Den franska techno-duon Ascendant Vierge består av franska Paul Seul och Mathilde Fernandez. Deras musik har kallats futuristisk och blandar olika musikaliska influenser : metal, techno, pop. Intervjun nedan är gjord av musikplattformen TUKIO– en unik kulturell kanal för unga kreatörer med nytänkande lösningar i en utmanande tid. Den 17 februari klockan 10.00 släpps även en specialgjord spellista med Ascendant Vierge, på tukio.se.
T: You released your first song as ascendant vierge back in July 2019. How did the duo as we know first form?
AV: Our first song came around July 2019 but we started working together a year before. It first began with a remix of Mathilde’s single “Oubliette” by Paul. We were really happy so we decided to continue to make music together. We were working and bouncing music remotely already but the idea of creating a band came after the first studio session IRL we did together.
T: The cross-pollination in your music truly showcases an experimental side that is significant for contemporary European youth culture. What would sounds and scenes have inspired you to the music you make today?
AV: We both have really different backgrounds in our musical experience as fans and artists. Mathilde is a big fan of Kate Bush, Nina Hagen but also listened to a lot of heavy stuff as a teenager from Rammstein to more obscure Norwegian metal bands… Paul has been djing and producing hip hop for years before going to techno and hardcore gabber. We have different backgrounds but we get along very easily. We both love experimental, baroque, melancholy in music and we also have a special appeal for disruptive pop songs.
We love the challenge of exploring that field with ascendant vierge.
T: We really love the aesthetic in your music videos, how do the visuals match up to your music and what is their role in correlation to the songs.
AV: We knew from the start that we would be uncompromising regarding all aspects of the band. We both had our own image with our personal projects and wanted to create a fresh identity that goes with our new band. The directors (Kevin Elamrani-Lince, Aymeric Bergada Du Cadet, Sidi Omar) and the teams we worked with (Killian Loddo / Golgotha on the visuals, Natalia De Assis on styling…) helped us a lot to put together the pieces of the puzzle.
T: Debuting your EP in the midst of a pandemic. How did that work out and what was different? Seeing that you both have worked in the music industry for some time before forming ascendant vierge.
AV: It has been very frustrating at first because we had a lot of expectations for 2020. We were supposed to tour a lot during the summer of ‘20, do our release party at Berghain with our label Live From Earth, and release our EP in June… A lot of delays and difficulties to face (not as much as some people and there’s nothing to complain about) but at the same time, it also allowed us to focus on our music and explore new horizons. We are pretty advanced in the making of our coming project which obviously bears the mark of the temporality of its writing.
T: So you made a mix for us, tell us more about that!
AV: This mix is really eclectic and we made it as a journey through the ascendant vierge influences with a strong early-00’s feel. We included some of our favorite Swedish bands and producers for a trip down memory lane to our teenage years and a nod to our followers here on TUKIO
T: Thanks for chatting with us, we’re looking forward to one day seeing you perform in Sweden as soon as possible. Until then, take care!
