SALM – Interview

Frosösischer Fläär in unsere Bedrüümdisko. Wir haben das Trüffelschwein in uns wieder ausgepackt und diesmal in Paris nach besonderen Schätzen Ausschau gehalten. Unter der Erde mussten wir da glücklicherweise nicht wühlen, nein, die Modestadt hat es uns einfach gemacht. Als wir nämlich mal wieder mit Kate, Claudia und Karl in der ersten Reihe bei der Chanel Show 2009 saßen blieb uns beim Eröffnungs-Catwalk von Agyness Deyn der Mund offen stehen. Nicht etwa wegen des ohne Frage betörenden Supermodels. Nein. Es waren die Klänge, die sie begleiteten. Eine ganz neuartige musikalische Form von Haute Couture. So, als würde der  Ed Banger Sound mit High Heels und kleinem Schwarzen zum Wiener Opernball flanieren. Das ist hip, SomethingALaMode, absolut. Und wie heißt die Band? PARDON? Genauso: SomethingALaMode, kurz SALM. Das gleichnamige Debütalbum erschien Ende November 2009 und da hat das Trüffelschwein in uns  natürlich vor Freude gegrunzt. Das Bedroomdisco Interview mit den zwei trendigen Burschen von SALM gibt es jetzt. Viel Spaß!

1.) Band facts

Name: SomethingALaMode
– Band members + nicknames: Thomas (violin) , Yannick (Cello)
Founding year: 2006
Residence: Paris, France
– Current album: SomethingALaMode

2.) Questionnaire:

– What is the story behind your band name?
A kind of joke, the fact to say : “let’s say we are A La Mode, more than trying to be”. A way to exonerate from the pressure when composing a track ; and a way to ask the question what is A La mode, and how do you know it ? As Karl says at the beginning of the record “Démodé pas démodé vous savez”, which means  : “on fashion, not on fashion you know…”
– How did you become a band?
We have known each other for more than 15 years, and have played together (orchetras and others formations) for more than 10 years when we become friends.
How would you describe your musical style?
We say its electro with strings which are the instruments we know how to play. It is not classical music with electro or whatever, there is only one cover of a theme of Schubert, it is more, a kind of electro pop album with strings in place of the voices.
– Which musical influences did you have when producing your album?
No direct influence, the music we do is what we know to do : electro and our instruments (cello and violin). In a way, this is why it does not look like anything that already exists. But in term of electro production, we are very respectull towards people like Mirwais, Justice, Daft Punk..
– What is so appealing to you in merging “classical music” with techno?
See above. It was an evidence for us to mix our intruments of always with our taste for electronic music. It’s not classical J !
– How do you produce your tracks? What comes first: beat or the classical elements?
It depends there is the two ways. But most part of the time , we come with a idea of melody, which is also most part of the time already harmonized; so we record the strings and the add beat and bass.
And sometimes, on the contrary, we programm a beat and or a bass and begin jamming on it. And sometimes something comes out !
– Except some few songs, your album is mainly instrumental. Why did you make this aesthetic decision of not/merely not implementing lyrics?
There is three tracks with vocal : Little bit, 5 AM, and easy loving. It is mainly because we can’t sing !! and that we did not want an album with 50 feats like to hide some lacks in our music.
But the main reason is because we hope that the cello and the violin play the role of voices. Even if we know that some people like to hear and sing lyrics.
The first track Rondo Parisiano is featured by Karl Lagerfeld. How did it come to that?
One of our song ended on Karl’s Ipod through our stylist (Olivier Bobin aka Fade ; who dressed lady gaga one month ago at SNL) who works alsa with Michel Gaubert, sound stylist of Chanel among others. Karl loved it and the song was featured on the soundtrack of the defile of January 2009, and then we met KL to discuss the defile in Venice. And we finally found ourselves playing live during the show in may. On the beach of Death in Venice, in front of all the models and people. Such a great experience ! Karl is a really cool person, nice, and extremely cultured.
– 3 top albums of 2009? Why?
Gossip, Music for men. For the whole thing.
Michael Jackson, Dangerous, because it is in the top 3 every year.
Justice, Across the Universe, released in Nov 08, but as they were so in advance…
– Your best personal experience in 2009?
The Chanel Show in Venice in May
– Your plans for 2010?
Tour, meet people and hopefully collaborate with them, think of a second album !
– If you are not making music, what are you doing?
Listening to some.
– What do you associate with Bedroomdisco?
We don’t know, sorry.
– Who did fill out this questionnaire?
The SALMs

Thank you the SALMs for answering our questions!

http://www.myspace.com/somethingalamode
http://www.beatsinternational.com/

Und hier ein Video eines Liveauftritts von SALM im Social Club in Paris in überraschend guter Qualität!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOQFUHSSx6c