Dead Chic's Interview

– Dead Chic, originally, it's Damien and Andy: Damien who strikes the match and Andy who breathes fire. Can we put it like that?
Damien Félix (guitarist) – Yeah, that's right.
– How and why did you integrate Rémi and Mathis?
Damien – Because we wrote songs with the aim of playing them live. Andy knew Rémi well, and I knew Mathis very well because we worked together on a project called Catfish. And given the aesthetics that Andy and I had chosen, we thought of them very quickly.
– Mathis, have you and Rémi taken your marks in the band, and bring ideas to the compositions?
Mathis Akengin (keyboardist) – The process was special because the songs were already composed, at least for an hour of concert. We had material to listen to, we were able to exchange and work on our own. When we saw each other for the first time the 4, we were already in the pieces, the structures were in place. We rearranged them together, but the body was Damien and Andy's job beforehand. As far as I'm concerned, I was already used to working with Damien, had patterns and ways of working, so it was quite fluid.
– Since the integration, now, do you compose with 4 or is it still the hard core?
Damien – Sometimes there are more collective things that we compose with 4 people. And then everyone is the driving force in their category because in a band there is not only music to manage, so everyone takes part with their skills.
Mathis – It's nice to work with Damien who remains the cornerstone of the compositions, it allows him to keep a fairly clear vision and guidelines. In Serenades & Damnation he did the artistic work too.

– What instruments do you know how to play?
Damien – I'm mainly a guitarist. I have some basics of other instruments that I use for compositions. A little bit of keyboard, a little bit of drums, bass. Then I very quickly entrust them to people whose job it is.
Mathis (To Damien) – I think you're quite humble though. (To me) He's a drummer, Damien.
Damien – It was my 1st instrument.
Mathis – As for me, a bit like Damien, there are a few other instruments that I know how to touch, the guitar, the bass, the percussions... It's for my musical productions.
– As for keyboards, which ones? Piano, synth...?
Mathis – The main instrument is the Farfisa. It is a type of organ that was often found in the 60s and 70s, an Italian brand. There are more or less 3 families: Hammond, Vox and Farfisa. The Farfisa has a very particular sound, a little strident, that we like a lot, which can have this slightly ghostly side. I use a lot of effect pedals, amps etc. to give it a little warmth too. And I have a bass synth which is a Moog Sub 25. I'm the one who does the bass notes in the band, with the left hand.
– No bass player in the band, is it by choice?
Damien – It's by choice, and then it's better to be 4 than 5. These choices that may seem like constraints are really a plus for the approach of things, especially live.
– Like the Doors. This is the 1st reference that comes to my mind in this configuration.
the 2 – Yes of course.

– Is it important for you that your songs are a little bit multilingual?
Damien – It's natural. We are a Franco-English band. It comes most of the time in English, but sometimes there are exchanges in French. In this album there is a little bit of Spanish, there is Turkish (Mathis is Franco-Turkish). I used a lot of Latin music to slightly tint the songs. So we tried our hand at the Spanish language, more like a painting, like an ingredient.

– It is often said that your music is cinematographic. What is cinematographic music in your opinion?
Damien – It's a music that puts you in a kind of atmosphere, and where you can situate yourself in countries. For me, it's linked to the landscapes or the atmospheres. It was actually our way of composing at the beginning with Andy. He lives in London, I in the Jura: we exchanged pictures, visuals, to inspire each other.
– Are you cinephiles?
Damien – No more than that.
Mathis – We're normal. (laughs)
Damien – Still, a little bit of a penchant for Ennio Morricone, a pretty big reference. I’ve no in-depth knowledge, I won't be able to talk to you for 2 hours about cinema. But on the other hand the visual aspect of the music is important.

– In your album, there is a fabulous duet with a Turkish singer, Tuğçe Şenoğul, who has a very sexy voice. How did you meet her?
Mathis – I'm of Turkish origin, I go there quite regularly, my parents live there. It's been a while since I realized that there is a very developed rock scene there, especially indie rock. It made me think that I would like Dead Chic to come and play and develop there. And it got me interested in artists to collaborate with. When I spent 1 month there 1 or 2 years ago, I sent Damien a bunch of artists that I was discovering or meeting there. We put together playlists to have a brainwave on someone, and Tuğçe's voice spoke to both of us, especially on a track of her. We offered her to do something together and she accepted right away. It was super rich and quite unexpected. She doesn't make rock strictly speaking but we still had similarities.
Damien – This track that we fell in love with had this slightly cinematographic side, this way of transporting the listener. The track is called "Kaptan" (captain), there's this thing about seas, wide horizons... which may be applied to a lot of our tracks of this album.
– Are you going to play there?
the 2 – We hope so! It's in the works.

– What are your side projects (former bands that weren't officially stopped, solo careers)? I saw, Mathis, that you released a single on June 4th, "First floor".
Mathis – It's a very recent project. Budding project. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, I'm embarking on the adventure. There is solo pop piano, as well as slightly more powerful pieces. I'm a bit into indie pop, I'm influenced by artists like Patrick Watson, Agnes Obel or Jeanne Added. This single was co-written with Damien. We don't leave each other. (laughs)
Damien – I still have an Britpop band called Bigger...
– … that I saw, in 2022.
Damien – Yes, I remember that event, with Animal Triste. We are starting to write again with Kevin, the singer, who is Irish. And I also make a lot of music for theatre, a quite new world that also makes me travel. These are amazing projects. And I always call on Mathis at some point to put a nice polish on my productions.
Mathis – We consult a lot.
– Can you tell me about the side projects of the other members?
Damien – Rémi Ferbus is a busy drummer, because he's talented. He plays with Martin Luminet, Kimberose, Naya. He played with Zaho, with Mika. And besides that, he takes care of his family like a boss.
Mathis – Yes, he's someone who is quite impressive, in terms of his rigor... I'm not going to say it too loudly, because I think he's arrived, he's next door.
Damien – And Andy toured for a long time in the duo Heymoonshaker. Otherwise he works in the cinema in London, in the set design.
Mathis – He also has a solo project, with which he does a few concerts in France from time to time, on guitar-voice and it's very nice.
– In the same style?
Damien – Yes, but very bare. Guitar-voice, a lot of blues, folk.
Mathis – There's improv too. It's alive.
– Does it mean that you have to pause one project to move on to another?
Damien – It's a bit parallel. We juggle with dates, we get by.
Mathis – There are periods that are denser than others.

– Dead Chic's 2nd album is in the works?
Damien – It's in progress. There are several avenues. We plan to do some nice big writing sessions soon. We are trying to define what the setting could be, the soundscape.

– I suggest you look at the list of albums reviewed on japprecie and point out 5 that you particularly like.
• Puts Marie
• Solann
• Hania Rani
• Gliz (friends)
• Other Lives
– Do you have any other artists to suggest to the Appreciators?
Damien – Today I listened to an album that I didn't know, but I don't think he needs a boost, his name is Damien Jurado and he makes very nice folk songs. The album is Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son.
Mathis – At the moment I'm really listening to very, very diverse things. But I would mention a Patrick Watson album called Adventures in Your Own Backyard, it's my bedside record.