It is 31 of March 1718. The electronic duo Justice has just travelled in time, roaming in Naples looking for an inspiration, when they hear Domenico Scarlatti working on his latest keyboard sonata. Now that they have what they need they sadly realise that their time machine car is broken. All they can do is to send their idea back in present. They just need someone to implement it. His name? Strange Dusk!
- Please introduce yourself
Hi, I’m Strange Dusk! I come from a thick fog, in the North-West of France. I am an electronic music producer, but I try to join and combine different music genres.
I started to compose music in 2013, but my first album will be out this year, in 2020. My universe is very dark and pessimistic, but I only want peace and equality on earth. I guess my energy comes from the fact that I’m quite angry at the world for being such an unfair place to live in.Ironically, behind the mask hides a very positive and cheerful soul, who loves to share good music and lame jokes.
- Describe your sound in 3 words
I would say… Dark, mysterious, and angry.
- The intro feels like a baroque harpsichord piece. Do you have any classical influences? And which are your major music influences in general?
Yes ! Baroque is, indeed, a style that I love, because it feels solemn, loaded and grim at the same time. However, I can’t say that I have a lot of classical influences. I do listen to Bach, Bartók or Mozart every once in a while, but I really come from rock and hardrock music. I later discovered electronic music, techno – when I was a teenager – and, later, metal. So, I guess that, if you mixed those together, you would get something similar to what I would make. Of course, I’m probably influenced by French Touch, and Daft Punk and Justice are two of my favourite bands, but I can’t say I draw anything on that.
When I compose, I am more inspired by bands like The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Igorrr, Phuture Doom, GosT, The Prodigy… And you can definitely tell that they like rock music. I also love Danger and Lorn, because their creations are really cinematographic – and I think we have that in common. I studied cinema, and I’m always wanting to tell a story when I write something down. To me, a track is like a scene, an album is like a movie.
- If you had to choose one Synthesizer (analog or digital) which one would it be?
I’m not really a “geek” regarding synthesizers, but I know I like when it feels heavy and dirty… I’m into electric guitars, for the same reason. In terms of VST, I’m using Serum (a whole bunch of violent and brutal VSTs) and Diva (I found love in its filtered polysynths that remind me of the 80’s sounds)… but I don’t give so much importance to the tone in the first place. The main thing for me is to get it completely sizzled and crackled, and for that I use some saturators, distortion pedals, noisy effects… and basically anything that makes me think of an electric guitar.
- Do you consider your music club driven? In which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
No, not really. Though, I know that my music is made for headbangers. This is one of my goal when I compose something. If it’s good, I won’t be able to stand still. I’m litteraly forced to dance. So yeah, it’s dance music, I guess. But it’s not club-shaped, it’s not commercial enough, it’s too dark, too gloomy… In France, clubs won’t allow to play tracks like these. I find it quite sad, but I never go to clubs for that reason. I hate the majority of what they would play, drinks are too expensive, and people are not there to listen to good music anyway. They’re there to have fun, get drunk, make out… It’s just my opinion, and I have already been in really good clubs – in Berlin especially. But even there, what rules is house/techno music. I love it, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like there’s too many codes to respect, and not enough freedom in terms of composition. It’s always very clean, steady, repetitive. Anyway, when you go to a club in Berlin, you stay inside for a long time. All night, all day, the whole week-end if you feel like it. You wouldn’t be able to dance that long if the music was similar to what I do. It would be too violent, too heavy, too exhausting… for you, and for the musician! When I play for one hour, one hour and a half, it is already very tiring for me. I’m just screaming, jumping everywhere and trying to make people do the same. I would rather play in a very sweaty rave than in a club. If you want to have a good “Strange Dusk experience”, you have to come to see me live, on a gig, a festival… anything but a club. You don’t have to be drunk or anything, but you have to be in the mood for something intense. If you are angry at the world and you want to shout it all loud and dance until you have forgotten everything, you’re going to love it.
- If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be?
I feel like the music industry is too much about networking, and not enough about music quality anymore. You can make shitty music and be a star because you have the good friends. But if you’re no one, even if your music is fantastic, you will stay… no one. I hate the star system.Everything is always about money. Today, you are not allowed to write anything that doesn’t sound like something people already know, that would be too risky. These are, to me, the major problems of today’s music industry. Well, it’s an… industry. Everything is said!
- Which book should we read while listening to your music?
I love that question! That would be something scary or depressing, like any Stephen King novel. Or maybe a comic book, but a very dark one. Take anything from Mike Mignola’s work, for example ! That should put you in a strange mood… ready for the night to come!
- One last thing we should know about you?
I am very politically committed to end social disparities. I hate power abuses, and I hate how every man with a necktie lies to us. I am more of an anarchist, and I dream of a global Revolution. I hope someday mankind will understand that nature is the most important thing, and that we have to preserve it. Money, wars and religions have done nothing but destroy it, slowly, for centuries and centuries. I think now is the time for our generation to end this – or at least, try hard to. My first album, “The gathering”, is about that thematic: once we are gathered for good, nothing will stop us. We just have to think again about how our whole world works, understand our errors, and start again from the beggining – with heart, ethics and common sense. Earth is our craddle, let’s not make it our grave…
Also, stay tuned for the upcoming album! There will also be some news during this summer… So don’t miss it!
- Thank you Strange Dusk!
https://facebook.com/strangedusk/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrezr-0Ff7cXMGgTE1S5Pmw
https://open.spotify.com/artist/22e75uA4ldqnTTndLJ8eFl?si=5ZHEXoSkTaetZTut3tasQA
https://soundcloud.com/strangedusk
https://www.instagram.com/strange.dusk/
http://www.deezer.com/artist/67279502
https://strangedusk.bandcamp.com
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