Introduction music played live by Nicolas Kern from KMS Studio
NK: The horror music...
JP: I think there is...
NK: What ?
JP: Well, that's no problem, sit down
NK: What does he say ?
JP: I don't really know...
JP: Hello Nicolas
NK: Hello
JP: I'm here today to ask you some questions and to interview you
NK: With big pleasure, I'm pleased you came
JP: I wanted to know, to begin what are the news that made me came here ? Tell me why I'm here.
NK: Well, I currently have some projects for 2009 with, for example, some concerts I'll make all around France with some friends...
Finally, we continue the interview in the studio
JP: To understand the artist you are today, Nicolas, I wanted to know for how long have you been making music.
NK: I actually began music about 10 years ago, but I rapidly stopped to go back to it again in 2004, so 4 years ago now. I have always played on keyboards, I began on organs and now I play on synths.
JP: Precisely I wanted to know what was the triggering factor, what made this all happen and made you become an artist today.
NK: So I went back to music in 2004 which agrees with AERO's year of release, by Jean Michel Jarre, and it made me want to go in the same way and begin synth.
JP: From when, this kind of music, this electronic music ?
NK: The triggering factor really was in 2004, thanks to Jean Michel Jarre, and then I discovered a music more varied, going from Vangelis to Klaus Schulze.
JP: Can you give me a few artists who made you want to do this music, or at least, artists you respect and take as examples today.
NK: The main one remains, of course, Jean Michel Jarre, but I discovered as well a music which was more electronic and symphonic orientated at the same time, Vangelis', a music more German-electronic - Berlin-School orientated, Klaus Schulze's and Tangerine Dream's, and music more... totally different actually, Enigma's, and different as well, more electronic but more rhythmic, ATB's I really like, and on which I try to go more and more, amongst the numerous choices I choose to go to.
JP: We just heard the artists you liked in the electronic world, can you give me other styles you like, besides this electronic music.
NK: Oh yes, there would be the progressive rock, mainly with Pink Floyd I really really like, there would be minimal-electro but more diluted compared to the others, Trentemoller's, and EBM which is a much more let's say "violent" music, the one of VNV Nation.
JP: Nicolas, what do you think about the band called "Therion".
NK: This is a music which intrigued me, because in a way it mixes some sort of metal but not too violent, and choirs quite well laid out together, and a background quite complex, and I really liked the fact that there is not only music, but philosophy going together with it, and precisely, I currently work with Julien Nicolas on an album, a project we have, which would be to make something in this vein, with a background quite... let's say "sophisticated", and a music that would bring this situation.
JP: Sorry to insist on this point, but are there style you hate, or styles you would never mix with your music ?
NK: I have always been convinced by the fact that metal and guitar could never be mixed with electronic music, but at working with Arnaud Demion, I discovered that guitar actually was fitting perfectly with electronic music. But however there is a style I don't think I'll integrate right now, but maybe it will change, but right now this is not in the news at all, this is rap, to which I really can't catch.
JP: Now I have a softer question, is you were on a deserted island, alone, and you could only have one CD with you, only one CD, which one would you choose ?
NK: One year ago, I'd have say without any problem "Zoolook" from Jean Michel Jarre, but now, with what happened last December, Jean Michel Jarre's concert in Marigny, that would be "Oxygène" because it brings me back to excellent memories, not only musical but with the Jarre Community as well I met for the first time in December 2007, and I really liked this meeting, and the album "Oxygène" brings me back all the good memories I had back then.
JP: Now we will tackle the 2000s years, I wanted to know if there was some musicians who would distinguish, or be interesting to you, once again either in electronic music or in other styles ?
NK: Actually, the artist who surprised me the most, from the 2000s years but closer to our years now, would be ATB because he managed to take a bend where he went from commercial-electro to a music more peaceful orientated to acoustic instruments, and that's really the thing to which I have currently turned to, but without really knowing ATB had done it before, and that was funny to see how we drawn a parallel between our two musics.
JP: Now we will get back to your job, what you have done previously as an artist, I wanted to know much album did you do, since the day you began to create them.
NK: For the moment, there are three, the very first one I made in 2004-2005 called Paradox, which is mainly composed of music more orientated on my route during a full year. Then there was the album Sequenced which was much more orientated on my discovery of Klaus Schulze's music and of Berlin-School, based on long sequences, and to finish, there was a project album I composed in 2 days which is called Symbiosis and which tells about a day, or a moment between two days and the way those two days evolve.
JP: Can you tell us or at least describe the reactions you had after those albums, if there was, and if it made some noise in the Jarre Community and the other communities or electronic music ?
NK: I was surprised to see that the three albums were quite well welcomed, and even the tracks I was composing besides them were very well welcomed, and the third album Symbiosis mainly aroused one reaction which was a beneficial on the long-term, actually Dark Shrimp was quite taken aback by this album, and that's fond this point that our musical collaboration began which now knows an apogee quite important.
JP: You talk about it, I want to know more, how much collaboration have you done ?
NK: There are quite a few on different sides, first of all on the lyrics side, there is one with you, Jean Pierre Malbec, with whom I have written a few tracks, but lyrics which are more orientated on tracks I'll make later on for forthcoming albums, there is as well Julien Nicolas with whom my collaboration is orientated at the same time on music with the project we currently have, lyrics but as well the realisation of videos for clips and concerts, and to remain on the musical side and as well concerts, there would be Dark Shrimp, with whom I have a lot of live and albums projects for the long-term, and for 2009, a project I'd like to make with Sebastien.R which would be to make an album orientated to the concrete music and the electronic music mixed together with, why not, the realisation of a concert.
JP: You compose with which material ?
NK: For the post-prod, I mainly work on computer, but about synths I actually have 2 sort of material, I have romplers based on samples, and I have analog modelling synths on which I actually would like to orientate my studio more and more to have more flexibility with the sound and more possibilities of modification of the sound, and I'd like mainly orientate myself more and more into analog, that's why I'm currently building a modular synthesizer which will mainly allow me in live to embellish my sound with effects and mainly thanks to the effect pedals I'll build in a cabinet. And a few time ago I orientated myself more and more into a music more orientated into lyrics and noises, that's why I offered myself microphones which allows me to capture voices, but as well to capture sound effects and noises I'll catch everywhere in the nature, in cities, or stereo effects, that's why I bought material to make stereo recordings.
JP: Can you tell me what would be your new comer as synth ?
NK: As I go more into voice, my next acquisition will me, I think, a Quasimidi Sirius and as I would like to go into a music orientated on many kind, I think the Sirius goes in this way, because it allows to make sounds more EBM music orientated, and moreover I'd like to buy a new soundcard which would allow me to record in a better quality than my current mixing desk which has some problems, and I'll mainly go into analog synths solutions to build yourself (Do It Yourself), I'll then make a modular synth I'll always have for concerts, which will be composed of effect pedals I'd be able to use live and studio as well, and I think I'll go as well into VA synths and synths which will allow me to have a new sound palette to add to those I currently have.
JP: Now I'd like to know, if you could, which instrument would you like to know how to play ?
NK: Started from a totally impulsive idea, I have actually bought with Julien Nicolas at browsing aimlessly internet and at watching a video, an electric violin, because I liked the sound you could get of it, well for the moment I use it more like an effect unit than an instrument by itself, but I hope one day, why not, I'll know how to really play on it.
JP: How can you reconcile your music, you passion, with your student life ?
NK: Hm actually, my student life is during the whole day, and on the evening when I get back home, I make a total cut, or I try, and I totally go into music when I can, and sometimes it can go quite late at night, for sure...
JP: What are your wishes for your next album ?
NK: Actually I have numerous albums in progress, the first one would be "Sequenced 2", which would be a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke as I was telling it earlier, and to space, and there would be as well an album which would be some sort of parenthesis, of refreshment, of summary of all happened from the beginning of my life until now, of all my feelings about all the things I have encountered, and projects I'd do with friends, which are not really defined right now, except for one with Julien Nicolas on which we begin to work quite seriously on, and we hope to be able to present you something anytime soon.
JP: Tell me one concert not to miss in 2009.
NK: Jean Michel Jarre not doing a concert, it already removes a big part, Klaus Schulze not having, I guess, project for next year, I think, without any doubt, I'd go to see Depeche Mode's in Paris at the Stade De France, although the one from Marseille seems to be cancelled...
JP: And about you, do you have concerts planned ?
NK: I have a few concert projects for 2009, but there is one which is really concrete, and which would happen in Rouen (France) on April, 17th, that will be a concert with Dark Shrimp called "Virtual Rendez-Vous: ElectroCity", and I'd even like to do with him this very same concert but played in Aix en Provence (France) in a little room to make a quite intimate concert, and I have as well a few concerts projects, like one with Sebastien.R with whom I'd like to do a concert in the region, and that's all.
JP: I have seen on your website that you had composed a track for Richard Wright, can you tell me a bit more the reasons of this track ?
NK: Actually, you were the first person to announce me the death of Richard Wright, and at this very moment, it was hard for me to believe it, I thought it was a joke but rather a bad joke, and then I went on internet and saw he was really dead, so as I really liked the touch he was giving to Pink Floyd's music, I decided to compose a track which would be a tribute to him, and I developed it a certain way then it is a project rather different from what I have done until now, which opened me new doors amongst which the one to integrate lyrics on a track and make it a project gathering all the music styles into a single one to show a music unity, an unity in front of the man Richard Wright was.
JP: So Nicolas, you just answered the last question, I am happy to tell you that you finally have finished this interview, I hope you liked it as much as I did, what do you think ?
NK: It was a real pleasure you came here, making a point on my "career", on the way what I do goes, and I invite you again when you want !
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