Emerging Fervour

Simon aka Jules Etienne recently released his debut album SHORT STORIES. Twelve little folk-pop treats somewhere between a sunny Sunday afternoon and a rainy Monday morning. Somehow bitter somehow sweet, but always charming and with a really lovely LO-FI character. So if you like to know how music replaces a psychiatrist, why culture does not really matter and how many other musical projects he’s involved in, you should read on.

Your debut album is named SHORT STORIES – what kind of stories do you tell?

You could see the album as my diary set to music. It’s a really good thing about being a musician: you can tell your close friends all the things you want to say without telling them to the face. Saves a lot of money I would probably spend on a psychotherapist…But honestly it’s just about everything I have in my mind and varies from holidays or insomnia to love and difficult relationships. On a musical level I have a penchant for recording short sequences just to avoid loops and reprises.

Does your stage name have a certain meaning?

No, there’s no certain meaning. JULES ETIENNE are two of my three first names. I like to keep things simple.

French is your mother tongue, you’re based in Berlin and speak fluent German. How come you’re singing in English?

I’d rather describe myself as a musician than a singer/songwriter. I wanted to make an acoustic album and I had these typical folk harmonies in mind. And if I listen to artists like Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen, I feel that folk and the English language belong together, it’s as simple as that.

The lovely people at Qype asked Nat and I to be interviewed for their feature on bloggers. If you haven’t checked out our link on Facebook, we’ve got some of the interview here.

Qype: Can you tell Qypers who you are and what you do?

Sara: Hello! I’m Sara and I co-founded Emerging Fervour with Nathalie. We used to work together at a creative agency as project managers (she was my boss) and one thing led to another and our mutual passion for fashion gave us the idea to start our own blog and write about all the amazing things we find.

Nathalie: I’m Nathalie and when I don’t play with the fashion world, I am a project consultant for anything digital. I used to be a developer and then moved into project management but having worked over 10 years in digital agencies, last year I decided to go it alone to see where it can take me as a contractor. A decision I’ve not regretted, and the best bit is, it’s given me a lot of extra time which I am able to dedicate to Emerging Fervour.

Qype: What prompted you to start your blog, and what elements do you think have contributed to it becoming so popular?

Sara: I remember talking to Nat one day about emerging designers, and how it’s really difficult finding them online and how amazing it would be if we put together that information and share it with people like us. We really started the blog to share all the great emerging designers and musicians because they’re just too amazing to be missed – the spotlight needs to be shared between the emergings and established, they need a platform too.

Nathalie: That was definitely the driving force. I think it might also be popular because we write from the heart, we write about our passion which makes it easy to find content and we just have a go at it. We might not have a formal background in fashion, but what we lack for in experience, we make up for in passion! We also have a few bloggers writing for us, so our readers get different views from the emerging music scene.

If you’re still searching for the summer, you should stop watching the weather report and just buy a copy of Junkboy‘s fourth album Koyo. From the very beginning this album is just as beautiful as a perfect summer day can be. Fortunately you don’t have to wait until May 31st when Koyo will be released, Emerging Fervour exclusively presents the song Pieces in the sky from the album to download for free. On top of this, Rich and Mik Hanscomb took the time to answer a few questions and played a little game called “Guess that tune” with us…

Before we start to talk about your music, I think we need a short round of introductions for our readers.
So, who is Junkboy?

Hello, I’m Rich Hanscomb. My brother, Mik, and I formed Junkboy many years ago when we were in our teens. Junkboy is basically the soundtrack of our lives. We’ve had various people come in and out of the fold but we’re the core. We’ve been joined for the past couple of years by the lovely Ryan Oliver. He can’t be here right now as he has a busy job in website optimization. Very Brighton. You understand.

What do you think of when I say Iceland? Probably an ash cloud. But this should change soon and you will think of music. Especially the music of Olafur Arnalds. The Icelandic musician is a busy guy. He has just finished his first tour in China, will be touring Europe in may and releases his new album …and they have escaped the weight of darkness on the 17th of may. Apart from that he is one half of the Techno project Kiasmos and composes music for other artists like the German heavy metal band Heaven Shall Burn. Lucky me, he was in London and willing to spend a few minutes with to talk.

The range of your musical activities is quite diverse. You’re releasing your new album in may, are part of the techno project Kiasmos, you’re composing music for other bands as well and you also did the music for the Wayne McGregor ballet Dyad 1909. On a musical map, do you have something like a hometown?

No, I wouldn’t say that, not at all. I just want to be good at myself and I like different things. It’s really that simple. I’d like to try everything, music is just music. So, I don’t look at music in genres, for me it’s all in the same pool. I want to study some some really far away music, I did some stuff with a Klezmer band some time ago. Doing more like this and trying to incorporate it with Western music, these are things I’m always working on.

I find it really hard to describe your music. It’s not only contemporary classic, it’s not pop, it’s not chamber pop. But, what is it? How would you describe your own sound?

Well, I say it doesn’t really matter. For me these things are actually so stupid. It doesn’t matter to anyone whether I’m turning pop into classical music or classical music into pop. I’m somewhere in between and I don’t care how people want to phrase it. I they call it neo-classical, or post-classical or modern-classical, in the end it’s all the same thing: it’s just music.

Gabby Young and her eight piece band Other Animals are ranging from gypsy folk, pop, rock, jazz to cabaret and swing music. Their shows are something between a circus, a burlesque cabaret and a ballroom event. They recently released their debut album “We are all in this together” on their own label Gift of the Gab Records and will be touring Europe and Australia this year. So, time to ask Gabby a few questions about her music, her fashion and of course, her upcoming plans.

Your style is unique and quite flamboyant, your music is a mix of swing, folk, jazz and pop, you entitled it “Circus Swing”. It’s obvious that you’re here to entertain and your intention is to bring an atmosphere to your audience, not only a gig. But who is this Gabby Young? Are these your true colors onstage or are you any different backstage?
I have never sat down and planned a persona for the stage Gabby Young, I just try and be myself. I definitely get possessed by confidence when I step out on stage and the audience seems excited to see what I’m about to do. It’s a powerful feeling and one that makes me feel like I can do anything. When I am home or walking the dog I don’t have the energy of the audience to keep me as confident but I am always as positive as I can be and try and spread happiness! It is important for me to put on a show and keep the people that came to see me as interested and involved as possible- that’s why I put on events- not just gigs- so they can join in and become part of the show. I think I have always done this throughout all parts of my life though –collaborated with other people to create wonderful, exciting things!

Dare I say you’re an authentic person, you don’t seem to be phoney or fake. How hard is it to remain true to yourself even if people sometimes don’t appreciate what you’re doing?
Thankyou! I am predominantly a musician and a hard worker – I never try to pretend to be anything else. I am a firm believer that we are all equals- I have never understood a ‘diva’ sensibility – ‘We Are All In This Together’ after all- cheesy I know but I mean it most sincerely. If people don’t ‘get’ what I’m doing I try not to let it get to me – I am lucky enough to have a lot of amazing people who differ to them and I am so thankful for their support – it allows me to just do what I do and not let anything change that.

An interview with Zeid from Soapkills, one of a duo we covered a little while ago. Zeid gives us an idea about the underground music scene in Lebanon, how the war affected him and what his perfect day out would be…intrigued?

Zeid, tell us about yourself

I was born in Ashrafieh (Lebanon) in a Hospital that’s now a music shop called Mozart Chahine.

I don’t know why music and film, no one in the family is into that scene. I guess for me, it’s because of the fantasy aspect of it, all my childhood has been about extraordinary adventures, maybe I didn’t want to get out of it.

I spent my childhood moving between Cyprus, Lebanon and Europe because of the war and a lot of my musical influence has come from France where I was exposed to a lot of western pop music.

What projects are you working on now?

I’m working on the new album of The New Government the recordings should be in Montreal in August, the release maybe beginning of 2011.

The New Government | Lebanon 2009 ∨

I’m the musical director for Danielle Arbid’s next movie where I’ll developing my own music, a mixture of arabic english and pop!

Tell us about The New Government…why was it formed and what does it stand for?

The band was born in Lebanon in November 2004 at a time of political instability. What initially came up as a 6-member band known as “The Government”, we eventually reached a configuration of 5 members (Jeremie, Nabil, Cherif, Timothee and myself) we proclaimed ourselves as “The New Government” (Since there was no official government in Lebanon at the time, so it made sense).

The New Government | Paris 2009 ∨

What happened to Soapkills? And how did you and Yasmine come to work with each other?

Soapkills is on pause for the moment, Yasmine and I are both exploring our potential as individuals, but we’re still in contact and good friends.

I met Yasmine in 1994 when she was at College Protestant in Lebanon, I fell in love with her and did everything to get her working on a project with me, our mutual passion for music helped. The combination of our personalities gave birth to Soapkills.

What is the underground music scene in Lebanon like for you?

Very vibrant – with new bands like Pop will save us, The Incompetents, Fariq el Atrash, Mashrou’ Leila, The 961 Underground, Katibe 5. These are the new comers on the underground scene and they are pretty active. Check this blog http://www.feelnotes.wordpress.com, my friend Omar el Fil reviews every good thing happening in town.

Mashrou’ Leila | Beirut 2009 ∨

Katibe 5 | Beirut 2008 ∨

An interview with Robert Raths, founder of Erased Tapes. Visit music is okay to read the German version.

Robert Raths originally came to London for architectural studies, but he stayed for music. Three years ago he founded the label Erased Tapes and proves in a quite impressive way that “the best things in life happen naturally.”

You gave up your own musical project to set up Erased Tapes. What was the reason you’ve changed your mind?

Erased Tapes: First I wanted to express myself musically. When I tried to transfer the music into a live show, I had to accept that it wasn’t working. It was hard trying to explain my musical concepts to other musicians. They usually gave me the questioning look. But for me it was always about creating something new and different, I never wanted to sound like anybody else.
I think the point is, my music was packed with ideas and sounds which needed more space to develop themselves. The bottom line is, I came across all these musical elements I wanted to combine, which are now individual artists on the label. I started to focus more on other artists’ work than my own, rather being the observer than the creator, and that was a very fruitful development. For me it’s all about supporting my artists on every level and being constructive as a part of the creative process.

Two years have passed since Tunng released their last album Good Arrows. Now they’re back with a new sound and without an old member. And Then We Saw Land is an album full of charming and catchy tunes, embraced by the characteristic sound of Tunng. We met Becky Jacobs (vocals) and Mike Lindsay (guitar and vocals) on a boat on the Thames, the perfect place to talk about their  journey, isn’t it?

© Photography by Evelyn Kutschera for Emerging Fervour

Your new album “And Then We Saw Land” sounds really different compared to what you’ve done before. Where does the change come from?

Mike: There are a few things like Sam leaving the band, which changed things vocally, but we also didn’t want to make another ‘glitch cut and paste’ kind of electronic record. We’ve done that and we still like that stuff, but we wanted to try something we haven’t  done before. A record that uses synths as synths not as chopped up sounds for instance. We wanted to make something that is bigger and proud, where people can sing along to. I think the album is the reflection of our live shows from the past couple of years. We really enjoyed the reaction of the audience to certain moments of the shows, when we played songs which had been reworked a to give them a bigger sound. That’s what we wanted to capture with the new album.