Leafcutter John sort discrètement, depuis plusieurs années, des disques d’électronique beaux et malins, souvent complexes, toujours intéressants. Ces jours-ci, son nouvel album, édité par le label Français Tsuku Boshi, est une belle surprise : tout en jolies volutes faites à partir d’enregistrements locaux, faits à Tunis, il renoue avec une veine d’électronica atmosphérique, portée par des mélodies et des textures, tout en ne cédant jamais à la mollesse. Tendu et enchanté, ce disque laisse beaucoup de place aux rêveries, aux déplacements, aux réminiscences de voyages. Pour l’occasion, j’ai envoyé quelques questions par mail et voici les réponses de Leafcutter John. Elles sont courtes et invitent simplement à écouter son disque.
How did you start working on this record ?
I was invited by Laurent from Tsuku Boshi to go to Tunisia and play a concert, he was talking about recording the show and releasing it as a CD. I went a few days before the show and recorded a lot of sounds thinking it would be interesting to use only sounds from Tunisia.
What inspired you most to get in the project ?
I felt inspired by Laurent and Mag’s support and encouragement. It felt like they really wanted to see a new Leafcutter album.
How do you feel it is different from your previous work ?
I have never done a live album before, so my approach was really different. Also I was under quite a lot of pressure before the concert because I did not have much time to get it together.
What does Tunis mean to you ? Anything particular ?
When I think about it, it means lot’s of hard work in my hotel room when everyone else was swimming in the sea. I’d like go back to enjoy it properly.
What interested you most while gathering the sounds ? Was it easy gathering them ? Was it out on the streets ?
I just collected sounds that I heard and liked. I ended up with quite a few street sounds and a lot of sounds from the hotel and the Cathedral in Carthage .
How did you process the sounds ? What did you use and what was your main inspiration ?
I used my Max/MSP patches to manipulate the sounds. I was thinking about creating interesting melodic and rhythmic sections.
Where you interested in rendering the atmosphere of Tunis or something completely different ?
Well I don’t know how you can accurately render an atmosphere, but i’m sure the atmosphere of Tunis had a massive influence on the work I made.
How interested are you in creating meditative music ? What about music that recreates a particular place ?
I think my music is emotive more than meditative, but maybe that could lead to some kind of meditation? If there is a place evoked, it is a location not bound by earthly laws.
Could you please tell me about the parallel anthology project you participated in ? What interested you in those Harry Smith related songs and how did you approach them ? Do you have a particular fondness for folk & blues music ?
The project was to make new versions of songs which had gone out of copyright. I love some of the stuff recorded by Harry Smith, but these songs were not actually recorded by him. My approach was to listen to the music and respond to them. I took a melody here or a lyric there, it was a very loose approach. I love some folk and blues music, it can be intensely direct and raw which is something that I have been working on in my own music. I have a lot of time for people like Bill Callahan (smog), Will Oldham, who’s early work has some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard.
What projects are you currently working on and where would you say your music is going after Tunis ?
I’ve just finished building some really nice studio equipment so I think I’ll try and put it to good use and make some songs in the studio. I’d like to put together a really good live show too. I’m also continuing to work on handmade sound making machines, the one i’m most excited about at the moment is the ‘not very compact disc’ player which plays large 45cm transparent discs coated with different types of dust.
