The Art of the Rework - The Avener Answers Your Questions [LONG FORM INTERVIEW]

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A heavily bearded technical team sets up instruments on a packed stage while multicolored lights reflect brightly from the walls of the popular French TV Show “C A Vous.” The kitchen of the hidden studio in the 11ème has elegant-looking appliances. Everything gleans in stark contrast to the rainy grey courtyard outside. 

The hubbub is all for their latest episode, featuring a true Whyd favorite: The Avener, whose track “Fade Out Lines" has been sitting in the top 10 of the Hot Tracks for months on end. It’s in a small office stocked with Mars bars to the side of the studio that we finally meet Tristan from Nice, the French artist who has just released his album "The Wanderings of The Avener,” and who is about to perform for the French public at large for the very first time. 

If he was nervous, it was transmuted into warm friendliness. He sits down, cigarette in hand, ready to answer the Whyd community’s questions. We have 10 minutes. The mic clicks on. 

This interview is translated from French. Tony Hymes for Whyd in bold. All photos, (except the selfie!) courtesy The Avener’s Facebook page.   

In your new album there are a lot of reworks. When you create a remix do you try to break something down, or do you try to build something on top of what exists? 

Tristan: That depends on the song that I use to do my rework. Sometimes I have to do a lot more, to change a lot of the arrangements, and sometimes just adding a bit of salt and pepper is all it takes to season the plate! So it depends, for example sometimes I’ll use a dozen or so tracks, and there are other times where I will use more than 50 tracks! 

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Let’s use your new remix of Rodriguez as an example. 

Tristan: Rodriguez’s (“Hate Street Dialogue”) was a song that was rather easy to create because the heart was already there. All I wanted to do was amplify the rock aspect and make it more appropriate for the club. For that one I used about a dozen tracks to modify it. 

How do you choose the songs that you remix?

Tristan: It’s really just music I like from my years as a DJ. With my DJ background I’ve played a lot of music, from funk to soul to house, and there are tracks that I can’t really play sometimes, because if I did it would empty the dance floor! So I tried to modify the tracks that I wanted to play, but wasn’t able to, and that’s how this album was born. 

You have a classic music formation, notably the piano, but it’s not something that we take from your latest album. So does that serve something for you?

Tristan: Classical music helps me with music in general, with the notes, understanding, and writing sheet music. For this album it helped from a technical standpoint, and didn’t really serve as a source of inspiration. Having a classical background is a big advantage to make music, but orchestrally speaking it’s difficult to bring that into this type of music. 

What do the artists that you remixed think of your remixes? Phoebe Killdeer (“Fade Out Lines”) for example? 

Tristan: She was the first test. Phoebe Killdeer loved the track, but at the beginning she didn’t want to have her name attached to it, because it wasn’t in her overall artistic direction. She was, however, really happy with it. For the other artists, some of whom were collaborators, like Rodriguez, they love it, so it’s a huge joy for me. 

Who are your influences? Who do you look up to? 

Tristan: My music comes from different places. I listen to a lot of music, I’m very eclectic, at home or when I’m DJing. There are a lot of artists that influence me. It’s true that I spent 10 years in classical music so I have a lasting adoration for Beethoven, and Bach, they are THE composers, and no one from today will arrive at their level, they have so much unique musicality. They are still my favorites to this day. 

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Are there artists that you don’t like? Maybe not artists, that might burn some bridges, but are there styles of music that you don’t like? 

Tristan: There are some genres that I appreciate a little bit less. But I am still a student of music, so when there is a style that I don’t like, I try to figure out what the artist was trying to do. I never say “that doesn’t sound good.” There are always good songs in every style of music, you just have to find them. 

You’re labelled as being deep house, but on the new album there is a lot more. Are there other styles that you are moving closer towards? A bit of folk maybe? 

Tristan: Yes! This album is sort of a voyage between different epochs and different styles. And finally I can re-vindicate my eclecticism because it’s not easy for an artist to be so diverse with their music to say “I make all music.” It’s complicated to say that. This album is about sharing, it’s surrounded by my influences, so it’s a journey among lot of different points.

Would you classify your music as being French? 

Tristan: I would like that! I definitely like the “French Touch” period, which had a big influence on me. But now do I bring anything new to this “French Touch” compared to other artists? I hope to have that energy. 

Now I have fans that come from all over the world, not just in France, like Germany, Switzerland, Australia, South Korea, there are lots of people that loved the first single, and that makes me happy! 

When you are aren’t making music, what do you do for fun?

Tristan: When I don’t make music I play music! :) 

I have a second passion, aviation, so I’m in the process of getting my private pilot’s license. 

Awesome! At least you’ll have a great soundtrack to fly to! 

Tristan: Voilà! 

The Dreamy Electro Folk of Isaac Delusion [LONG FORM INTERVIEW]

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Rain patters quietly on the windows of La Fée Verte, a cozy café on the normally raucous Rue de la Roquette a few Eiffel Towers from Bastille. It’s late afternoon, some Parisians tap away their last work emails. The beer taps open for a couple of new arrivals. 

In through the door come two new visitors to the café, Loic and Jules, a.k.a. Isaac Delusion. Their friendliness is immediate. I explain to them that we had sourced questions from their fans on Whyd. They are excited to answer, at ease with anecdotes and information, outgoing and happy. 

The following is translated from French. Tony Hymes for Whyd in bold. All photos courtesy Isaac Delusion’s Facebook Page.    

Tell us about the origin of the group, was this originally something that kind of came together, or was it something that you were really trying to make work?

Jules: We have known each other since middle school in Vincennes, and we each made music in our own ways, we decided to do something together. 

And when you say “made music,” you played the violin? 

Jules: No, neither of us has a formal musical training, but Loic played the guitar, composed music, sang. He had a folk group. And I made electronic music, at home on my computer, making little tracks.

So it was really the desire to do something musical, not really something that came from the structure of formal musical training expectation. 

Jules: In fact we never thought about releasing an album, or how we would perform on stage. The music was between us, we saw each other on Sundays, went to the cinema, and afterwards made music together. 

So what was the first moment working together?

Loic: Jules had traveled a lot, and he had just come back from Australia, and I had advanced with my music group, and I started singing, because before then I didn’t sing, I just played the guitar. I started singing in a way that was heavily influenced by the jazz greats like Chet Baker, and Jules told me, “That sounds good! I like when you sing like that, let’s try to do something with it.” At the start it was just for fun. I went to his place, we played around for a few hours, singing “yogurt” and in doing that we succeeded in creating a song! 

What did you think about this first track? Did you think, “shit, we can share this with people?” 

Jules: I still love that first song, it has very few elements, it’s very simple, but it’s something that works. It’s really a chill track. Voice, guitar, a little beat. 

The style of your music is really the music of dreams, like a pillow on a Sunday morning, pleasant. Is that because you love to sleep? Or is it the style that you like the most? Or is it just because you’re really good at producing it? 

Jules: What I like in the music is a mix of grooves, sexy rhythms, and dreaminess, the mix of these emotions is something that I like to create. 

Loic: I think it’s also just the mix that we make, Jules has ideas that develop around the things that are more groovy, hip hop, soul. And I am a bit more indie, electro, listening to a lot of Postal Service. The more we listen to this type of music the more we get towards the groovier side, or listening to Thom Yorke, things where there is rhythm but it’s still floating. 

Yeah, it’s not music that’s really well-defined, crystalline, it’s more nebulous. 

Loic: Yes, that’s it!

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In about a month, you are going to play at the Olympia. You’ve already played at some awesome venues in Paris but the Olympia is still a rather mythical place. How do you feel about that concert? 

Loic: Create magic, that’s the most important.

Jules: We are going to try to deserve it. Do something that aligns with our styles: dreamy, mystique, nebulous. Something that comes out of the water. 

Is there pressure?

Jules: Yes there is a bit of pressure, but we don’t really feel it that way. 

Loic:  There is also the thing that because it’s the Olympia, we have to make sure that we are perfect, we have to come well-dressed, but the best way to succeed at a concert is to not stress, but to think about it as only happiness. For you, and for the people that are going to come and listen to you. If you think about things like “The Beatles played here…” no, you have to be cool. The music is cool, the music is relaxed, we have to be the same. 

Jules: That’s true, and in talking about the big venues, Trianon, etc. They were concerts where there was a pressure, it’s your head on the flyer, it’s a big room, and when we feel that stress we have the impression that it doesn’t go as well. We aren’t in the pleasure of the moment. As soon as there is a bit of stress there are emotions that become parasites, and we can’t let that block us when we plan for the concert at Olympia. 

You have to remain faithful to the music, it’s already made, so stick to it. Share the happiness. 

Loic: Voilà

We have a couple of questions from your fans about your cover of Lou Reed’s “Take A Walk on the Wild Side.” Which was a Whyd track of the weekend. How did you approach this cover? Where did the idea come from?

Loic: It was a track that I always listened to, it’s a monument. It’s true that I just started to pick up my guitar and I found the chords by ear. I started singing along and my girlfriend was behind me and she said “I really like how that sounds, that’s really cool. It’s great how you sing it.” So I thought OK! And I recorded the piece in one take that evening with my son singing along in his baby talk. 

In fact that’s the second question from your fans, because people didn’t recognize your voice. 

Loic: That was because my son, who has started to speak little words, was going “bah, bah, bah” and at the beginning I wanted to remove it. But I shared it with Jules and a few other friends and they said no! Keep it! 

Jules: It’s going to be difficult for the royalty payments…:)

After how well that cover worked out, do you plan on doing more of them? Maybe in the same style?

Loic: You know, with the Lou Reed cover, I thought it was a little presumptuous to take on a huge track like that. So I think the best way to approach a cover is to make it simple. Try to build something that works on top of the song that’s already been created, respecting it. 

Is that the same idea with remixes? Because you remixed La Fille aux Cheveux de Soie by Fránçois and the Atlas Mountains. Or is that something different?

Jules: To make a remix is to do something different, to leave the realm of the song for something different. It’s not the same as a cover. 

And do you continue to make remixes? There are demands now from fans to release new music. Do you feel like you have to release things?

Jules: No, not really. We’re going to release a new single very soon, that’s just a little track so that we continue to write and release music. We still do a few remixes, not a ton, but yes a few. We’ve got a new one coming out soon. You can’t disappear for too long. 

Loic: I think that the evolution of music is a path. It’s starting to become like a free-for-all, as soon as artists have ideas they communicate all the time, they release EPs, albums, there aren’t rules anymore. I think for us we try to stay in the cycle of creativity, always with new ideas but not necessarily thinking about the marketing behind it. 

Jules: And as soon as we do a track we can always find things wrong with it so we have to push it out otherwise it will never be released! 

Loic: I’m a huge fan of Sufjan Stevens, in terms of productivity the guy is incredible, he’s always releasing stuff and I appreciate his generosity. 

Last question. When you’re not making music, what do you do for fun? 

Jules: We love the cinema. 

Loick: Yesterday we went to see Whiplash, it was incredible. 

Track of the Weekend #117: Isaac Delusion - “Take A Walk On The Wild Side” (Lou Reed Cover)

This week will never be forgetten. As we come to terms the startling and tragic events here in Paris, the violent murders of the editorial team and cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, as well as the police officers who were killed, we have all become Charlie; stuck in a hazy dream mixed between disbelief, sadness, and of defiance, togetherness, and ultimately, comfort. A comfort knowing that extremism and terrorism will not change who we are, will not change what civilization has come to represent, will never, ever threaten the very ideals that stand larger than any single individual. 

The most popular track this tragic week on Whyd comes from the Paris band Isaac Delusion, who describe themselves as “almost like an accident, a dream scrawled blindly in a bedside journal in the early morning hours, so you won’t forget what happened to you while you were asleep.” It’s a cover of Lou Reed’s classic “Take A Walk On The Wild Side,” and it provides the perfect context for Isaac Delusion’s passion for soft, folk vocals. 

The editorial team at Charlie Hebdo certainly walked on the wild side, in fact it’s the only side they ever knew. And they paid the highest price for their defiance. We dedicate this Track of the Weekend to their souls, the brave police officers who tried to protect them, and their mourning families and friends. 

Track of the Weekend #111: Folk and Avenue - “Make A Choice”

Ah how the time flies by when progress is being made. We recently made a call to our music lovers for “playlists of reference” and the response has been awesome. Thanks to everyone who is helping us to create a better music experience! 

When you deal with unique communities, very cool things can happen. This week we celebrate the most popular track, the folk ballad “Make A Choice" by Folk and Avenue. Recalling the vocals of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, this harmonic, guitar-fuelled romp comes from a musical community out of Lyon called Boztown. In less than a month they have powered to the heights of Whyd thanks to their innovative art, strong community backing, and of course, great music. 

We’re looking forward to some more awesome things from Boztown, we’re glad to have you with us! 

Track of the Weekend #109: Angus & Julia Stone - “Grizzly Bear” Synapson Remix

Whenever the guys at Blog des Pépites Musicales share a song, they share it for a reason. BPM has been organizing excellent musical events here in Paris, and the have a knack for finding poppy gems (pépites) that stick out from the rough of remixes that fog up Soundcloud. This week their latest pépite shot to the top of the hot tracksSynapson's remix of Angus & Julia Stone's “Grizzly Bear" is only the latest in his string of successes, and is a fitting follow up to his last Track of the Weekend. Hopeful, harmonic, and full of folky melody, this track embodies the spirit of newly found love, perfect for the transition from party to end of the night.  

Can I take you home?"  

Get Your Playlists in Now!

The Jamendo playlist contest on Whyd is in full swing, and we’ve enjoyed discovering a huge amount of new music already from independent artists the world over. There are Italian singers, Spanish strummers, French producers, American crooners, German bangers, Canadian rockers, English composers… you get the idea! 

And all of this is still only a fraction of a percent of the music waiting to be discovered on Jamendo. So start listening and put your favorites into your Whyd playlist and share baby share!

The winner will be announced next Monday! 

Here are a few playlists to whet your whistle:

Erik Greissmann - Loaded with bluesy harmonica, and a country twang, this playlists sets the toes a-tappin’.

Damien Romito - Folky, light, this playlist feels like summertime. 

Chaffibwek - A playlist of French Metal from a group called QSM, progressive, hard, and quite dark. 

A Boston Music Project: Interview with Music Savage

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Yo! Can you give us the backstory of Music Savage? How did you get it off the ground and who is behind it? 

I started it back in 2009 as an outlet to start talking about music, I never really expected anyone to listen to it, and I had absolutely no background in journalism, or music. I was just passionate about finding new music. I spent the next few months posting as much and as consistently as I could, but I’m not sure I had a voice at all. Eventually that consistency - around 4 posts per day - started to get noticed, I started to get emails from bands, from labels, from PR companies for me to demo their music, and write about it if I like it. It was really surreal, I never thought anyone would be interested in reading, in sending me to shows. It was a confidence booster, and helped fuel the fire to keep going. 

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