Camille Étienne & Fakear: “The activism of shock”

2024-05-28 12:51:52

In 2023, Fakear’s downtempo electro combines with the voice of activist Camille Étienne for the observe “Odyssea”.

Place de la République, Could 9, 2021, 10 a.m. Arriving from Reims on the final minute, Caen musician Fakear responded to the decision from his good friend Camille Étienne to combine at this historic Local weather March. Found in 2013 with “Morning in Japan”, then “La lune rousse” and the EP Sauvage in 2014, Fakear established itself inside a French Contact scene in full renewal, impressed by the symphonic downtempo of English DJ Bonobo. He’s now once more with a sixth album, Hypertalisman (These days Information).

The bridge between this music and the brand new ecological activism was made naturally, which we uncover regularly by means of his collaborations with Camille Étienne. The newest one? The observe “Odyssea”, on which Camille is a storyteller, utilizing a hoarser and slower voice than regular. For the event, she co-wrote (with director Owen Archinet) a dystopian fable. A little bit woman is taken abroad by her father in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. The fable plunges us into space-time, then we capsize in the direction of Plato’s cave: dazzled by its reflection, the daddy locked his daughter in a vessel, making her miss out on her childhood and her carefreeness. A double metaphor for the bold, like Musk, and the eco-anxious technology? “ Let’s not run away from historical past», Harangues the little woman, to Camille Etienne’s face.

Launched in 2023, the music completes and opens a brand new cycle of their respective careers. That of dedication for Fakear, excursions thought in a different way (he avoids the airplane and gathers his dates with a view to do them by prepare), and thru new collaborations, as with the duo of DA ffi0oul (Mugler, Carhartt) additionally delicate to local weather points, which create covers and clips in 3D immersion with the weather of nature. That of Camille Étienne who, together with her collective Avant l’orage, has simply launched the documentary Poisonous Our bodies , regarding everlasting pollution, these indestructible molecules which contaminate our bodies and the earth. This assembly between the eco-warrior activism of Camille Étienne and the eco-impressionist music of Fakear reminds us that artwork and politics go effectively collectively when the state of affairs requires it. Encounter.

ECO TOUCH_
Even when half of the festivals have been canceled because of the Video games, Camille Étienne is ready for Fakear’s name to go on her largest phases. Subsequent ? The Insane pageant in Could, the Sakifo in June… Save the date.

With the music “Odyssea”, it’s the first time that we hear Camille Étienne on the register of fiction. A standard will?
Camille Étienne: I really by no means write fiction, however I used to be coming off an animated movie challenge the place I did the voiceover (pourThe colour of the sky, d’Owen Archinet, editor’s word). This expertise immersed me in a world totally different from mine and jogged my memory of the world of Fakear with whom I needed to speak a couple of journey.
Faker: It occurred naturally, with the Miyazaki filter in thoughts, which I like. It’s by means of his movies that my ecological sensitivity developed. My first feelings – of anger, of injustice, of helplessness – within the face of destroyed nature got here to me with Princess Mononoke . So I needed to speak this message musically and in the identical approach, by making individuals really feel feelings with out loudly proclaiming ideas. Possibly by the top of the music the listener is not outright inexperienced, however that wasn’t the purpose.

“IT’S INSPIRED BY BILLIONAIRES WHO CAN’T STAND BEING CONSTRAINED. »

Camille, you co-wrote the textual content of “Odyssea”, which opens with “ I did not know a lot concerning the land, however I’ve higher recollections of it “. Do we’ve to journey once more in time to wish to dwell on Earth once more?
Camille Étienne: I hope not ! But it surely’s impressed by Musk and firm. Billionaires with nearly countless cash who cannot stand to be constrained. They wish to transcend the boundaries of well being, nature, and house. This story tells of slightly woman kidnapped by a father with Promethean hubris. He doesn’t settle for the boundaries of humanity, and he decides to go elsewhere. In the end, he spends his life not residing it – like this forty-year-old billionaire (Bryan Johnson, ndlr) who needs to reverse his organic age and dwell so long as attainable, however who has essentially the most restricted life attainable, since he spends it doing assessments. So I discovered it fascinating to take this woman whose childhood was locked in a small ship, in the hunt for an not possible elsewhere, and whose journey by means of time leads her to search out herself dealing with the Earth because it was a number of years in the past, fairly bearable. The conclusion is that there isn’t a El Dorado to flee to.

In 2021, Fakear solutions your name and participates within the Local weather March. Was your political popping out apparent?
Faker: From the start, my music evokes photos of nature however I used to be not knowledgeable sufficient, nor energetic, to place ahead the values ​​of ecology. It got here as a result of I gained confidence in myself and since the state of affairs requires it an increasing number of. Moreover, my place was mixed with the emergence of communication on social networks which has modified. The evolution of the media and ecological state of affairs questioned me regarding what I needed to speak. Assembly Camille additionally had rather a lot to do with it; her approach of combating and speaking pushed me to leap into the fray.

How can the music trade enhance to be much less polluting?
Camille Étienne: We speak regarding trade and it is not for nothing. It’s a divided setting, as agriculture is right now. For each, I feel it is regarding lowering the space between the producer and the patron. We have now moved the 2 aside, in order that to make a residing from music, the trade wants to supply and promote rather a lot, to do as a lot merch and concert events as attainable. By bringing artists nearer to their viewers, we will cut back this manufacturing chain, produce much less, and provides extra freedom to artists, who might be much less scattered in productions of little use.

Fakear, you arrange your excursions in response to trains, which forces you to refuse sure dates. Does it value way more?
Faker: Sure, nevertheless it’s vital to me.

You additionally stopped merch, which represents a big a part of a tour’s income. How are you doing ?
Faker: After all it is one much less supply of earnings, however we promote pressed vinyls and CDs. I discover that it brings the viewers once more to the important, particularly the music. The concept is to not completely refuse to make merch, but when we can not discover eco-responsible, second-hand or native partnerships, we’ve determined to not make any, in response to the expression “ not produce, not pollute ».

Fakear composed the music to your Earth Rebellion help video final June. Is a brand new feat deliberate?
Camille Étienne: We work by feeling with Fakear. Every time the will is so as to add creative content material to concepts which can be essential to us. Then it’s totally quick. “Odyssea” was recorded in two hours.
Faker: We work like that with Camille. After I carried out on the 2021 Local weather March, Camille known as me the day earlier than to come back at 10 a.m., Place de la République. I used to be in Reims, I took a direct prepare. We do not ask the query.

Is music a method of political communication like some other?
Camille Étienne: It’s not strategic, fairly often we intellectualize our approaches following the actual fact. The place it is vital is to get the general public out of the well-known bubble ofNew York Instances, which defined how the algorithm led us to help our personal concepts. The great factor is that Fakear listeners will find out regarding my battle, with out figuring out that he’s additionally concerned. Very concretely, it’s subsequently a query of looking for one other viewers. However past that, artwork survives us, and additionally it is one of many final locations of resistance. Public debate is a continuing cockfight, with everybody having to be one of the best, forgetting to place themselves ready of withdrawal to obtain complicated and contradictory concepts. Artwork is subsequently one of many solely locations the place we wish to be disconcerted and to go outdoors the state of issues and ourselves. Artwork should shock, which can be the operate of activism. Strategically, sure, artwork is a robust software – however of all instances.

The next ?
Camille Étienne: I will resume my research at Oxford. I wish to have some nerd time, and do analysis. It is a one-year grasp’s diploma, with a bunch of individuals from all over the world who work in public affairs and take a break to speak and suppose collectively regarding social, ecological and financial points.
Faker: The pageant tour and probably a world tour within the fall, to conclude two years of intense concert events – and some scenes with Camille, I hope!

Fakear launched his sixth albumHypertalisman(These days information) and Camille Étienne the documentaryPoisonous Our bodieswith the collective Avant l’orage, out there on YouTube.

Interview Alexis Lacourte
Pictures Axel Vanhessche

1717039011
#Camille #Étienne #Fakear #activism #shock