Having collaborated with Limousine and Asynchrone, the seasoned French musician delivers his first solo album, entirely devoted to the high mountains, offering a refined ascent toward the summits.
Discreet yet undeniably hyperactive, Frédéric Soulard – keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer – has been a fixture on the Parisian independent music scene since the mid-2000s. A member of several groups (Limousine, Maestro, Asynchrone…), a sought-after accompanist (Poni Hoax), he also regularly works as an album producer (for example Radiate by Jeanne Added and Back to the Moon by Thomas de Pourquery, two artists with whom he shares a close bond). In the spring of 2026, he crosses a symbolic milestone by releasing his first solo album, Get High, centered on the mountain motif and driven by a strong desire for elevation, with a double meaning—as his mischievous title suggests).
“Three years ago, I felt the need to escape and devote myself to my own music, with a real inner necessity,” explains Frédéric Soulard. “Having taken up mountaineering around twelve or thirteen, following my father’s example, I was immediately drawn to this passion and it has never left me. I especially love the high mountains. Even today, I spend a lot of time climbing, mainly in the Alps, which I know very well. These are places where I feel alive and where I am the happiest.”
A Collaborative Album
The idea of an album dedicated to the (high) mountain and the (strong) sensations it provokes naturally asserted itself for him. The adventure began in 2023 during a creation residence in Poland. The recording then took place in two main phases: the first at the Maison des artistes in Chamonix, the second in a small chalet at Ailefroide, in the heart of the majestic Écrins massif, between the southern and northern Alps.
“Ailefroide is a truly magical place, notes the climber-musician. I’m deeply attached to it, particularly through childhood memories. I was keen to go there to finish the album, as a way to complete the circle.” One of the ten tracks on Get High is indeed titled Ailefroide. It features the deep voice of Piers Faccini, which also threads through Disarray. Frànçois Atlas – whose name suits the project perfectly – also lends his voice, though lighter, on two tracks, Cordillères and La neige sur ton visage, soft, weightless ballads.
Several other companions on the climb – Clément Petit (cello), Arnaud Roulin (synths), Tomasz Zietek (trumpet) – supported Frédéric Soulard (synths, organ, piano, drum machine) during his creative ascent, paired with an inner exploration. Hovering with a finely sensitive poise between ambient, electronica, contemporary jazz and pop, the album – mostly instrumental in its concise form – rises to a noble altitude and grips from start to finish. The long, hypnotic repetitive piece, as if suspended above the void, La Ballade de Toni Kurz marks the peak, enveloped in an enchanting melancholic halo.
Get High (No Format/L’Autre Distribution). Release on April 10. Live in Chamonix (Cosmojazz Festival), on July 21.
