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.

No offence, but French people are famous for being a bit quirky when it comes to their language. So do you feel like betraying any cultural heritage?

I’m not proud of being born in a certain country, or having a certain mother tongue. I’d say home is where the heart is. And in terms of music I always thought it’s quite picky to insist on a authenticity in language, but playing music with American guitars or Japanese synthesizers. So, I don’t feel like betraying my cultural heritage, not at all. Being proud of a certain cultural background seems to me more restrictive than productive.

Talking about productivity: apart from JULES ETIENNE you’re involved in several other musical projects.

Currently I’m working with Massimiliano Pagliara and Alessandro Tartari on a project called [SIC!]. It’s a homage to the Italo Disco days back in the early 80′s. Our first EP will be released on Meakusma in June. THE MENTEURS is a funk-soul project I’m doing with my friend Yanneck Salvo aka QUARION. And by the way, I’ll sing in French! LALA BY is STEEV LEMERCIER’s psychedelic rock-pop project where I produced the album REAL FICTION and play drums or bass onstage. There’s some more to come about from us this year, so watch out! Last but not least I’m playing the live guitar for the funk project SNAX.

Phew! Sounds like a musical land of plenty for me and like a lot of work for you.

Sure it’s a lot of work and it’s a struggle for money as well. Fortunately Berlin makes this struggle easier than cities like Paris or Moscow. It’s a fantastic city to live in and the women look amazing… And if things won’t work out at all, I’ll go to Bavaria and make cheese.

Peorder [SIC!] EP right here.