Millimetric - I am not a big fan of Depeche Mode so I've chosen DAF!

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10 May, 2009 [ Views: 28750 ]

Millimetric - I am not a big fan of Depeche Mode so I've chosen DAF!
Millimetric is the solo-project of the François-Xavier Michel. This French musician hailing from Marseilles has been involved in previous projects like Digital Blood and Binärcode. That was already a while ago, but F.X. Michel went on with music resulting in a fresh solo-project where he could exorcise all musical ideas he got in mind. Millimetric released a few EP's, but never got the deserved recognition. The official debut-album "Expériences Modernes" is one of the best experiences in EBM I'd in years. The mix of good-old EBM influences and technoid elements is simply close to perfection! Several real famous artists like The Hacker and The Horrorist contributed to this production! This album is more than a revelation, it's a groundbreaking release for all lovers of contemporary EBM! (By Stéphane Froidcoeur)

SL: After several vinyl releases "Expériences Modernes" is your first album on cd format under the Millimetric-moniker! How does it feel and why did it take that long before the release of a cd?

M: "Experiences Modernes" has been delayed because I had a lot of work on live acts, remixes and EP's. It took two long years to finalize the album and one year to find a serious label. Now I am very happy with the result. For information, Niko (Nuwerk, ex Asphyx Squad) did an excellent work during the mastering studio sessions.

SL: How does it feel to release a cd in times where some people affirm that the cd-format will disappear very soon? In which way do you feel concerned with this evolution?

M: I always bought vinyls and cd's and for me it's very important to have my tracks on a cd. I know that I am a little bit fetishist on that! With M-Tronic and Laurent Le Fers (label manager) we have chosen to release this album in MP3 format as well. Cd's and/or MP3; It's not a problem, people can choose...

SL: How would you define and describe Millimetric to people who don't know you yet?

M: Electronic music?

SL: I read on your homepage that you started with electronic music in 1988! Tell us a bit more about your background and evolution as musician?

M: Yes, together with a friend I started composing electronic music when I was sixteen years old. We began with a Roland Juno2, a Korg Poly 800, a TR505 drum machine and we used to record our tracks on the old tape recorder of my father. It sounded like electronic experimental techno pop music. (One confidence: we used to make music to catch girls at school!!) After being involved in several bands, I created Digital Blood with another friend. Our influences were more underground, experimental and industrial (Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy, Second Communication, DRP,..).

SL: In your opinion what have been the main evolutions in composing music between the 80s and today?

M: In the 80's I think that capacities of music and machines were more explored than today. We had less instruments (it was very expansive) but experimentation and creations were deeper and more complete.

SL: You've been involved in Digital Blood (signed on Boredom Product). How do you look back on these experiences and what did you finally move away from this band?

M: Digital Blood and Binärcode have been real good experiences. With our gas masks we were young idealists, but things change and people as well. After 6 years of existence, I was fed up with the same sound and Edw was less and less implicated by our project, so we decided to stop Digital Blood. For Binärcode it was very interesting to work with my friend Jake. But distances between France and UK were too big and we stop it as well. I think that this project was the first step to the Millimetric sound (cf. "Anorexia"-track).

SL: What kind of music did you have in mind when setting up Millimetric?

M: I was listening to a lot of danceable minimal stuff like New Beat, Hard Beat and vintage EBM. The main aim was to create a danceable underground sound: Cold and Energetic! I wanted to make basic tracks, not with a lot of sounds as we did for Digital Blood.

SL: What does the term EBM evoke to you and in, which way do you think it's related to the sound of Millimetric?

M: EBM represents a big part of my influences. I am still listening to the first albums of Front 242, SA42, Nitzer Ebb, Front Line Assembly, Force Dimension, DRP�. I don't know if my sound is really EBM-like because for techno fans it sounds EBM and for underground people Millimetric sounds more 'techno'.

SL: What kind of impact does techno music (and related genres) has to your music?

M: I think that the structure of some tracks is compatible to the dancefloor because of techno music. It's my 'happy' dark side.

SL: Where does the name Millimetric comes from?

M: From nowhere�

SL: In which way do you feel related to the music of artists like The Horrorist, Terence Fixmer, The Hacker and Adam X?

M: I think we are all making underground danceable music, it's federating.

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SL: Talking about those artists I personally experience your music as being much more elaborated and diversified in sound! Tell us a bit more about your way of working?

M: Well inspiration usually comes through words, pictures, movies or events. I power up my machines, start with a bass line and a basic rhythm, add a lot of synthetic and noise sequences and keep the best ones.

SL: What did you keep in mind from the writing of "Expériences Modernes"?

M: I wanted futurism to coexist with nostalgia from the past: analogical sounds with digital ones and I was amazed to see that my Korg MS20 (vintage synthesizer from the 80's) could be controlled by a powerful laptop full of new technologies: this is "Expériences Modernes".

SL: How did the collaborations with the different artists came true?

M: I really love the work of the artists I have invited on "Experiences Modernes". I have send them instrumental tracks and they said OK! It happened differently with The Hacker. I was in Grenoble and we decided to make a track. I remember that we were in his living room, a MS20 on a chair and a computer on a table and that we wanted to make an industrial track to sound as Haus Arafna. We didn't make it (too difficult for us!!) but we did another track: "Escape From Camp 81".

SL: I didn't exactly expect a featuring with Martin Dupont so what did you motivate to set up collaboration with this artist?

M: Martin Dupont is a band from my city: Marseilles. In the 80s, they were very famous and well known by underground listeners. Regarding electronic music they were avant-garde. I never heard a band sounding like Martin Dupont. My sound has been really influenced by their works. For the song "Words And Silence" I wanted to make a track near one from their first album "Just Because". During the record sessions, I was very impressed by their professionalism.

SL: Just imagine you could choose one real big artist to work with! Who would you choose and why?

M: Waow, your question is very difficult. Maybe if I had the opportunity I would have played in Liaisons Dangereuses in 1981. For their punk minimal electronic music.

SL: The song "Will Ever Fall Here Again" (featuring The Horrorist) sounds like evoking the "Geography" period from Front 242! Tell us a bit more about the content of this song?

M: According to me the album "Geography" is their best one. Sequences, noises, voices, mix, everything is good. When I played for the 25th birthday of Front 242 in Brussels, I met Daniel B and it was a pleasure to talk with him about the construction of the album "Geography"! Recently a journalist from the German magazine "Sonic Seducer" told me that "Will Ever Fall Here Again" was a big hit in Berliner clubs. I really love this track and Oliver, from The Horrorist, did a real good job. It's one of my favourite tracks too. The sound is very minimal, analogical and Oliver voice's is full of digital effects. This track is very representative for "Expériences Modernes".

SL: I've been always really impressed by the power of your deep and dry bass lines. What kind of equipment do you use here and what's the importance of a bass line?

M: In studio I use vintage synthesizers as MS 20, MS 50, Yamaha CS 30 and CS 60�some software's synthesizers, vintage effects: Space Echo, Stage Echo�and some machines from the 90's. As I said I've been very influenced by EBM and in my tracks, bass lines have a very important place. For me it's very difficult to make music without a 'patator' bass line!!

SL: You clearly like working with good-old analogue synths! How comes and what do you think about all digital software?

M: Some of the digital software is really good (I think of some emulation of old vintage machines). I use some software, but for me it's easier to work with 'hardware' machines.

SL: I was a bit surprised to find Severed Heads among your influences! What did you like in their work?

M: I am a big fan of Tom Ellard and the work of Severed Heads. What I like is his experimentation in the first albums (tape sampler, loops and minimalism). One of my favourite tracks is "Adolf A Carott".

SL: You recently made a cover version of DAF's "Coco Pino" for a French tribute to Mute. Why this band and song and how was it working on this cover version?

M: I am not a big fan of Depeche Mode so I've chosen DAF! For me, DAF represents one the most important base of electronic body music. I always loved this track! "Coco Pino" sounds very punk and minimal. Sequences from the MS 20 are very repetitive, Gabi Delgado shout, the drums are not correctly synchronized.. For the cover; I have only used the main sequence and I've asked to Pedro from HIV+ to sing on it.

SL: You made an impressive number of remixes for real big and renowned artists. How is it working on a remix and how do you proceed?

M: I did a lot remixes, but only two of my tracks have been remixed (by Oxia and David Carretta). My favourite remixes are them for Ionic Vision, Neon Judgement and for Trisomie 21. When I work on a remix, I don't want to do a copy / paste of the original track. It doesn't make sense. So I only use some of original elements as voice, noises, main sequences. I think that bands are very surprised to hear a new orientation to their original track.

SL: What can we expect from further live performances?

M: A new bombastic live-act with new tracks�

SL: To conclude, any essential news to share with us?

M: David Carretta is now working on a remix of the track "Smoking Kills". I am working on remixes for several bands and we are preparing an European tour.

Band: www.millimetric.com / www.myspace.com/millimetrique
Label: www.m-tronic.com / www.myspace.com/mtroniclabel