Actualité chargée pour le maitre de la techno de Détroit : l’album « Fantastic Voyage », diverses participations à des projets artistiques (un Ciné-Mix en ouverture de la rétrospective Fritz Lang, un mix pour l’exposition « Danser Sa Vie » au Centre Pompidou) sans oublier un nouveau passage au Rex aux côtés de Nina Kraviz pendant la semaine Nuits Capitales.
Débutons avec ton nouvel album, inspiré par le film de SF « Fantastic Voyage » paru en 1966. Comment ce projet est-il né ?
La Cité de la Musique à Paris organisait un évènement autour de la Science Fiction et m’a proposé de sélectionner un film afin d’en recréer la bande originale. Il m’est apparu évident de choisir ce long-métrage. Je l’avais découvert enfant, au début des 70’s. Nous étions à l’époque des missions dans l’espace et de l’arrivée de l’homme sur la lune, le public avait un appétit féroce pour ces sujets.
Qu’est qui t’a inspiré dans ce film ?
Pas mal de choses : les décors, les costumes, les effets spéciaux… Et le thème bien sûr : au-delà de la science fiction, il s’agit d’un film qui envisage le corps humain – tout comme l’univers – tel un territoire inconnu.
Ton Ciné-Mix a inauguré le 19 octobre la rétrospective Fritz Lang à la Cinémathèque. Tu avais déjà composé une bande son pour son film « Metropolis » en 2000. Qu’est-ce qui t’intéresse dans l’univers de ce cinéaste.
Ses films offrent des moments exceptionnels de drames et d’intrigues, avec un travail complexe sur les personnages. C’est inspirant. Le film sur lequel j’ai travaillé, « La femme et la lune » (1929 –NdA), est son dernier film de science-fiction. Fritz Lang s’est appuyé sur les scientifiques de l’armée allemande pour créer les séquences concernant la fusée. Hitler a pris peur de l’exposition de ces données si précise et a fait interdire le film, préfigurant l’exil de Fritz Lang aux Etats-Unis.
Parles nous du projet «The Dancer » qui a pour sujet principal Josephine Baker et qui est diffusé à l’exposition « Danser Sa Vie » au Centre Pompidou.
Ce film montre Josephine Baker en répétition, chose rare. Son corps bouge de manière très rythmé et colle parfaitement à mon morceau « The Dancer ». L’idée est née en tombant sur un film d’une minute où on la voyait danser, et je me suis dit que ce serait marrant de la voir danser sur un morceau actuel. Le plus dur a été de trouver et monter les nombreux autres bouts de films qui forment les images de « The Dancer ».
Tu habites désormais Paris. Pourquoi avoir choisi cette ville ?
Cela faisait huit ans que j’essayais de m’y installer, j’adore cette ville, elle est passionnante pour y vivre et y travailler.
par Damien Almira
English version:
Let’s start with the album « Fantastic Voyage » :
How did u discover this movie?
I remember this from my youth in the late 1960s – early 1970s. It was one of the films that would be shown on local TV annually. This was an era when TV stations had highlighted « Movie Of The Week », long before cable. I remember it because it was so unique. It was a big hit after its release. Disney made a special ride under the same concept as well as a Saturday morning cartoon series. This was the era of routine Space flights and Apollo Mission trips to the Moon, so the public appetite for such subjects was still high.
What do u like on this movie?.
There are many things about Fantastic Voyage I admire. The inquisition and perspective of viewing the human body as undiscovered and new territory. The subconscious planting of an idea that Man would someday be able to have such technologies — that its just a matter of time. It was a science film, more than just fiction that had drama and action. The dreadful, but necessary reminder that even with humans in the most extreme conditions, the room for deceit is still possible and to always beware. The design of the sets, costumes, special effects in which Fantastic Voyage won Academy Awards. Overall, I believe that a film like this is the result of the then, current conditions towards the exploration of Space and thus, ourselves because we are all connected to the Stars.
What gave you the idea/desire to compose an album around this movie?.
A commission to re-score came from the Citi La Musique in Paris. They were having a special event on Science Fiction and had asked if I could select a film to create a re-score and Cinemix. Thinking about a concept of creating an « all senses » film performance where certain parts of the film would be the excuse to affect viewers perception and impression, I could only think Fantastic Voyage because it had all the occasions where this concept could be possible. A way to include the audience in the idea and plot of the film. Something of a cinematic amusement ride.
Did u compose this album as the soundtrack of this movie? Or is it more a kind of musical reflection around this movie (well i mean, a soundtrack is often there to serve/support the movie, it’s maybe more restrictive than to compose an album inspired by a movie, with a total freedom… ?).
For the construction of the performance soundtrack, I composed close to 100 tracks and sketches. Many tracks weren’t used for the performance for various reasons, but I thought there might be a opportunity to some of them as a soundtrack album. It resulted in a 2 CD set. After the performance, back in my studio and reviewing all the work, I thought it would be a good thing to release as much of it as possible so that the creative perspective I chose had a better chance at being understood (even if one does not watch the film and listen to the music at the same time), the listener should be able to have a impression.
Since your musical early days, I’m thinking for example about “X-102 The Rings of Saturn”, your music regards the future, the cosmos and the SF. Is it possible for you to explain these interests?
I think of it as to do with being born in the early 1960s that was « Space Race » between US and USSR, being exposed to concepts that involve The Future of Humanity into my adolescent years. I think I grew up believing that Outer Space wasn’t something that isn’t unreachable. To reinforce this feeling, an abundance of other fictional and science based storytelling aspects were possible for young people to explore. From comic books, movies, clothing, toys, lunch buckets, morning cereal………implicating the idea of Space and fictional stories was everywhere. In the US around the mid-60s to late 70s, one would practically grow up with fictional characters. We’d choose one that best suited ones personality. For instance, those who admired and followed Marvel’s Silver Surfer were often those who were considered « loners » or went there own way.
Younger, as a child, where u already fan of these subjects?.
Yes, greatly but this was considered normal around my friends. Everybody read/drew comics. All the kids in my neighborhood and school traded and swapped comics. In addition to books, we would also developed habits of collecting things – in very precise and systematic manners. Research of the subject was also necessary in understanding how and what to go after.
Could u remember which comics or movies introduced you to these worlds?
As a child, I was a collector of Marvel and DC Comics. Fantastic Four, Thor, X-Men, etc. I was particularity fond of Marvel’s « What If » series. It was series of well-known stories that were revisited with different circumstances and results. For Movies, I was young and none of us much money, so TV was the way we seen the most. I was a big fan of a series « Lost In Space », « Time Tunnel », Battle Star Galactica and Star Trek. Other TV shows like « Twilight Zone », « The Outer Limits » and « Night Gallery » were regular favorites. As I got older had more money, movies like Star Wars, Tron, Blade Runner were films that inspired a lot of us.
You’re going to open the exposition “Metropolis” with a soundtrack for “La femme et la lune” (“die frau im mond”) by Fritz Lang. You made an exclusive soundtrack of Metropolis in 2000, now you’re working again on a Fritz Lang’s movie. Could you explain what do u like in Fritz Lang’s work? And in “La femme et la lune” ?.
In the films of Frtiz Lang, the viewer is guaranteed a certain amount of drama and intrigue. He allowed enough mental space in his films for the viewer to ponder the different perspectives of each of the characters because he always used unique looking actors and most of them were masters of morphing into their characters. They were often very believable. Even today in this year 2011 giving a timeless appeal to his work. Fritz Lang was part of few maverick German film makers that had developed a very advanced and precise way of working. When he arrived Hollywood, escaping Germany like so many other actors/film people, those advanced skills transformed into different types of films. Suspense mystery, almost Noir films. « Woman In The Moon » was his last Science Fiction work.
Woman In The Moon was especially interesting to work on because of its quasi-capitalist view. How any man or company would ever think of getting to Moon first to claim all the Gold is something that, even in our time seems almost impossible to materialize. Mining the Moon is a task that we can’t quite figure out yet. It’s interesting to see the astrophysics and rocket construction parts of the film that Adolf Hitler felt so concerned about that he ordered the film to be destroyed and banned it from being shown for National Security interest. Lang had consulted actual scientists that worked for the German Army for his inspiration of the Rocket and lift off sequences. Another thing that I admired was that he told a story where there were no real winners. Maybe the little boy or the mouse……..it was a story of Winners that had all lost in their pursuits. There is a great lesson to be learned there.
I read that you said that often on your work on “La femme et la lune” you considered a sound as a character… could u give us some examples : which sound for which character for example?.
As an unofficial and undetected character. Almost as a wordless narrator. A guide of some sort. This is technique that still in the process of developing. Taking my experiences has a DJ and applying them to characters on a movie screen, I’m finding the differences are slight and its just a matter of perspective. Rather than the people following the Music in a dancing scenario, the music is guided by the movement of the actors (body movement, speed of movements/dialogue, depth of field of items in the frame, amount of actors in a frame, etc.). Not having any trained experience with sound tracking films, I’ve had to develop my own system of translation.
Let’s talk a bit about « The Dancer ». What do u like about Josephine Baker?
I can somewhat relate to her experience being Afro American and living and working abroad. Presenting yourself to people you don’t know and having to make your point in a matter of minutes. This takes years and years of understanding the different circumstances. Mentally managing the balance between the advantages and disadvantages. She was a tough woman that lived in tough times. A hero in various dimensions of the word.
Which éléments of her personality inpired you, musically i mean?.
Her body rhythm and synchronous reaction to sound. While working on the videos, it was clear to see how she would have reacted/danced to the track « The Dancer » is she has heard it.
Why did u choice this subject, “the dance”?.
The conclusion to create these videos of Josephine were actually be mistake. I had requested some archival footage at Lobster Films in Paris of the film extracts of the US Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s for a project I was working on that the time. On the reel of footages were many news clips, speeches and also a Josephine Baker singing at the March in Washington. Also on the reel was about 1 minute of out takes of her dancing. After fooling around with these rough pieces of recordings, I thought it could be interesting to apply how she was dancing to more current music. The track « The Dancer » seemed to be a perfect fit. In all, I must have made about 50 short films and experimental works from that 1 minute piece.
Sorry if I’m wrong, but I heard that you live in Paris now. If it’s right could u explain us why did u choice to come live here?.
Yes, I have a place there now. I had been trying to find the opportunity to get there for almost 8 years and finally got the chance last year. I’m enjoying the city a lot — in any creative field, its a great place to be and work.
