Part 2
Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?
All bird songs are particularly well articulated and make very complex patterns. Nature surrounds us and first lets us hear a sound, then our interpretation can turn it into something musical. In the city, too, you can sometimes hear rhythmic sequences, like samples, between noises from cars, doors, roadworks, signs etc … The most moving example is whale song.
In a sense, music and life are infinitely intertwined. For example, the beating of our heart ...
Personally, I often remember the melody of the wind during storms, when you're locked in your house and you hear the wind screaming, seeping through the gaps in the roof, as unpredictable as a filter operated by a drunken DJ. It often gives me a feeling of unease, mixed with a kind of fascination.
From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?
Yes, there's an extreme desire to go all the way with a powerful riff. The desire to smash everything, to crush it, and at the same time to rebuild behind it, to smash it even more. The reaction is that the body is charged with energy and discharges itself in the time that follows, while the head rests.
All these extremes attract me and us in the sense that it's through their use that the relief of a creation takes shape. It's the ability to juggle between them that gives dynamics to the music.
As for works that only go one way or the other, they have to have a certain je ne sais quoi that connects me to them ... maybe it's more me than the music, in the sense that there are days when you feel more attracted to one extreme, depending on your mood.
Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?
Each piece has its own story, more or less long. We practiced collective composition for hours and hours in the rehearsal room, we tried writing at home, demos with midi sound etc ... A lot of different processes.
One thing that's really important to us is that at our gigs, we do our lighting at the same time as we play ... and we do it with classic switches, old pedals and homemade lighting!
It's very hard for me to talk about my compositional process, which is quite chaotic. It often starts with rhythm. Rhythms often come to me when I'm walking. I have this rhythmic idea, then I pick up my guitar and start a riff. Then "anything goes" ...
But there's always that moment of confrontation with others. Their feedback can lead me to completely rework a composition, or even abandon it. (At least in a group setting). The process can extend over time. I let things I've started rest, and if they "call" to me again, I consider it a good idea to continue developing.
Sometimes, but quite rarely, the whole thing will come together. There are also compositions that are just born out of a moment of fun experimenting on my instrument.
Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?
Scientific knowledge? Heu … no, no, we sing things to each other, we imagine ...
I'm always starting from rhythmic or harmonic concepts: it's always good to give yourself a framework and a few requirements before writing. If these are new requirements, even better.
But I think the opposite should also be true, just starting from free play, at a given moment with a member of your band, jamming ...
How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?
We wish we had more time to make more music over and over again ... just as in life, we wish we had more time to live with those we love. Music has the power to galvanise us, to annihilate us, to lift us up, to move us, to make us see smells and feel images. So yes, music encourages the imagination to ensure that our inner fire is always lit.
Above all, music teaches you to share and to be curious. You're given a framework and rules. But you realize that rules are made to be broken. But transgression is not in itself relevant. Interesting new things can come out of transgressions, just as disgusting things can. So you understand that to transgress in a relevant way, you need to have a good knowledge of the basic rules.
If we were to make an analogy with the way I live my life, I'd say that our music is the fruit of 4 curious personalities who can quickly succumb to boredom.
Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?
Writing or performing requires a 100% investment of yourself. Your level of concentration and involvement in the task in hand takes you into states of focus that you'll never experience when making a coffee - you may be totally focused on something else while making your coffee. You can't afford to let your mind wander too much in these moments of performance; your body and mind have to stay hand in hand with those of others, despite the extremely uneven terrain in our case.
What's more, there's a real nakedness that goes on in a concert or when you're writing. It's a moment to seize that can influence your morale and your way of being for days on end, so intense is it. It's impossible to be moved from within to such an extent in a banal, everyday act.
Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?
On a personal note, it would be a track by Naked City from their album absynthe: "la fée verte.”
I'm sucked into an indescribable vortex every time I put my ears to it. But there are so many pieces that move me and transport me into illicit zones of consciousness ...
[Read our Naked City's Fred Frith interview]
If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?
I'll probably make the one not to.
I want to be touched by the totally unexpected and never anticipate the future when it comes to the arts in general.
