Name: chiasme

Location: Marseille

Can you tell us about this track?:

It’s a collaboration with Basile3. I really admire their work, so I jumped at the opportunity when he proposed we collaborate. This track tries to sensibly confront, in order to blend better—it’s tearful yet sensual, cheeky yet serious. It's a bit like the last page of my teenage diary. We infuse elements of sex and intellect, the animalistic and the spiritual, yet maintain a sense of languor.

What’s your process?

There’s a lot of back and forth between the track and the vocal parts. Both were worked on separately, with Basile handling the track and me focusing on the vocals. I often start with writing: a page condensed into a paragraph, a paragraph into a sentence, sometimes even a single word. These words can be from two years ago or just ten minutes ago. 

I tend to avoid outright honesty; there’s a restraint in expressing emotions, and I use words to convey them. I’m too afraid of diluting a thought with language, so I create images with words. To me, an image is much truer to the feeling, which is quite contradictory for someone who wants to play with words, haha. 

But Basile3’s production was quite obvious, and it inspired me to create something very vivid and almost jaded. So, I laid down in my bed, because it’s the best place to record. I’ve never had an optimal setup; my tracks are always a bit rough, but I can’t record the same phrase twice without preferring the imperfect take. So, I sent all these imperfect tracks to Basile, and he worked his magic.

Can you tell us about your scene?

It’s quite challenging for me to define a music scene. I tend to drift quite easily, and I never feel entirely in the right place. But does it really matter? We’re swimming in the waters of the cloud, a bit of pop, sometimes ambient, dancehall. The more complex the blend, the more I like it, but I’m not sure I understand where I am. You name it. I’m slowly cleaning and polishing the edges of my first project, so things will become clearer.

Who are your biggest influences?  

The universe? Honestly, everything and everyone. I see fragments of the whole in everyone. But if we’re talking about musical or artistic influences, I’m not easily influenced by “people,” but more by what they offer at a given moment: in a track, a phrase, a melody, a video, a shot, a conversation, an idea. Right now, I would say I’m most inspired by a Greek tragedy, an impossible love between flesh and metal, between Triplego and FKA Twigs.

Any shoutouts?

I’m immensely grateful to have met Loobz, with whom I started making music, and who agreed to translate what was going on in my head. Following that, I’d like to thank all the people I have collaborated with closely or from afar, those who encourage and share—nothing but angels and lovely demons.