COLLECTION 2 - AVANT-GARDE

260 KALTBLUT
KALTBLUT: “The Big Machine” was a rather dramatic record and
contrasted sharply with “Franky Knight” which was sleeker, more
intimate. Is this due to the fact that it was a film score?
Emilie Simon: It’s the context that’s different. “The Big Machine” is
extroverted, influenced by my arrival in New York and its wonderful energy.
“Franky Knight” is an album with more personal, introverted, deep songs,
touching on more human things with a deeper sensitivity. It’s the perfect
backdrop to the film La delicatesse.
KALTBLUT: This is your second film score, right? How do you
approach this type of
composition?
ES: This is my third, in fact. (La marche de l’Empereur by Luc Jacquet and
Survivre avec les loups by Vera Belmont). I love working for the film industry,
and I’m very inspired by images and the relation with film directors. When I fall
in love with a project, I’m happy to put all my skills to work for the film and the
directors.
KALTBLUT: It’s easy to establish a link between the film and your
personal history. Was writing these pieces a necessary step for you?
ES: I needed to write these songs. This album is a gift, an homage.
KALTBLUT: Had these songs already been written or were they specially
composed after David and Stéphane Foenkino’s
proposition?
ES: Some themes were already written before viewing the film and some entirely
created only after viewing.
KALTBLUT: The electronica in your previous albums is almost absent in
this one. Why have you chosen a more instrumental, organic
production?
ES: “Franky Knight” is a human album, quite humble and simple in its
language, and I wanted to emphasize the textures of the natural instruments
being used. The few touches of
electro are subtle.
KALTBLUT: Your music follows a pop format but remains distinct from
today’s production styles. What types of music, bands and styles
influence you today?
ES: My influences aren’t only music, but also movies, painting… the visual arts
in general. It’s very difficult to name one particular band. It’s a number of things
together that influence me every day, and every day is different!
KALTBLUT: You live in New York now. Did that have an effect on the way
you write music or on your artistic practice?
ES: New York has been a great influence on how I write. Writing “The Big
Machine” was very different from the other albums. New York has opened my
mind, and I discovered new things. The city is very welcoming to artists. I live
between New York and Paris.
KALTBLUT: So… bagel or
croissant?
ES: (Laughs) I want croissants in New York and bagels in Paris!
KALTBLUT: As an independent artist, composer and performer, what
are the different steps in creating an album? Is there a set way of doing
things are is it different every time?
ES: Each project has its own concept and its own axes, priorities, sources of
inspiration and fate. For each of my albums, the common principle to each is
the writing, the production, the recording and mixing. But depending on the
album’s concept, I will spend more time in production if there are more
electronic elements, or in the recording studio if the album is more organic and
needs more instrumentals. However, I spend a great amount of time on the
writing for each album.