IEM: First, could you tell me about background of your musical career? When and why you get the feeling want to be a musician? What kind of impressions and influences has been ruled over you in childhood and adolescence?

J.A.: I thought I had to be a musician when I was 8. My father was ab organist, and he gave me piano lessons.When I began to play whole tracks, I realised I wasn't satisfied with playing someone else's music. My father used to play piano very often, his own improvisations. This is the reason why I didn't listen to lots of records as long as he was alive : only a couple of Beethoven's symphonies, and popular music from the 50's. Later, I discovered old progressive bands, and in 1983 I was astonished by Chrome's "Raining Milk". This was the most impressive thing I never heard, and I'm still fond of their music.

IEM: "Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites" - what is the meaning behind this title?

J.A.: There is no meaning, it's just ironical. "N.L.C." refers to the NL Centrum, A concert place in the Netherlands. "New" and "Cosmopolitan" are two words we choose cos they were at the opposite of our early action (very dark and confidential). The name NLC comes in fact from a company called "new cosmopolitan buildings", that was a really silly name indeed, that's why we liked it.

IEM: Are you agree with notion, that there are something common between french bands in the realm of sensual expression? When we read in the distributor catalogue something like "naive music", the first thing that comes to mind are such bands as NLC, P.Comelade, Klimperei, Leitmotiv... But the same thing is with french electroacoustic music which is associated with many composers, known as classic of the genre. The music has certain national properties, with no exception for any musical styles.

J.A.: Well, I think it's partly due to culture, and also to the way you work. Methods, time, application, patience are closely linked with your culture. But as far as I'm concerned, I don't have many relations with other bands, and I haven't enough time to listen to music. In fact, when I'm not composing, I enjoy silence a lot (but my children don't share the same point of view).

IEM: As I wrote, sincerity and sensuality are the highlights of NLC work. It seems to me, that it reflects the best parts of your personality. Do you have the fixed themes that you try to express through music or it's just peaceful tunes that resonate within your soul?

J.A.: I'm not trying to express anything, I just try to create something of interest for myself. All my work is very egocentric, and consists in playing with sounds and concepts. This is the most important : it's only a game... But it's also very personal : I just put all my present moods in the music, trying to be sincere, just like a diary...

IEM: There are some myths that exists between your albums. Who is Kha and what the visions he has (excuse for the dilettante question)? What was the idea of suite "Le Lieu Noir", Oikema trilogy and "Clean"- "Unclean" pair?

J.A.: KHA is a reference to the egyptian KA, maybe the etheral part of man, his soul, which or who leaves the corpse after death. I added a "H" because of his geometry (the separation) and his phonetical transparence. The extension of this idea was to explain that everyone has a multi-sided personality, and the conscience of each aspect of it may appear as a "Vision". So, I decided to describe some visions I had, each one named with a different colour. The suite "Le Lieu Noir" was created to compile a lot of unreleased tracks I had, and which seemed not really achieved. I liked them, but (just as for "Incandescent") I wanted to release them without working again on them. The "Oikema" trilogy deals with erotism, so it was important to use the concept of a trilogy, which is a false one (parts 1 & 3 are short, whereas part 2 is a full-length CD. I will release part 1 & 3 (re-recorded) as one single CD in January). This leads to a trilogy, which is in fact a double-CD. This ambiguity symbolizes the fecondity, the first child in a family (from 2 to 3, or the magical number 23). The "Clean-Unclean" pair was another schizoid side of my production. I always have composed very different kinds of tracks. Some of them were more confidential : that's why I decided to release two separate CDs, but with some links between them, so I couldn't be taxed of manicheism, and to show that it was in fact the same music, because the composer was the same. After this, I released a lot of confidential tracks on vinyl : this became the "Le Lieu Noir" suite.

IEM: When I wrote to you this sentence - "Incandescent Perfection", I didn't meant the direct description of your music with these words. I think, that every man had the moments in his life, when he just realizes, that he is wrong, his principles needs to be re-evaluated, his aims are false. In other words, he is turning his attention to higher values, and feeling sad, but it is light sadness. The same thing happen, when the people listen your music - it enthrall and ennoble them, it looks incandescent for their mind, and they start to think about the sense of perfection. What is yor own perception of perfection and are here any links with your "Incandescent" album?

J.A.: Well, I think that what you're describing here is in fact what I called the "visions of Kha" : you're not only the one you believed, you're not only the one the others thought you were, but you're more than this... The conscience of this reality may be very disturbing of course, but it's also a great chance. And there is my perception of perfection : a time when you can leave in peace with all your angels and demons, whithout any conflict, just by accepting all sides of your personality. I think all my albums are linked with this idea. The meaning of "Incandescent" is "burning from the inside" , i.e. I'm alive, I'm more than one and we're burning together.

IEM: In your interview for french zine "Ellipse" you stated, that you use electronic instruments instead real orchestral arrangements because of lack of money. On the contrary, I think that the electronic sound is more flexible and can offer more creative freedom for composer. If your piece "Random Feelengs" will be performed by real chamber orchestra, it will lost many dramatic moments that are supported with electronic treatment. But maybe my opinion is very subjective, because I'm lover of electronic sound. What you think about compatibility of classical and electronic music?

J.A.: I don't think they are very different, maybe they're able to cohabit very well... But I like a lot the sound of a real string or wind instrument, and the freedom you have when you play such an instrument. It's so spontaneous... Electronic music may be very powerful, very creative, but it's a lot of work, and not so direct for the composer. A piece such as "Random Feelings" is entirely built on electronic treatments, so this kind of track couldn't be played at all with a real chamber orchestra. Since last year, I'm trying to mix all this together : I'm now working with a lot of instrumentists, and on the other hand, my computers are more and more powerful, and electronic treatments become easier and easier. So I sincerely believe in the compatibility of classical and electronic music.

IEM: You are not so active in collaboration work, and I can say that NLC is one-man project. Many musicians' names can be found in the liner notes of CD's, but they're all just help you to record some pieces. The only collaboration on my mind was "Drame cerebral/Angels of Oikema" with Leitmotiv and Olga Zimovets. It's of more great interest for me because there are really few musicians who collaborates with russian artists. What is the background of this work?

J.A.: As I said before, I'm now working with many instrumentists, since "ASD 002, the Cereal Killer", and especially for "Moon", the forthcoming CD. But NLC is a solo project, that's right. The first time I met with Frédéric from LEITMOTIV, in 1992, during my former radio show in Nancy, it seemed obvious we had to work together. Olga Zimovets contacted our distributor a few weeks after, she was looking for a neo-classical composer in the area. As we were quite alone to do such kind of music, we met and worked together. Olga used to be a great star in St Petersbourg, but she lost everything as she came in France. So, she wanted to have a recording with her voice, as a "visit card". It was a real pleasure to work with her, and she asked his brother, who was still in Russia, to do the cover painting for the first edition of the split CD.

IEM: Concerning your label EDT: as I can assume, you are running it with only purpose - to release your own albums without problems, that exists when you are bound with other labels? Speaking on financial side of this, how easy it is to manage own label, how successful is this effort (I'm sure that it is, because you are very prolific last couple of years)? You never tried to sign other bands on EDT? There was a compilation CD "A Drop In The Ocean"...

J.A.: If you really want to know about this, it's not very successfull. We're selling very few records, they're quite difficult to find in shops, and I don't do any promotion. But running my own label is the only way to be totally free. As soon as we have a little money, we release a record : that's the only purpose for EDT ! And of course, I do not live from my music. We rarely sign other bands, it's not our job : we wouldn't be able to offer them a good work. Anyway, I'll release in January 2000 the new Leitmotiv compilation. Next year, I'll be less busy with my job, so I'll take more time for music...

IEM: In the modern world there are many reasons for people to drown in their loneliness and inward dreams. The role of music is to re-create the imaginary world where the verbal conversation is replaced with subconscious energy-exchange. The pieces of NLC looks like portraits of certain life-episodes or spiritual experience, which are all different, but always friendly and close to the listener. This is my impressions. Do you like an idea to communicate with the listeners, to share with them your sorrows and joys?

J.A.: Well, that's the only reason for which the records are released. My music is purely personal, I just put all my present feelings and moods into it, and the listeners may feel close to these sounds when they think they know what they mean, i.e. when the music reminds them particular moments. And when people write me and describe me their impressions, that is a real great moment for me, this is why I always go on to compose.

IEM: Do you ever wont to incorporate your music into more global projects like cinema, installations, other art forms?

J.A.: If I had time, I'll certainly do... Well, it depends on the people you meet, and on so much other things... But I don't agree with the actual fashion of "multimedia art" : listening to music requires concentration, and seing pictures or films may disturb you, distort your perception... So, I'm not verykeen on working on global projects... But who knows ?

IEM: An slightly unexpected question: many of your albums have an astonishing artwork. I even thought that I've missed something when I saw the drawing on the "Incandescent" CD - the upside-down cross make me think about black-metal band. What is the aim of this shock imagery? Other (especially early) works looks like there was the artwork first, and then the music appeared - i.e. the sculpture which we can see on "Lost Sand Divinities" CD inlay card, or the legendary "Schizolithe"concrete-triangle...

J.A.: There is a lot of irony in NLC's sleeves and titles (and music too, of course). From upside-down crosses, cranes to flying pigs and cows... I just like to play with imagery, cos it's necessary. The meaning of a symbol depends on the time, the place, the culture... And medias use so much symbols nowadays, they don't have any sense at all... All the imagery I use is, at a certain moment, interesting for me, but it's just intuitive, it hasn't any deeper meaning. And it's always ironical, for example the cross on "Incandescent" was a reaction against lots of bands that used this symbol only in order to impress their fans...

IEM: What is your opinion on Franz Schubert sentence "the good music should be always sad"? What do you think about obscure music scene of today? There are many movements and genres that explores the dark sides of human being, and even the title of your label speaks for itself...

J.A.: I agree with this sentence. Emotion is always linked with sadness, even pleasure is the son of pain, and may make you weep. But I think most of obscure music bands take them a little bit too "seriously". I don't think I'm exploring the dark sides of the human being : I'm just trying to keep my music very close to life itself : neither happy, nor sad, just some big "melting pot" of emotions. I'm trying not to hide any part or me... And now EDT doesn't mean anymore "l'Encyclopédie Des Tenebres", but "l'Empreinte Du Tyrannausaure", which means "Mark of the T. Rex". Another schizoid symptom.

IEM: Any closing words and wishes for russian fans?

J.A.: I would be glad if my music could be easily found in your country... And every support and enhancement from this country is very important for me, because I know about the importance of work , quality and excellence in your culture. Anyway, I thank everyone who's interested in NLC, and I'll try to do my best.

N.L.C. a vu le jour en Juillet 1989, lors de ma première rencontre avec Angustère. Nous avions beaucoup de goûts musicaux communs et avions tous deux envie de diffuser nos compositions. Nous avons commencé à collaborer en unissant nos faibles moyens : un vieux Mirage, un quatre pistes K7 et un petit synthé Yamaha YS 200. Nous avons par la suite acquis un DAT portable et réalisé beaucoup d’ enregistrements dans des lieux publics (jardins, parcs de loisirs, tunnels, gares...) et réutilisés ces instantanés sonores dans nos travaux. Notre facon de travailler était totalement intuitive, nous ne nous fixions aucune règle, aucun but, et n’avions pas d’autre critère de sélection pour la diffusion de nos travaux que le souci que ceux-ci nous plaisent. A la fin de l’année 1990, Angustère décida de cesser ses activités de composition pour se consacrer à l’organisation de notre festival de musique expérimentale, “Futur Intérieur”, ainsi qu’à nos activités radiophoniques.
Après un CD solo, je repris le nom N.L.C. pour poursuivre mes travaux non plus en solo, mais sous la forme d’un projet à personnel variable, où chaque participant apporterait un peu de soi et participerait activement à la composition. Au fur et à mesure des expériences et au gré des albums, je finis par acquérir une méthode de travail, et depuis ce temps je me bats pour ne pas en devenir dépendant : c’est le drame de tous les autodidactes. Heureusement, l’évolution des technologies apporte beaucoup aux amateurs comme moi, et surtout permet d’avoir au moins les moyens nécessaires à un certain renouvellement. Le danger de ces nouvelles technologies est qu’elles favorisent l’oisiveté et on risque fort souvent de sombrer dans la facilité... Il faut rester très vigilant pour savoir éviter une certaine standardisation, qui pourrait faire dire par les connaisseurs “voilà quelqu’un qui utilise bien tel logiciel” alors qu’on aimerait entendre “voilà quelqu’un qui sait composer quelque chose qui me parle...”. C’est pourquoi depuis quelques albums, je tente de privilégier les parties acoustiques et le nombre d’intervenants, de façon à pouvoir enrichir mes connaissances et mes travaux. Je pense avoir réussi à garder une certaine spontanéité dans mon travail, notamment en interdisant aux musiciens de multiplier les prises de son, et aussi en conservant mon indépendance grâce à la poursuite des autoproductions, tout en accroîssant encore la maîtrise de la chaîne de production. En effet, je me suis formé au prémastering et mon épouse réalise maintenant tous les travaux graphiques : c’est bien agréable de ne plus avoir d’imprévus, de censure extérieure à subir ou de concessions à faire. Voilà l’état des lieux pour N.L.C. actuellement.
Le CD qui vient de sortir est un travail de plus d’un an. Il y a dix-huit personnes qui ont joué,chanté ou parlé dans ce disque et je pense que c’est un album très accessible. Fini les collages sonores et les longues plages : quinze titres concis et maintes fois travaillés... et pourtant je pense que c’est un album très spontané. S’il y a quelque chose que je retiens de ces onze années d’aventures avec N.L.C., c’est que le travail n’est pas un obstacle à la créativité, au contraire... et que l’on ne peut longtemps s’en passer !

Sur l’avant-dernier album en date, “The Cereal Killer”, vous aviez semblé prendre le parti de travailler les compositions davantage sur la longueur, est-ce une nouvelle direction?

Non. En fait, ce ne sont pas les compositions mais le mixage et le montage qui sont travaillés sur la longueur. Si tu regardes bien, ou plutôt si tu écoutes attentivement, les parties mélodiques structurées ne dépassent que rarement les trois minutes, puis il y a un break et le thème change. Sur “Moon”, il y a bien plus de titres, tous assez courts. Le travail est beaucoup plus axé sur les arrangements mélodiques, l’instrumentation, les voix et les rythmes. C’est assez différent d’ASD 002 qui utilisait certes déjà pas mal de vrais instruments joués, mais noyés par le travail de mixage et le montage. Pour “Moon”, c’est beaucoup plus direct, plus percutant... Et en cela plus proche de ce que la majorité des gens ont l’habitude d’entendre, car la structure musicale est assez proche de celle d’un vrai groupe, avec quatre ou cinq instrumentistes... Mais cela reste quand même du N.L.C.!!

Le titre de cet album, était assurément pour toi une référence à heureux évènement, était-il également quelque part un trait ironique adressé à une certaine mouvance industrielle?

ASD 002 a été en effet l’occasion de célébrer l’arrivée dans la tribu d’un deuxiéme “Agent Spécial”. Mais, il n’y avait pas d’autre allusion, sinon qu’à l’époque j’avais pour manie de me gaver de céréales... C’était donc moi le Céréal Killer!

NLC avait jusque là l’habitude de mêler aux plages mélodiques des moments plus bruitistes/industriels, ces derniers ont désormais disparus, pourquoi?

Je ne suis pas d’accord : il y a quantité de moments bruitistes sur ASD 002, à tel point que certains me l’ont reproché (gentiment, bien sûr...). Par contre, il y en a très peu sur “Moon”, où l’expérimentation est présente sous d’autres formes... Ce n’est pas un renoncement, juste une manière de travailler un peu différente. Je ne veux surtout pas me figer dans ma manière de composer, déjà que je sors pas mal de disques, j’ai besoin de renouveler sans cesse mes inspirations, et donc de travailler de manières différentes et avec des gens différents, ou bien renouer d’anciennes collaborations (Frédéric Bailly est revenu pour “Moon”) car les gens autour de moi évoluent aussi assez vite et retravailler avec eux recrée souvent des déclics enrichissants. Il y aura prochainement un CD composé exclusivement de plages ambiantes très longues, probablement le deuxième album solo de Julien ASH!!

Comment se déroulent les enregistrements avec la multiplication des collaborateurs?

Difficilement : cela n’avance pas! C’est très dur de réunir tout ce petit monde car chacun a ses obligations professionnelles (dans le domaine de la musique ou dans de tout autres domaines) et une vie familiale, et c’est d’autant plus dur que comme les occasions sont rares, il “faut” être tous créatifs en même temps pour que cela marche!! N.L.C. est un collectif qui fonctionne dans l’urgence, avec très peu de moyens. La règle : ne rien préméditer, laisser le maximum de place à l’improvisation, à la spontanéité. Chacun travaille bénévolement, pour essayer d’avoir une trace de cet “amateurisme”, de la passion qui nous anime sur les enregistrements. Cela prend donc pas mal de temps enfin disons que les séances sont très espacées... Mais quelle récompense quand le courant passe... J’espère que cela se ressentira à l’écoute de “Moon”!

Apportes-tu une attention particulière aux samples ou extraits vocaux intégrés au compositions?

Oui. Mais d’abord une précision : je travaille de moins en moins avec le sampling, et de plus en plus comme les reporters : je fais des découpages avec les voix que je récupère, ou bien parfois des collaborateurs viennent intervenir sur les musiques, en “direct”. Il va y avoir de plus en plus d’interventions vocales : une bonne partie de “Moon” utilise voix et chants, de façon à créer un univers propre, infantile et intemporel. C’est un concept-album. Mais, cela dépend surtout des rencontres, et donc la présence de vois sur mes musiques est presque le fruit du hasard! Souvent les voix sont enregistrées totalement indépendemment de la musique, puis le morceau est construit à partir des voix. Ceci est, je pense, assez peu conventionnel... Mais, ce n’est pas un besoin : la voix est un son souvent intéressant, parfois aussi gênant car très “directif”, et qui laisse souvent assez peu de liberté d’interprétation, car elle donne beaucoup d’indications et de références culturelles.

La musique de N.L.C. doit-elle être perçue comme “cérébrale” ou “spontanée”?

Je ne sais pas trop comment elle est perçue... Je pense qu’il y a des deux... De mon côté, je dirais qu’elle est spontanée donc forcément cérébrale : cela se rapproche de l’écriture automatique : on tend à essayer de se décharger au maximum des conventions, de la réflexion pour donner libre cours à son intuition...

Quelles sont les technologies musicales qui t’ont marquées?

Cela n’est un scoop pour personne, mais la révolution numérique offre des possibilités incomparables pour tous les bricoleurs et bidouilleurs de mon genre, incapables de faire vibrer une guitare ou d’accompagner un autre instrumentiste, mais qui ont néanmoins envie de faire partager certaines choses. Je ne considère pas ma musique comme foncièrement intéressante, mais je ne cherche pas à l’imposer, et chaque personne qu’elle me fait connaître un petit peu m’apporte beaucoup... Ceci dit, j’utilise le numérique uniquement pour rassembler et monter des sons, je ne travaille pas ou peu sur des sons ou fichiers existants. Cela c’est plutôt dangereux... Le gros problème des nouvelles technologies, c’est qu’on peut maintenant discuter avec le monde entier en étant tout seul dans son coin, et je pense que cela va apporter pas mal de pathologies dans les années à venir... Les psychiatres vont avoir du boulot...

Septembre 2000

Q: When I first heard the music of NLC it seemed very different in concept and sound than any other music I had heard. What were the original rock or other musical artists that you listened to and liked in the beginning?

A: My favorite musicians at the time I founded NLC were Chrome, Coil, Again, Schubert, Bach, Legendary Pink Dots, Pink Floyd, Nurse with Wound and Thomas Kenner. The only concept was freedom; the sound was what we were able to do with our old sampler and a four-track tape recorder.

Q: Did any of these early favorites influence the style of NLC directly in your opinion?

A: Yes, I liked a lot Coil's moods and the melodic side of Pink Floyd and the Legendary Pink Dots. I think they influenced NLC's music directly, but as I said before, I didn't want to do any particular style of music, because I had not enough material to look like another real musician...

Q: When was the first production by NLC released?

A: Our first release was the CD single "Lost Sand Divinities" in May 1990. This release was quite a miracle, because we only wanted to record a tape, and as we had a friend running a label, he proposed to do a CD. It sold about 1,000 copies, that's the reason why I'm still doing music: not for money of course, but because some people seemed to like it.

Q: How did you decide on the name Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites?

A: When NLC started, we were two (Angustère and myself). The name comes from a local company called "Nouvelles Constructions Cosmopolites", that was quite a silly name we thought. So we called the "band" NLC, because of the NLCentrum, which was a great Dutch concert place, where a lot of our favorite bands played before.

Q: Can you translate that into English?

A: The meaning is something like "new cosmopolitan readings", that's still silly indeed!

Q: Is NLC a "group project", or more specifically your own unique musical vision?

A: Angustère left just after the double-tape boxed set "Période Taoïste", in December 1990. I released a solo album called "Incandescent", because he didn't know about his relation with music and composition at this time, and after he said he wasn't interested anymore in music, so as the solo album had a little success too, I decided to go on and call my solo project NLC. But everyone interested may bring sounds and ideas, so it's not really my own vision of music. A lot of people have collaborated during all these years!

Q: The music seems a fusion of many different styles and ideas. Do you think there are any specific modern musicians who influenced the music of NLC?

A: sure, there are. A musician is like a medium: He just re-writes what he had felt or heard before. That's why I think the music of NLC is not mine, the best thing that may happen to this music is to be "stolen" again and again... And that's why I'm against copyrighting. If it were MY own music, nobody would have liked it.

Q: The music also seems to have gone through some changes over the years. Did you change your conceptual ideas for the music during this time?

A: No. My material has changed. I met different people. I had children... And I don't have any real concept about music!

Q: Can you give a list of all the productions done by NLC over the years?

Part I: Compact Discs

LOST SAND DIVINITIES (1990), INCANDESCENT (J. ASH) (1991), VESTIGES (1992)

ALLEGRO VIVACE (1993), ANGELS OF OÏKEMA (1993), SPIRITUS REX (1994)

SECRET OF OÏKEMA (1994), CLEAN (1995), UNCLEAN (1995)

UNIS (1996), LE SANG DE LA LICORNE (1997), LE SANCTUAIRE D'ÏS (1997)

LE DOMAINE (1998), LE LANGAGE DES AUTRES (1998), ASD 002 - The Cereal Killer (1999)

FRAGMENTS TAOÏSTES (1999), UNIS (+ 3 bonus tracks) (1999), OÏKEMA (2000)

HIDING IN TIME (2000), MOON (2000), LA CARPE MIROIR (Le Lieu Noir) (3 CDs) (2000)

Part II: Vinyl LP's

LA MER DES SARCASMES (1995), LA MURE REINE (1995), L'AMIRAL RAMIREZ (1995)

L'AMARRE-AILE (1996), LA MORUE ENRHUMEE (1996), VENUS DE MILLE EAUX (1996)

Part III: Cassette Tapes

PéRIODE TAOÏSTE 1 (1991), PéRIODE TAOÏSTE 2 (1991), ECMNESIA (MAELSTROM) (1992)

KRIEGSTRAUM (1992), DIEU EST GROS (Triste Nuit Pour) (1992), SCHIZOLITHE (1993)

NAKED (1995), FRAGMENTS TAOÏSTES (1995), LE LANGAGE DES AUTRES (1997)

Q Do you make music full time, or do you have another career and do music as a purely an outlet for your artistic creativity?

A: I'm an M.D., I've just stopped working now to have more time with my family and on music too, but I don't live from music. In fact, I don't spend a lot of time really doing music. I'm also running the label, answering (often very interesting) questions (!!), working as sound engineer for other bands... I also enjoy a lot photography, painting, writing, cinema, nature, holidays... That's really too much, it was a real good idea not to work anymore! My work took all my time, and you can't really run such a job part-time, people always want you to be present night and day. And there is so much to do in a lifetime!

Q: What about future projects? Do you plan to try and be more commercially successful with NLC, or keep the music more as an artistic form of expression?

A: Well, I do not plan anything special, and certainly not to have any commercial success, there would be the same troubles as when I worked: I want to be quiet!! Music is really something I need to do, it's compulsive. And the way I'm doing it is very pleasant, because I haven't got any imperatives. I don't care about art, but it's one of my favorite forms of expression!

- Archie Patterson