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Exclusive Interview with Cassius!
Having taken their name from the world’s greatest heavyweight boxer, Parisian duo Zdar and BoomBass have exceeded their billing in every way, building an incredible portfolio of some of the finest house produced over the past two decades and scoring themselves millions of adoring fans in the process. As the names behind classics Cassius 99, Feeling For You, The Sound of Violence and Toop Toop, the Cassius boys have rightfully earned themselves a reputation among the dance music elite. Having essentially kick-started the French electro-house explosion, there can be few greater entertainers to show you a good time.
I was lucky enough to score an interview with Hubert Blanc-Francard, better known, as Boom Bass, one half of the French music duo Cassius. We discussed everything from the US number one hit to the new track Youth, Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes. After we finally got ourselves over the language barrier (Australian VS French) and the time delay (he was calling from Paris!) we got underway to a very funny and enlightened chat…
Matt: How is France at the moment?
Hubert: Very beautiful morning at the moment
Matt: I am very Jealous, I am stuck in Melbourne!
Hubert: Oh yeah? I love Melbourne!
Matt: Yes, me too, you have played in Australia before? How do we as Australians Match up as partiers?
Hubert: Definitely Top 3
Matt: Oh, you’re just saying that
Hubert: Everywhere we have crazy nights! I don’t say that to please you or the people.
Matt: I am looking at the dates here and you have Melbourne Better Days and Sydney’s Field day both on the 1st of January! How are you going to manage that?
Hubert: Well that is a good question… I just realized… how are we going to manage that?
Matt: Well I hope your not on at the same time?
Hubert: (Laughs) Yeah I don’t know! Maybe Phillipe will do one and me another… no, no just kidding! It’s an adventure we did the same thing three years ago and it’s pretty exhausting. But you get into a state of trance you are really tired and it get’s interesting cause you end up not knowing where you are, but it’s fun now and then but if you do that everyday of the year you will go mad!
Matt: You seem to love doing something that’s outside the box, could you say the same in your music?
Hubert: I totally agree, we don’t want to do things the normal way. We are not running after the huge success we are more about staying longer, to continue creating music. Good to go for a long time!
Matt: Well that kind of philosophy of been ‘Outside the box’ could also applied to your Cassius Workshop project, could you explain that more to me?
Hubert: Yeah we had a fantastic response to this, we released Toop Toop and five other A cappella’s and we had 471 remix entries. Something different!
Matt: Certainly something different, A cappella’s especially in dance music, are sometime so highly guarded by the artist, but you seem to embrace the kind of that ‘remix revolution’. It is a great way to get young people into creating and experiencing music, is that something you guys value highly?
Hubert: Yeah! When Philippe and me were young there was know Internet or access to this material. So this was great for discovering new kids and for the kids to work on something they like, it was great.
Matt: Listening to the original version of Youth, Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes it’s a bit darker than most the tracks on 15 again, is this something you guys were heading towards?
Hubert: Yeah, because I think we needed to do something new, the idea is, it’s like a rave track, new rave. I think for a big part of the youth now in the world they can be a bit on the darkside with all the crazy stuff they do, we have to keep up! It’s not that we are tired of the old stuff we just wanted something to reflect on the life of today, but it’s still Philippe and I.
Matt: Now we know Phillippe Zdar your music partner produced the new Phoenix album ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,’ did you have a helping hand in that?
Hubert: I just did some remixes of the tracks. I came one or two times into the studio and made bad jokes, but that helps…sometimes!
Matt: I love Phoenix’s Lisztomania, it’s one of my favourite tracks.
Hubert: Oh me too I love it, one of my favourites of ‘09
Matt: Do you think that Producing would be something you would want to get more into?
Hubert: Yeah, maybe but at the moment I discovered I love making music more. When I was young I wanted to be a producer, but the more I make music the more I love being produced. To have someone telling Philippe and me what to do and not to do. I am more of a soldier then a general.
Matt: The sound of violence was one of your breakthrough songs reaching number one on the US dance charts.
Hubert: Yeah it was crazy!
Matt: Equally amazing is the music clip that accompanied it was that your personal vision?
Hubert: Yeah, Yeah, some close friends did the ‘Cassius 99’ music video and then ‘The Sound of Violence’ one and looking back on it now I think they fit perfectly. For us it’s one of our best songs, our favourite instrumental songs, we are very proud of it.
Matt: What inspires your album cover art?
Hubert: Our covers? We love art, we love to be around art, and we love good cover art! Since we don’t release many albums we want something to stand the test of time. It’s good to have something special. I think the cover is important it’s one of the most important parts; it’s part of the dream of the record. When I was a kid I would buy a record because of the cover! I would be like WOW! If there is a good cover you can be sure there is at least one good track!
Matt: What artist could you say that made you want to get into music?
Hubert: My father was a sound engineer so since I was five I was in a record studio, the first thing I remember was when the musicians took a break and I jumped on the drums and they all came back and played with me! They were like AH! little kid let’s play!
Matt: Were you good?
Hubert: Yeah I think! I don’t think so anymore, but I did have one of my first orgasms
Matt: Over the drum kit!
Hubert: Oh I knew from that day something changed! I loved Quincy Jones cause I wanted to be a producer and Michael Jackson, I know it maybe be a bit weird now cause everyone is talking about him but we loved him! Especially ‘Off the wall’ by Michael Jackson and ‘Diana’ by Diana Ross
Matt: You mentioned the Lisztomania track by Phoenix as one of your current favorites, what else is leaking into you Ipod play list?
Hubert: I am loving Van Morrison at the moment!
Matt: Really! What tracks?
Hubert: Wait let me get my Ipod. I am going crazy for it…
(Pause)
Matt: Are you actually getting your Ipod?
Hubert: Yeah, yeah I am, cause I have no memory anymore too many drugs! The track is Tupelo Honey. It is my morning music it gives me the cheers! I love dance music but you can’t listen to all the time! I have discovered a lot of psychedelic music now, as well.
Matt: Well I love David Bowie.
Hubert: Me too! That was last year I went out and brought everything of his, to me Bowie is as important as Lennon and McCartney.
Matt: And last of all, what would be your piece of advice for an aspiring artist?
Hubert: To discover what you a love and get people around them to help. It’s really important to know what you can and can’t do. And try to fight your Ego! It is the one of the most important things but can be one of the most destroying things.
Matt: Thanks so much for your time!
Hubert: No worries thank you for the great questions! I hope we meet in Melbourne and shake hands!
Keep your eye out for the full Podcast version of the interview coming out soon!
Wolfcallowww!
Matt Cohen
TOUR DATES:
Perth – Origin festival – 31-Dec-09
Sydney – Field Day – 1-Jan-10
Melbourne – Betterdays – 1-Jan-10
Mornington Peninsular – Solar -3-Jan-10
BETTERDAYS NYD 2010 FEAT. CASSIUS, FRED FALKE, TARA MCDONALD AND MORE! TIX ARE NOW 80% SOLD OUT.
This event will sell out! For all the info check out the link below:
http://www.fuzzy.com.au/coming-up/212/info
And also the Field Day Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QRvcu-SNTY
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