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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Risqué
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 20 August 2009
Signed to the legendary, if sometimes controversial, Some Bizarre Records label, which released early material by Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The and Psychic TV, Risqué consists of French vocalist Nathalie Williams and her producer husband Huw. They release their debut album, ‘Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down’ this week. We spoke to Huw and Nathalie to ask our Same Six Questions.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
Huw: I started really early, using Atari computers. I was brought up in a musical family, my parents both taught music in schools. There was always music played in the house, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie… I played percussion in orchestra in North Wales. One day, a friend sold me a bass guitar, a Rickenbacker copy, and showed me the bassline of ‘Barbarism Begins At Home’ by The Smiths. There was no turning back after that. I formed a band immediately.
Nathalie: Huw was playing with the bass from John Carpenter’s ‘Precinct 13’ and asked lots of singers to write something for it, but it didn’t work out. The day he asked me to write on it, it was instant chemistry. This was actually the start of Risqué. It turned out to be our first single ‘Do You Believe In Heaven?’, which was released by Substream in Sweden, and it’s also on our debut album.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Huw: MySpace was a huge inspiration with all the massive talent on it. It’s a fantastic tool for collaborations.
Nathalie: ‘Tie Me Up Tie Me Down’ was inspired by the Pedro Almodovar film of the same name. ‘Atame’ [it’s Spanish title] is one of my favourite films ever – Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas are unforgettable in it – and of course, Huw’s sound. It always creates a feeling which makes me think of something, a memory or just something I feel like talking about.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
Huw: I have many ways of working, but my true passion is drums. I love drums and bass. I generally start with these elements using my Music Man bass guitar or my Roland System 100 modular synth. I’m a big fan of analogue synths for bass – I’ve been obsessed with bass from an early age.
Nathalie: I work alone on the first melody lines and suggest them to Huw. After that, it’s a joint effort, a series of exchanges and shared reflections. We’re so lucky we’ve got this connection and creativity to share together.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Huw: I love Sinatra, Giorgio Moroder, Serge Gainsbourg, Link Wray, Suicide, Death In Vegas, The Cramps, early New Order. Current artists include Sexy Sushi, Kap Bambino and The Ravonettes. And I’m also still a huge fan of The Smiths. ‘Screamadelica’ by Primal Scream changed my world too. And of course Depeche Mode – Martin Gore’s songwriting rocks (‘Personal Jesus’ is true genius!).
Nathalie: We’ve got more or less the same taste in music. I’d add dark singers like Johnny Cash and Trent Reznor. I also love poets like Baudelaire, writers like Kundera, and of course directors like Pedro Almodovar, and many many more… I love artists who are provocative, imaginative and unconventional.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Huw: Keep an open mind! There’s a lot of influences in there from Kraftwerk, John Carpenter to Talking Heads. There’s something for everyone on our debut album, it’s a culmination of years of personal experience. I’m proud of the record, proud of what Nathalie and I have achieved so far with Risqué.
Nathalie: Don’t believe anything you see or hear. These songs are about love, etiquette, pain, sex …or about what you want them to be about. ‘Tie Me Up Tie Me Down’ is a romantic story in my mind.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
Huw: We hope Some Bizarre will arrange a label tour in the UK to help launch our record and promote the return of the legendary label. It’s time for a Some Bizarre Records comeback for sure! We are also playing some great venues around Europe this winter, including Wasteland Party (Amsterdam), Recession Festival (Arhus, Denmark) and one of our favourite clubs, The Saturator (Warsaw, Poland). We have also started on ideas for our second album and would love to collaborate with more artists and also bring new producers to the table. We’re very excited about our new ideas.
MORE>> www.myspace.com/risquemusicbarcelona
