Bwattmagazine#6

GUITAR AND LEAD VOCAL
Una Skott
SYNTHS/KEYS AND SOUND GEEK
Anders Mortensen
BASS AND STONER ROCKER
Christian Peter Sekjær
PHOTOS
Anja Poulsen
Where did the three of you and how did
you get started in making your music?
Christian: Una and I first met in 2009 when Una
joined my old band KKT. We were hanging out
in the same clubs in Copenhagen and playing all
kinds of noisy shogazer rock together. We were
touring a lot and were of course talking music all
the time. Soon we discovered that we also shared
a passion for electronic music. Una introduced
me to Anders, and she was always talking about
this new project she was going to start. She called
it “Télé Rouge”.
How has the “ride” to your success been
until now? Has it been a struggle to keep
on going or has everything just come
very naturally?
Anders: Being in Télé Rouge gives me
associations of a long hitchhiker’s journey.
Sometimes we have to walk, sometimes we
are picked up and some times we even ride the
car ourselves. Working closely together can be
challenging, but at the same time we are each
other’s best friends and the music is our shared
darling. In view of that the work is done naturally.
BWATT ISSUE 06 111
Una: I was messing around with old casio
keyboards hunting a naive 8-bit sound as a
contrast to many hours of practicing the jazz
guitar at the conservatory. Rumours said that
a cool keyboard gig called Anders flourished in
the same school, and I imagined that sharing the
same interests, he would be an obvious member
of the band. It paid off! Anders was in. We called
Christian, and “Télé Rouge” was born!
Why did you choose to sing in French when
you are all Danish natives ?
Una: In my early teens I enjoyed watching
French films and fell in love with the beautiful
sound of the language. I developed crazy
fantasies about being French and living in
Paris. I had to fulfil my dreams, and as soon
as I had the chance I moved to France at the
age of twenty. I had one only goal: to learn and
to be French. Years later, back home in Denmark
Anders and Christian were ready to join me
on this crazy French trip as they were both
inspired by French artists such as Serge
Gainsbourg, Air and Jean-Michel Jarre. All
three of us love the experimental and original
sound of these iconic artists.
Does the foreign language make you more
fearless ? Do you dare to experiment more
because of it ?
Una: Yes, you can say so. At first, it was a little
scary to release an album in Denmark with
French lyrics. Most Danish artists sing in either
English or Danish so we had no idea of how the
audience would receive our music. But it went
really well! We got good reviews and new fans!
Christian: Choosing to sing in French is, in
a Danish context, an odd choice and we have
received all sorts of reactions. But for us it’s
interesting to use the lyrics and the French
language as a soft texture in the arrangements.
We have always tried to express the meaning
and atmosphere in the music itself so one
could understand the songs without knowing
any French.
Una: Are we more fearless? …yes I think so.
We have realized that the best way of having a
strong musical expression is to be true to our
own sensations.
Una: We can’t help ourselves from keeping on
working and playing together because we all
yearn for the project. And as soon as we are on
stage it’s worth all the struggle. This is where
Télé Rouge is rewarded.
How have you guys kept up the enthusiasm
in slow periods?
Una: Periods with little activities give us the space
we need to be creative; making music, getting new
ideas, planning gigs and tours, shooting videos
and arranging meetings. So, in fact, we don’t have
slow periods. We have setup basic rules in order
to prevent ourselves from phoning each other too
late at night with new ideas… this could cause too
many sleepless nights.
Christian: Playing our music in front of
different audience in Europe is a very strong
motivation. But overall it’s also about making
use of our sometimes very different creative
energies. We are focused on embraising our
diversity and individuality in order to create
good space for each other’s work and creativety.
How is it going right now?
Anders: Good! We are still promoting our second
album “Transformation” having just returned
from a great trip to Germany. Several German
Radio Stations have welcomed us and now our
music is properly spread out. The last year has
been very exciting in many ways. The second
album release has given us many new exciting
opportunities. Such as playing all over Europe and
of cause at Bwatt Release Party in Copenhagen!
What is your goal for the future and how are
you going to reach it ?
Una: Our goal is to conquer Europe! Hahaha…
Christian: We are going to Paris in September
in order to write songs for our next album, and
to play concerts. Specifically, we are looking
forward to playing at the opening of an exhibition
called “Don’t Run Out” at Galerie Joseph. New
songs have already begun popping up in our
minds. A goal is to chatch these ideas and to make
theme real.
Anders: Playing outside Europe is also a goal!
Actually, we have many goals and the best way for
us to reach them is to continue writing music that
excites and to play extraordinary concerts.