KALTBLUT-HONK! 01 Schizoprenia

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I am a traditionalist when it comes to
concerts - I only go to see bands and
artists I have followed for at least a year
and whose music I’ve listened to at least
a week on loop. With Lemercier And
The Lala By it was more of a blind date.
I went to their concert in Schwuz - the
band was the culmination of the “Queer
Noises Festival” 2010. The time between
their mesmerizing magical performance
and this interview consists of just a
couple of phone calls, facebook chats
and numerous listens to Lala By tracks.
Steev Lemercier is a DJ, producer and
performer, born in 1978 and raised in
Geneva, with family origins from France
and Sicily (oh yeah!) In other words,
a mix of Alpenmilch, revolution and
volcanic eruption. As core of the music
project he embodies the shaman leader
of a mystic forest fairy cult called The
Lala By – a combination between peri,
dark furry creatures with horns and
Greek gods.
Just like their music, Steev isn’t a guy
you would judge by the cover or by the
first listen. The deep vocals you hear on
the records come out of the mouth of
a small skinny guy with big eyes, wide
smile and sweet French accent. We met
in a small cafe in central Berlin Mitte
and talked about his toughest times, his
brightest moments of inspiration and
why, no matter how cliché it may sound,
you should only be yourself and trust
your instincts.
How are you?
To be honest, not so good. I am very happy to
be working on music again and be able to focus
on my art again. I have other things in my family
that suck and are not very easy to handle.
That actually really inspires my life. Do you
want to know what?
If you feel comfortable with sharing.
Why not. My father died 20 years ago and we
cremated him. 20 years later he sent me a letter
to say that he has saved money to build a grave
on the ground he has reserved in the cemetery.
I am just back from Switzerland where I was
with my mom and my sister. We threw my
father’s ashes in the river in the mountains in
Switzerland. Some intense things came out from
his history. My father was murderer and now I
asked to reopen my father’s case together with
the police. It’s a very dark and horrible story.
Now my life is great, but reality isn’t that easy
and I have to work on it to make it that way. So I
am very angry.
The past is haunting you.
No, I let it go. Unfortunately now I feel something
I never felt before - revenge. I am not
holding on the past. In this very moment I feel
like balance has to be restored and fairness too.
What I did with my father’s ashes was more to
let go. I want things to be clear.
Is this why you reopened the case?
Yes. I don’t want to go back too deep. What
happened, is really nasty. Two people who
have been covered for 20 years, have to come
clear and justice has to be restored. Other
people suffered for 20 years although they
shouldn’t have. Back then I was a little kid so I
didn’t realize what was happening.
What’s the best memory you had with your
father?
Actually I don’t have so many good memories.
My father wasn’t nice with us, his children. he
was this dominant person that scares you. My
mother used to be that way too. We grew up in
this fake protective golden childhood. My parents
had a restaurant - they were having people
from all over the world coming to the restaurant.
It was all about attitude - they punished
us for eating even with the wrong fork.