Недавно провел опрос
насчет того, сколько металлистов СНГ может прочитать интервью на
английском языке - получилось около 36 процентов. Это нормально.
Сегодня уважаемые меломаны будем
практиковаться в английском, поможет нам в этом камрад Виталий (он будет
переводить мои вопросы на инглиш). А поговорим сегодня с французским
музыкантом Cedric Seyssiecq. У него два основных проекта Grlscz (Gothic,
Doom) и Grey November (Funeral Doom Metal/Gothic/Darkwave). Он
занимается музлом с 1998 года, далеко не новичок и потому вопросы к нему
есть, конечно...
Так как Седрик пропустил мои вопросы про коронавирус, то начал так.
First of all, I would like to thank you
very much for this interview. It is always a pleasure to be able to
express myself in front of my Russian friends, whose I have always
admired the flamboyant culture.
Now let's move on to the music. How did you come to metal? What was the starting point in your choice of musical development?
My story certainly looks like many others, I think :-). I was starting to tune into music a little darker than the ones we heard on radio and TV. And one day, by chance, I found myself attending the rehearsal of a small metal band. When I heard what the guitarist was doing, when I heard the sound of the instrument, I immediately thought that I wanted to do the same thing. This seemed to me to be the best way to express myself that I would ever have. A few days later, I got an old classical guitar and started.
Do you have a musical background? What kind of conservatory is this?
I started playing guitar very late, I was almost 18. No one in my family had ever played an instrument, so I had to find out on my own, and also with some friends. At the time, there was no internet, we managed as we could :-)
It wasn’t always easy to find scores or tablatures, so I quickly started composing, and it was a revelation. A real happiness.
Then, I played in many bands, which allowed me to discover how the other instruments worked, and also to realize that I did not like to play live; from there, I tried to master the different instruments to be able to do everything myself. I followed the evolution of technology for recording and MAO and from a moment I was ready to embark on my solo projects.
You are a multi-instrumentalist. Very tricky word. What instruments do you own besides guitar and keyboards? Do you think brass in metal is promising?
Guitars, bass, and keyboards. That’s it… No, I’m sorry, but I don’t like brass at all :-). I have in mind some incursions of brass into metal, but that’s not conclusive for me. But this is just my personal vision.
What kind of music do you listen to from metal and not metal styles? Is there a place for pop music in your playlist?
I love all the music that is melancholic and/ or passionate. I always listen to my old doom and metal records, the classic rock (Ramones, Stooges), garage rock. And the discographies of my favorite artists: Type O Negative, Royal Blood, Lana Del Rey… but not really pop music...
And now separately for projects
Grlscz.
"The keys enter the brain like a snake, a rough-drawn guitar structure and varnished barbed wire — a creaky, colorful vocals that sing half and whisper half, somewhere in the middle".
What does this word mean, I did some research in my response
but not sure at 101 percent.
The name Grlscz is taken from the character of one of my favorite movies... A man who is a victim of his immortal condition, of his needs, and who feeds his boredom with the soul of his conquests and his various abilities to art. It’s a mysterious, untraceable name. It’s a risky choice for a band name, but it was obvious to me. This name perfectly corresponds to the very essence of the project.
How many albums under this name came out, is it a solo project and how many musicians have you invited for all these albums?
2 albums were released, «Ak spleen» and «spade». There is also a mini CD, which was never released, my first steps on the project. And a complete album of unreleased songs recorded during the session «spade». These songs were never heard by anyone but me!
And I would like to correct you: apart from an intervention by Marieke singing on one track in «Ak Spleen», there was no intervention of other musicians on the albums of Grlscz released so far!
What feelings, circumstances, landscapes inspire you to write music for Grlscz?
Grlscz is the introspection of modern loneliness, a current and urban vision of pain.
rock corresponds to this modernity, as does my voice, which is raw, deliberately mixed hard, and the keyboards and pianos are designed to soften the whole, and bring the approach to an experience of beauty too. This is important in my music, this approach to beauty that justifies the artistic dimension.
Next to Grey November, which is a Gothic project, I needed to give my vision of the world today, and this was going through a new style.
How do you determine the style of your albums? And so ... how has your attitude to musical material that may come out under this name changed over time?
Grlscz has often been presented as doom, but this is a real misunderstanding. For me it is simply rock, I had even qualified the style of suicide rock at the beginning of the project.
I think this name fits perfectly – laughs
On the Ace of Spades album, did you make The Stooges cover, did it happen by any chance or is The Stooges your favorite band?
I love The Stooges, even if it’s not my favorite band... For me it is the parents of this slightly virile and skinned rock that inspired later punk and grunge. I always have with me their first album. It contains a violent and at the same time metaphysical energy, it is a real act of revolt!
I always liked the song «I want to be your Dog», it was in a TV commercial when I was young. I naturally wanted to make it a cover, adapting it of course. I wanted to keep the words of the second part, to make it a more contrasted approach, in which the feeling of submission is more marked…
In which studio do you record material?
I record everything at home, alone. For financial reasons obviously, reasons of efficiency and time optimization, and also in relation to the creative aspect. For me, all the stages of the production belong to the creative process, the way to record a guitar, mixing, etc. I have the impression that no one else could do it for me....
When do we expect the next Grlscz album? Who will you invite this time?
The next album of Grlscz is 90% ready. It is quite different from the previous ones, it is garage rock, very intense, with very melancholic and sad breaks, a general atmosphere a little less dark perhaps, and much more up tempo. My friend Mike sings and plays guitar on most songs.
The Ace of Spades album was released on the GS Productions Russian label, how did you find his contact, how did you get in touch with the label owner? Are you satisfied with the cooperation?
I was in contact with Vitaly of GS Productions because of our collaboration on Grey November., and I was happy to continue the adventure with him. GS Productions is always the promise of great visuals and beautiful objects. And Vitaly is the best boss in the world!
The name Grlscz is taken from the character of one of my favorite movies... A man who is a victim of his immortal condition, of his needs, and who feeds his boredom with the soul of his conquests and his various abilities to art. It’s a mysterious, untraceable name. It’s a risky choice for a band name, but it was obvious to me. This name perfectly corresponds to the very essence of the project.
How many albums under this name came out, is it a solo project and how many musicians have you invited for all these albums?
2 albums were released, «Ak spleen» and «spade». There is also a mini CD, which was never released, my first steps on the project. And a complete album of unreleased songs recorded during the session «spade». These songs were never heard by anyone but me!
And I would like to correct you: apart from an intervention by Marieke singing on one track in «Ak Spleen», there was no intervention of other musicians on the albums of Grlscz released so far!
What feelings, circumstances, landscapes inspire you to write music for Grlscz?
Grlscz is the introspection of modern loneliness, a current and urban vision of pain.
rock corresponds to this modernity, as does my voice, which is raw, deliberately mixed hard, and the keyboards and pianos are designed to soften the whole, and bring the approach to an experience of beauty too. This is important in my music, this approach to beauty that justifies the artistic dimension.
Next to Grey November, which is a Gothic project, I needed to give my vision of the world today, and this was going through a new style.
How do you determine the style of your albums? And so ... how has your attitude to musical material that may come out under this name changed over time?
Grlscz has often been presented as doom, but this is a real misunderstanding. For me it is simply rock, I had even qualified the style of suicide rock at the beginning of the project.
I think this name fits perfectly – laughs
On the Ace of Spades album, did you make The Stooges cover, did it happen by any chance or is The Stooges your favorite band?
I love The Stooges, even if it’s not my favorite band... For me it is the parents of this slightly virile and skinned rock that inspired later punk and grunge. I always have with me their first album. It contains a violent and at the same time metaphysical energy, it is a real act of revolt!
I always liked the song «I want to be your Dog», it was in a TV commercial when I was young. I naturally wanted to make it a cover, adapting it of course. I wanted to keep the words of the second part, to make it a more contrasted approach, in which the feeling of submission is more marked…
In which studio do you record material?
I record everything at home, alone. For financial reasons obviously, reasons of efficiency and time optimization, and also in relation to the creative aspect. For me, all the stages of the production belong to the creative process, the way to record a guitar, mixing, etc. I have the impression that no one else could do it for me....
When do we expect the next Grlscz album? Who will you invite this time?
The next album of Grlscz is 90% ready. It is quite different from the previous ones, it is garage rock, very intense, with very melancholic and sad breaks, a general atmosphere a little less dark perhaps, and much more up tempo. My friend Mike sings and plays guitar on most songs.
The Ace of Spades album was released on the GS Productions Russian label, how did you find his contact, how did you get in touch with the label owner? Are you satisfied with the cooperation?
I was in contact with Vitaly of GS Productions because of our collaboration on Grey November., and I was happy to continue the adventure with him. GS Productions is always the promise of great visuals and beautiful objects. And Vitaly is the best boss in the world!
Gray november
The project has been playing music since 1998. Funeral Doom Metal / Gothic / Darkwave - this is how the metal archives define the style. Three full-lengths, the last one - 120118 (this is a typo, but it looks cool, in realily it's 2018), 2018 was also released on GS Productions.
Allow me to correct;-): 5 albums: Grey November, Solitude, D'automne, La chute de la maison Usher and L'autre mort. Note that the first four onde were grouped in a magnificent box set edited by GS productions.
What kind of name is this, isn't it a name of a maniac by chance?
Not at all:-) The name Grey November os linked to a very difficult moment in my life, during which was born the need to create this project, to relieve me of dangerous emotions. A matter of life or death, in a distant month of November, cold and foggy. It’s just that. The name of the project was naturally established.
Is this your personal project? How many musicians participated in the creation of music, which instruments did they play?
Yeah, it’s really a personal project. I assure the whole concept, all the music, I just collaborate with different vocalists according to the albums...
Here we see the Funeral Doom Metal style. What bands inspired you?
When i created Grey November, funeral doom wasn’t arrived to me. The only doom i knowed a-t-il the time was My Dying Bride one’s. And it’s obvious that GN doesn’t have much to do with this band, even though I love some of their albums.In fact, I find that even today, no band really sounds like Grey November.
Is there a special mood on your albums? What is the trigger for writing such music?
GN is oriented solely towards melancholy, voluptuous sadness, and the beauty that can emerge from it is his only vocation. Sadness and its comfort, like a snake bites its tail.
Do you often listen to classical music to catch something for your works?
Unfortunately, not really. It’s not in my culture, and I often regret that I don’t have the keys to get into this world. I appreciate some known pieces, but it seems to me that the works lack of passion, that the ones that have passed through the centuries are the most aseptic. But be careful, once again, I am not an expert.
Who is now in the line-up of Gray November?
Currently, and for two albums, I work with Marieke, and it is a fruitful collaboration, she has the perfect voice, the technicality and the sensitivity that best suits the project. She has an immense emotional intelligence, she always manages to understand what I wish for, it’s wonderful.
Is the 2020 album already being prepared?
No, not really. There are a lot of pieces in the works, but nothing that can get done for a while....
Because of my current personal life (two babies at home), I can no longer really register as I wish. It’s a small parenthesis of a few years. However, I do not stop composing, and I am currently focusing on a new ambient project, more conducive to the constraints of my current life. The name of the project is Venoir, you can find out at
The project has been playing music since 1998. Funeral Doom Metal / Gothic / Darkwave - this is how the metal archives define the style. Three full-lengths, the last one - 120118 (this is a typo, but it looks cool, in realily it's 2018), 2018 was also released on GS Productions.
Allow me to correct;-): 5 albums: Grey November, Solitude, D'automne, La chute de la maison Usher and L'autre mort. Note that the first four onde were grouped in a magnificent box set edited by GS productions.
What kind of name is this, isn't it a name of a maniac by chance?
Not at all:-) The name Grey November os linked to a very difficult moment in my life, during which was born the need to create this project, to relieve me of dangerous emotions. A matter of life or death, in a distant month of November, cold and foggy. It’s just that. The name of the project was naturally established.
Is this your personal project? How many musicians participated in the creation of music, which instruments did they play?
Yeah, it’s really a personal project. I assure the whole concept, all the music, I just collaborate with different vocalists according to the albums...
Here we see the Funeral Doom Metal style. What bands inspired you?
When i created Grey November, funeral doom wasn’t arrived to me. The only doom i knowed a-t-il the time was My Dying Bride one’s. And it’s obvious that GN doesn’t have much to do with this band, even though I love some of their albums.In fact, I find that even today, no band really sounds like Grey November.
Is there a special mood on your albums? What is the trigger for writing such music?
GN is oriented solely towards melancholy, voluptuous sadness, and the beauty that can emerge from it is his only vocation. Sadness and its comfort, like a snake bites its tail.
Do you often listen to classical music to catch something for your works?
Unfortunately, not really. It’s not in my culture, and I often regret that I don’t have the keys to get into this world. I appreciate some known pieces, but it seems to me that the works lack of passion, that the ones that have passed through the centuries are the most aseptic. But be careful, once again, I am not an expert.
Who is now in the line-up of Gray November?
Currently, and for two albums, I work with Marieke, and it is a fruitful collaboration, she has the perfect voice, the technicality and the sensitivity that best suits the project. She has an immense emotional intelligence, she always manages to understand what I wish for, it’s wonderful.
Is the 2020 album already being prepared?
No, not really. There are a lot of pieces in the works, but nothing that can get done for a while....
Because of my current personal life (two babies at home), I can no longer really register as I wish. It’s a small parenthesis of a few years. However, I do not stop composing, and I am currently focusing on a new ambient project, more conducive to the constraints of my current life. The name of the project is Venoir, you can find out at
.
General questions about music.
What is your attitude to black metal?
The BM is a very important part of my musical background. By the time I woke up to the dark music, I was listening to a lot of BM. But apart from these old classics that I still sometimes listen to with pleasure, I no longer listen to new stuff , and I have not followed the evolution of this current for years.
What equipment do you listen to music on? Do you listen to mp3 music?
My professional life and my personnal life as a twin baby daddy means that I listen to music mostly on headphones, in mp3 on my phone… This suits me rather well, even if I am a fan of vinyl, and I have a good and beautiful collection.
I also love the sound of the tapes, but Alas I’m not equipped. This is a medium on which I would really like to be able to propose some of my works!
Which French metal bands would you recommend to our readers?
Dark Sanctuary is a band whose music meant a lot to me. This is not a metal band but fans of melancholic music must absolutely discover it.
Forbidden site, an unknown band, which only made two albums: flamboyant and refined dark metal, to discover absolutely, even if I think that the albums are now difficult to find...
Porn, a group I discovered quite recently… Their first album 'The Ogre inside' is a pure masterpiece, with an impressive production.
Спасибо за уделенное время.
Again, i wish to thank you very Much for this interview.
https://web.facebook.com/Grlscz.fr/
Фото с сайтов Cedric Seyssiecq
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