

A versatile talent, Burgalat dabbles in various roles. He has produced projects such as Jad Wio’s album Fleur de Métal and Dominique Dalcan’s Cannibale. He is also known for his remixes, including Air’s Sexy Boy. Beyond album production, Burgalat is recognized for his work in music for film, notably composing the soundtrack for Cyril Collard’s Les Nuits Fauves and numerous commercials.

In 1995, Burgalat founded his own label, Tricatel, to support artists with unconventional projects. He has worked on over 200 records, composed for numerous artists, scored films, and released around ten personal albums.

To better understand the man he is today, explore his Bridge Connect interview below. This article provides in-depth insights into the elements that have shaped his unique and inspiring journey.

The encounters that gave him a passion for music

Several people sparked his desire to pursue music, starting with a music teacher in college who introduced him to Pink Floyd’s Meddle, and culminating in seeing them perform live a few months later in the french commune, Colmar.

Another inspiration was the band Kraftwerk that he saw perform a show in Paris.

These encounters, around the age of 10-11, allowed him to realize that many things he found compelling about life could be expressed through music. Following his discovery and the development of a passion through these initial encounters, other opportunities enabled him to progress in his career. In 1994, he produced Louis-Philippe’s album Sunshine. Working with him was a real turning point, as he understood that music should primarily be a source of joy.

He also worked with Bertrand Tavernier*, someone who had the ability to “push others to give their best by inspiring them to impress him.”

*Bertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, producer, and writer. He directed “L’Horloger de Saint-Paul” in 1974, “Coup de Torchon” in 1981, and “Quai d’Orsay” in 2013.

One of his most unforgettable collaborations

In Burgalat’s view, music in general is collaborative, built on encounters. Recently, he played with the band Catastrophe and Sean O’ of the High Llamas* in Paris. Through this experience, he realized that it only takes changing a few chords to completely transform a piece. To his surprise, he found himself joyfully performing a song he never thought he would like.

*The High Llamas are a London-based rock band founded by Irish composer and guitarist Sean O’Hagan. Explore some of their work here.

His greatest musical inspiration

Burgalat had always dreamt of collaborating with David Bowie*, but was always too shy to approach him.

*The British music legend David Bowie, a musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, embraced originality both in fashion and music. He adopted a unique androgynous style and constantly innovated musically, his body of work spanning from pop to rock, and even punk.

However, Burgalat shares another notable experience that inspired him. Indeed, working with LORD$*, whose members are approximately 30 years younger, was very stimulating for the artist.

LORD$ is a band of 5 musicians who are part of the Tricatel label. The group consists of 2 guitarists, 1 bassist, 1 drummer, and they share the stage for vocals. Here’s one of their tracks.

His relationship with the world of film

Burgalat considers himself lucky to collaborate with directors like Marc Fitoussi* and Benoît Forgeard*, with whom he shares a genuine understanding. For him, what matters is not so much their musical expertise, but their ability to express their vision and share it with the team.

*Marc Fitoussi is a French director and screenwriter who has directed films such as “Les Cyclades” released in 2022 and “Pauline Détective” in 2012.

*Benoît Forgeard is a French director and actor, known for directing the film “Yves” released in 2019, as well as the dramatic comedy “Gaz de France” from 2015.

A current or past project where Bridge.audio was helpful

Burgalat has been working on a project with Marc Fitoussi for a long time. This project is very demanding as it takes place in a cabaret in Paris, requiring the composition of both the series’ music and the revue music. It is in such projects that Bridge proves to be very practical, providing a shared space to send musical demos to different team members. Bridge.audio was also very useful in the production process of a recently released project, an album named 7x7 centered around the Belgian artist Jean-Pierre Müller*. The platform allowed for optimal organization, and allowed the team to store the ISRC codes in a highly secure way.

=> *Jean-Pierre Müller is a versatile Belgian artist with a shared passion for music and art. He tries to blend them as often as possible, as he did in “7x7”. To find out more about Jean-Pierre Müller’s project and the label Tricatel, click here

In summary, Burgalat has been passionate about music since a young age, but what he values most are the connections it can create. These connections extend beyond musicians to include painters, directors, and other creators. Beyond his joy in collaborating with various professions, he especially enjoys learning from each person, regardless of their age. Ultimately, we are delighted that he has found satisfaction with Bridge.audio, and we look forward to supporting him in his future endeavors.