Q&A Today: Bel Epoq - (new single out: "Mind & Matter")
Bel Epoq
Based in Lübeck, Germany, the synthwave duo BEL EPOQ features a remarkable take on modern synthwave, embracing its influences ranging from straight and uplifting 80s pop to distorted and elegiac darkwave worlds.
Heavy hitting drums, dark bittersweet synthesizers and big production serve as a rock solid foundation for big chorusses and leads, never missing a chance to attract you to the dancefloor.
Who is Bel Epoq and how would you describe yourself in a sentence?
TIMO: Bel Epoq is a German synthwave band with strong influences reaching from uplifting pop music of the 80s to darker wave and postpunk tones.
Bel Epoq in remembrance of "Belle Epoque" or in other words what's the story behind your band name?
ARI: We wanted to find a name that evokes a feeling of nostalgia. Our music features 80s inspired sounds and synths, that doesn’t really have anything to do with the Belle Epoque. But the way we look at both of these eras is maybe a bit of romanticized and triggers a feeling of „the good old times“. We also wanted a name that is easy to pronounce in a lot of languages. :-)
Your latest release called "Never Enough", is an amazing Synthwave piece I'd say, please let us know more about the track, e.g. who or what was your inspiration?
So, one main example for us was The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights". We wanted to generate a similar feeling with a strong synth hook and an uplifting uptempo vibe you would want to dance to. We also found one of our favorite synth sounds on our MicroKorg (a small synthesizer) during that process, which can be heard on almost every song we write and produce now.
How would you describe your working/creative process?
TIMO: In general there are two main workflows for us, that may lead to a song. The first would be that I produce an instrumental, a vibe, a verse, a chorus...something like that. Ari may take this and tweak the harmonies or the changes and come up with a vocal line or lyrics for that. After that, I would go deeper into the arrangement and the sounds, do first mixes and create different versions of the song.
ARI: Yes, but sometimes it’s the other way around: e. g. „Never Enough“ was composed on our upright piano in the kitchen - so it initially had more of an acoustic approach. I think you can hear it in the arrangement of the main synth that it was written on a piano.
After that Timo was adding the drums, bass etc. Sometimes the different parts of a song are written by either Timo or me. Timo is very good in creating moods for intros and verses, my job is then to find chords and transitions for the hook of a song.
Synthwave means 80s as well, what 80s song do you listen to most at the moment?
TIMO: Good question! ...and the answer would actually change with every single day. At the moment, we listen to a lot of "The Midnight", a Retro Wave band from LA, which, like us sometimes, combines pop music with a lot of classic synthwave sounds and arrangements. We saw them live in Hamburg a few weeks ago and they blew our minds. Great band! But they are not a classic 80s band... In that territory, I listen to a lot of R.E.M. at the moment, especially their second album "Reckoning" from 1984.
ARI: My all-time favorites from that era are definitely Kate Bush, Genesis and Phil Collins. In the moment I love to listen to „Everywhere“ by Fleetwood Mac.
What's the most important issue for you, besides music?
ARI: That’s a tough question. Everything and nothing at the same time. We’re both very inquisitive minds and are interested in a lot of different topics. I’m eager to learn a lot about scientific stuff, Timo is very much into eastern spirituality and mindfulness at the moment. Besides of being active musicians we’re also teaching music. I teach singing in popular styles at the Musikhochschule Lübeck.
Finally, what can we expect from Bel Epoq in the future?
TIMO: For this year our main focus lies on releasing our first 8 songs that we produced over the last years. But at the same time we are already writing new songs that we will go into the studio with at the end of this year.
We also toy around with the idea of incorporating more guitar into our songs. That's going to be an interesting new flavor for our music, but also means a lot of practicing for me! ;-)
ARI: And of course we will play live shows. We had our live debut last months and we are eager to play more!