Biography
Born of Noelle and Michel Lalu, musicians from the ‘70s French progressive act Polene, Vivien Lalu has released a surplus of recordings through an array of different bands and projects since 1997. At the turn of the millennium Lalu played keys for two underground progressive metal bands from Paris, Sad Warden and then Mind’s Orchard. In 2002, he was hired by Hubi Meisel (ex-Dreamscape vocalist) to compose and record keyboards for his solo album EmOcean. The following year he did the same for Meisel’s sophomore album Kailash. Both of these albums were released by Lion Music.
ONIRIC METAL
By this time Vivien Lalu began recruiting his own associates from major prog and metal bands – some of whom he shared time composing music in progressive metal act Shadrane – and formed his own solo project: LALU. The first full-length album ‘Oniric Metal’ amongst others featured guitarist Joop Wolters, Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Band) on drums, bassist Russel Bergquist (ex-Annihilator) and Martin LeMar (Mekong Delta, Nachtgeschrei) on vocals. The album was released on Lion Music in 2005 and marked a new chapter for this composer and his insatiable need to create mind-expanding, cinematic music.
These accomplishments helped Lalu to secure score and soundtrack work for film and television. Over the last few years he has written many cues for the orchestral soundtrack for the Warner Bros movie Seuls Two and for the show Science X made in association with Lucasfilm Ltd. Additionally he joined the production team behind Laszlo Jones in order to assist the recording and production of Banana Nation (Universal Music Group). Lalu has composed many soundtracks for French television, music and sound effects for Neko Entertainment, besides working as a sound designer for Ubisoft Entertainment and much more.
ATOMIC ARK
After collaborating with Shadow Gallery for a song on their ‘Digital Ghosts’ album, and working with Canadian drummer Chris Nalbandian for his ‘Paralysis of Analysis’ solo album – recording all keys and sharing solos with Derek Sherinian and Alex Argento – Vivien finally settled in and began work on the second LALU opus. Handling all composition and songwriting duties, as well as all keyboards, Vivien weaved the cloth of the new album together with vocalist Martin LeMar, bassist Mike LePond (Symphony X), guitarist Simone Mularoni (DGM), and renowned drummer Virgil Donati (Planet X, Allan Holdsworth).
The recordings took place in several countries including the United States (Los Angeles and New York), Germany and Italy. The album was produced by Lalu in his own studio, and mixed at Boumbox Studio in Paris by Yan Memmi (Dio’s ‘Lock Up The Wolves’, Marcus Miller’s ‘The Sun Don’t Lie’, etc.). Additional contributions came from Jens Johansson (Stratovarius), Joop Wolters (Shadrane), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Marco Sfogli (James LaBrie), Mike Andersson (Cloudscape) and Peter Wildoer (James LaBrie). The final product, boasting over fifty minutes of exceptional, massive cinematic, atmospheric metal was dubbed ‘Atomic Ark’. Signed by Sensory Records immediately upon hearing the opus, the album was released worldwide in 2013.
LIVE AT P60
The best songs of both ‘Oniric Metal’ and ‘Atomic Ark’ have now been captured alive. Spring 2014 saw Vivien Lalu venturing out on a unique live tour, hosting only a few select shows featuring the all-star Atomic Ark line-up of Martin LeMar, Mike LePond, Simone Mularoni and Virgil Donati, adding Joop Wolters as a second guitarist on stage. After a few weeks’ practice, the short tour culminated in the live recording during the final evening at P60. Produced by Lalu himself, mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, the digital only ‘Live at P60’ was officially released 29 June 2015 through Bandcamp, iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
Live band (current lineup from A-Z):
Joop Wolters
Joop Wolters is fast gaining a reputation as one of Europe’s finest new breeds of virtuoso guitarists. Having been involved in the music scene on a recording level since 1995 with numerous solo albums and band projects under his belt, Joop’s trademark style is fast gaining a solid fan base around the world and with his latest solo album "False Poetry" (January 9th 2011), Joop has raised his performances to even greater levels.
Martin LeMar
Martin was born in Germany, on October 20. Raised in Saarbruecken, Martin played in a lot of bands in different styles before joining the band Cherokee, where he played until 2000. After two albums and the progressive powermetal band “Broken Glass” and diverse projects, he joined forces with Vivien Lalu and lend his voice to “Oniric Metal” and "Atomic Ark" featuring world famous artists. He is also the frontman of German bands Nachtgeschrei, and Tomorrow’s Eve.
Mike LePond
Mike LePond is an American musician, best known as the bassist of progressive metal band Symphony X. He is also the bassist of the New York-based metal band Dead on Arrival. The group issued an album – Alive and Kickin – on the independent Polo label in 1996. He can be heard on all Symphony X releases since the 2000 album V: The New Mythology Suite. He also released his first solo album ever - "Silent Assassins" - in 2014.
Simone Mularoni
Simone Mularoni is a top-class producer and guitar player from Italy. He is known as the mastermind behind Italian prog masters DGM, and the "cyber thrash" band Empyrios. His 10 years experience in music production made him known for energetic sounds and versatility, from blasting heavy metal to big rock, from epic orchestrations to pounding electronica. Nothing seems impossible for him.
Virgil Donati
Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, frequent drum clinician and a producer. He is currently playing with Planet X, Allan Holdsworth, and his own band among other projects. Virgil is perhaps most well known for his fast, highly technical drumming skills. He holds the drum sticks in the traditional style and is also proficient at the keyboard.
Vivien Lalu
Vivien Lalu is a French musician, composer, and record producer hailing from Paris, France. He is essentially known for his progressive/metal projects LALU and Shadrane. He’s also a soundtrack composer whose credits include a Warner Bros movie, and various TV shows/ documentary films. Scroll up for more detailed information about him.