INTERVIEW// KOUDLAM

He sings: "Who are we and why are you dancing?" Koudlam evokes a penchant for lust and risk that shakes you.
Inspired by both the myths of the past and of the future, this classically trained french composer, who studied art history and worked in a bank, is with us and for us. His electronic music is orchestral, monumental and makes you want to dance. You've heard his songs, they are the soundtracks to Cyprien Gaillard's films. Live, he is definitely something to rally around.
His new album, "Goodbye" is just out on PanEuropean Recording.


Brian Wilson said: "It was a childhood dream of mine to make music that made people feel loved." Last week in Paris, I asked Koudlam what kind of a child he was and what he wanted people to feel when they hear his music. I told him I felt love. He swears he was a good kid and hopes his music will help bring order to chaos. He tells me "Music is Harmony, Sister of Love."



His first album, an ep called "Live at Teotihuacan" was released in 2008. It is named after his first concert, which he performed almost 10 years ago while living in Mexico, for a small group of friends at the Pyramid of the Sun. He says, "In memory of the good old burning days". Teotihuacan is the place where men become gods. I wonder, is he a mystic? Definitely quixotic.

Of his recent travels to Mexico with Cyprien Gaillard, he remembers little: "The name of the hotel: Bonampak. Adult channels for free. Tacos in the bathrooms. Black Palms in the patio. Sex screams resonating all day long, everywhere, and never knowing if they were real or not." He tells me he wishes he could move objects from a distance. Like something from a Steven King movie. There, he and Gaillard made a music movie together.

His new album, "Goodbye", is like a black hole. A black hole is often defined as an object whose escape velocity exceeds the speed of light. Escape velocity is commonly described as the speed needed to "break free" from a gravitational field. In his liner notes, he confirms that "on the frontiers of this dead world you’ll always find good spots to start great adventures". Are you sleeping or do you want to believe?

I've seen him perform several times in Paris but I've never seen his eyes. He hides behind dark glasses. I wondered if he had felt the need to invent a character? He said "No need. I’m completely double." Koudlam - (stab of the knife in slang french) - is a very dramatic name. He describes his relationship to performance art and opera as "pure cold sex." I said "When you perform are your eyes open or closed? I can tell you, the girls are all wondering if you are watching them..." He replied: "That’s good news. My eyes are closed but I can see you all."

One last thing: "If you could go anywhere right now where would you go?" Koudlam says, "I visit Opodo (the online travel website) and Google Earth everyday looking for a place calling my name. Somewhere different. Where I would be a stranger. Landscapes where one could still see some fog, experience adventures... West Africa's still virgin. I’ll finish there for sure."

STORY BY LISA ROVNER, PHOTO BY CYPRIEN GAILLARD

FOR MORE ABOUT KOUDLAM...

VISIT: http://www.myspace.com/koudlam

AND SEE:

The Great Teotihuacan Empire

KOUDLAM | Clips vidéo MySpace





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