Discovered by chance or almost with their first single “Blueberries” released on their eponymous EP, the duo released this summer a disc with 10 titles inhabited by wild animals and dark forests, Crossing. With a complete Boule Noire at the end of September, it was time to look back on this release which plays with styles and navigates between pop, rock and electro.
Thank you both for granting us this interview. Sophie, you are an actress and Bernard a filmmaker, when does an encounter on the set of a feature film (Parenthèse (2016)) turn into a musical adventure as a duo?
Sophia: During the filming of Parenthèse, we were at the hotel. There was a piano and in the evening after filming, Bernard would play and I would accompany him on vocals. We started to have fun, and since music has an important place in our lives, we started sharing his compositions and the lyrics I was writing.
Bernard: After the shoot, Sophie offered to compose for her and the first songs motivated me enough to get back into it after more than 20 years of interruption… I also put the cinema between parenthesis and I’m 100% into music right now. Sophie, she continues to play in the theater and in the cinema (she plays young Marie Laforêt in the next biopic by Lisa Azuelos).
Sophie, is it easy to go from in front of the camera to behind the microphone?
Sophia: I don’t ask myself the question in those terms. For me each experience is unique and difficult in the sense that I invest myself with all my heart in each of them. I think that even if the areas of activity are different, there are bridges to be made between playing and singing. For example, the fact that to be free, you have to master a structure, a path, and repeat it a lot before being free to go off the road. There is anyway an absolutely common element between playing and singing and it is a secret weapon that absolutely must not be neglected and that can extend to life itself: you have to breathe!
Bernard we also know you under the name of BT93 a project that dates from the 90s that you reactivated, you made Sophie listen to these pieces before creating HM hm ? Can you tell us about act 2 of BT93 or is it still a bit early?
Bernard: Yes, Sophie listened to certain songs like “Bronx generation” which she liked. But for HM hm, these are only new compositions written especially for her. The second album of BT93I keep the suspense a bit, but I can tell you that it is mixing with Michaël Tainturier at the Atlas studio and that it will be released in 2022. The album is produced by an extremely talented young musician, Sainte-Victoire.
The duo have divergent or different influences. How was the album composed? Did you have to compromise between your sometimes contradictory influences?
Sophia: Bernard is more open than me it seems to me, he welcomes my ideas a lot when sometimes I get angry, but even if we are two extremely different people, I think that we have ground swells in common which is, it seems to me, the best safeguard for reporting an artistic experience. Bernard is extremely analytical and I trust my work feelings/intuitions.
Bernard: I sent piano melodies to Sophie who selected some of them and added the texts. We were already testing what it gave in piano-voice before going any further. The compromises are the choices made by Sophie among the compositions sent and a first common vision of the arrangements. It turns out that we do have a few common tastes, like pink floyd, Air, David Byrne Where The Stranglerswhich makes things easier!
The texts alternate between French and English. How is the choice of language made for the compositions and do you want to export yourself?
Sophia: Yes, although I prefer to write in my language because I have the feeling of greater singularity, precision and a denser relationship between the sentence and its content, as in “Clandestine Dreams” where I have the I feel like I’ve caught my feeling, sometimes I want to let myself go to something more cheap as if the text was just a pretext for the rhythm and the pleasure of singing together something that simply works in terms of the sounds of the language and English is very good for that. In short, I like the mix of genres.
Your first album, Crossingwas produced by Fred Lo (Daniel Darc, Alex Beaupain, soon to be Pete Doherty.), we are not all lucky enough to have a neighbor of this caliber, Bernard, but in addition to knowing him, we must also convince him, was it easy?
Bernard: Frédéric told us that he had been seduced by the model of Blueberries that I had passed on to him. He thought the song had potential. He called me back the next day, we saw each other with Sophie, we found him friendly and motivated and we said “Tope la!”.
You have taken photos from the series of your EP for the album Blueberries, this time it’s not wolves but a doe. Is there a special link between nature and the great outdoors and your music?
Sophia: One of the themes of the album is the debt we have in relation to the animal world (“La revenge de la louve”, “Poor little thing”). By denying the integrity of the animal world, we deny our own integrity because we cut ourselves off from our relationship to the whole. There is also a theme which could be the sacred dimension of existence, but not the sacred dimension as a religion, rather the sacred dimension as a breath which would connect all times, past, present and future, and which would reconcile beings with this animal world that we mistreat and underestimate so much.
Bernard: Proximity to nature, wild animals, is also a way of expressing that we try to bring out in our creations the sincere part of ourselves, freed from the masks and conventions that usually allow us to melt into society. For me, it’s a certain refusal of trends, of copying and even of listening to what is being done elsewhere. I feel more virgin in front of my synths. I’m not talking about purity because you shouldn’t exaggerate!
Let’s talk about this live at the Boule Noire. You’ve been waiting for it for a long time.
Bernard: Yes, without the Covid, we would have done more concerts. La Boule Noire is a somewhat legendary venue and we were delighted to perform there. It would have been even better without the Covid gauge which limited the number of authorized spectators because our concert was sold out 15 days before… we have also scheduled a new concert, still at the Boule Noire, on April 22, 2022 for all those who couldn’t come and those who want to see us again!
In addition to Frederic Lo, we came across King Ju, JB Dunckel, it seems that something is going on between you 3, but also Florence Loiret Caille who played in one of your clips, “The ballad of happy people”, which we were able to see in particular in “The office of legends” , a kind of patchwork of your two “professions”. You were happy with the welcome for one of the first lives of HM hm ?
Bernard: There was also Théo Hacola and other musicians in the room. It was the first live concert since the release of the album. We worked a lot for this live and we were delighted with the welcome! Regarding Julian (King Ju) who is above all a friend, we have recently had a professional relationship, because I am producing the next album of Stupeflip which promises to be a great vintage!
Your musicians on stage have been quite impressive and already have quite a pedigree. Can you introduce them to us and tell us how you took them with you?
Bernard: We brought back the team from our previous concert at the Silencio in 2019. Patrick Goraguer on drums also plays on our album, he is as excellent on the piano and the organ as on the drums, for the record, it’s the son of Alain Goraguer, arranger of Gainsbourg and creator of the music of La Planète Sauvage. Ludo Leleu on guitar and Alain Verderosa on bass were introduced to us by Frédéric Lo. They are experienced musicians with whom it is very pleasant to work. The excellent Odge in the first part was also presented to us by Fred. She recently participated in a concert in Sainte-Victoire and she gives me singing lessons.
You had superb speakers during your concert, it’s not just a question of aesthetics for musicians who work so finely on your sound, what are their secrets?
Sophia: The KEF brand Blade speakers were on stage, but not playing, unlike us! They were there for purely aesthetic purposes. We have a partnership with KEF which we have represented since the release of Crossing and indeed the KEF sound is magnificent because it is dense and fine like Bernard’s soul (laughs)
Bernard: Not only are they fantastic sounding, but they are super beautiful. After that they are not given!
The cover of “Bruxelles” seemed surprising because it was far from your musical universe, but you were able to sublimate it. How was this song chosen for the setlist?
Bernard: Sophie is Belgian, “emigrated” to Paris, and we both love this song for a long time. There was therefore a certain evidence in taking it up again. We added some sharp guitar riffs and airy synth sounds and I must admit I really like how we make it sound on stage!
Sophia: : At the time, my father was in hospital in Belgium and the piece brought me a little closer to him, which is why this choice seemed coherent to me. You have to, it seems to me, have a personal history with the songs as with any material you use to work on, otherwise nothing happens.
Same question for “If you said” of Francoiz Breut, knowing that these two covers were to conclude the setlist if an encore had not made you play “Monkey song” a second time. Why this choice to conclude with the words of others?
Bernard: there is a history with the song of Francoiz Breut. Sophie was already singing it in a scene from my film “Parenthèse” with actor Eric Viellard on guitar. We had also taken it back to the Silencio and it worked well. I’m a fan of this song and Francoiz Breut in general.
You have decided to publish the live on your Youtube channel. Why this choice ? is it a teaser for the album?
Bernard: It’s mainly for all those who couldn’t come to the concert. I like today that there is a trace of what we do, especially if we are happy with the performance. I think back to the concerts I gave about thirty years ago with the groups Script and Safe and nothing remains except a few faded photos…
The final word for our readers?
Bernard: Bravo for the photos, they are very successful! I took one as a profile picture of BT93 on Instagram and Facebook.
Sophia: : Draw your plan once say…!
Thanks to Sophie and Bernard.
Photo: JC Forestier
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