Suffocating Minds
Today, our spotlight falls upon
an artist who channels the spirit of the '80s, meticulously crafting synth-laden songs that evoke a bygone era. Suffocating Minds, featuring tracks like ‘Soulmates’ and ‘Diving Board,’ captures an essence that not only captivates me but also resonates with many others.
The recent release, ‘Soulmates,’ occasionally conjures echoes of Spandau Ballet, perhaps due to its magnificent saxophone interlude and a touch of Tony Hadley’s coolness. In contrast, the predecessor, ‘Diving Board,’ delves more deeply into the synth-pop genre, likely eliciting a positive response from Depeche Mode fans. The artist’s oeuvre includes compositions reminiscent of Camouflage, such as ‘Magic Trap,’ as well as works firmly rooted in the DM tradition, exemplified by ‘Distant City Lights.’ These compositions contribute to the artist’s sophisticated '80s soundscape and serve as their musical signature.
Suffocating Minds transcends mere musical project status, it embodies a lived aesthetic and shimmers like a guardian of past times.
Who are the artists/musicians comprising Suffocating Minds?
There's a difference between the studio and live formula: as the leader of the project, I write all the songs in my homestudio, on my own. According to the artistical direction and the special need of a track, other musicians become involved in the process. As an example, for this third album, SFMD has recruted a young saxophonist named Enzo Frau. The final mix of each single is done by Kevin Rudzik (Red Recording): he has been mixing SFMD's albums and concerts for 15 years and we have been experimenting and evolving together through those years.
For the live shows, the musicians change according to both artistical and human needs. For example, Greg Lacomble has been our keybord player for more than 10 years but had to take a step back because he has recently become a proud father of twins! So we had to adapt the live formula: we're in the process of finalising a trio on stage. David Ninane, who has been with SFMD almost from the start, is still on bass and side kick when it comes to SFMD's choices, Enzo Frau has just joined the band with his magic sax and I will manage with vocals and machines.
And finally, there is the design and social network: I'm also in charge and I try to create a consistency with the different covers and visuals for the 8 singles released during last year. We couldn't be more independant... It's a daily combination of efforts and joy, frustrations and satisfactions...
What ignited your passion for music, and who or what inspired you to embark on your own musical journey?
Funnily, cinema was my first passion, particularly horror, S-F and action movies. I am a typical teenager from the 80s (and an irrational Stallone fan). I was fascinated by the original soundtracks from the coolest films of the 80s (John Carpenter, Jerry Goldsmith, Conti, Gobelin, Badalamenti, Moroder, etc..). At the same time, I was growing up when the synthesizers got thrown into Pop music and bands like Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears or Duran Duran were playing through the walls of my older sisters' bedroom.
I was 14 in the mid 80s and I was hit by Pop Culture (MTV, Italo Disco, VHS etc.) and the first video games consoles. I used to mess around with Synths toys and discovered that I could play basic tunes by ear. It wasn't until much later in the mid-90s that I started a Grunge cover band... on bass! But I soon felt a lack... of synths in our Grunge covers! Ah, ah, ah! I became the singer of our first original songs by necessity and I started listening closer to what I loved: Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Björk and so many others when I was 25!
Then artists like IAMX, Daft Punk, Muse, Placebo followed up. Kavinsky has finally opened a new door and Droid Bishop (USA), with whom we collaborated on a single 2 years ago, has reinforced the direction SFMD has been taken since then.
“Soulmates” sounds fantastic. Could you share the inspiration behind the song and its backstory?
Thanks for finding it so cool! This song is like a cat that's had several lives: it appeared on one of SFMD's first demos back in 2010, then on our first album, in 2012. So it's had several versions. It has accompanied SFMD on stage for more than 10 years! It was first undoubtedly influenced by IAMX and its ternary rhythm gives it a special status. I wanted to give it a chance to make the transition from Indus in 2010 to Synthwave in 2024. The appearance of the saxophone in the 2024 version gives it a new, more melancholic atmosphere, which ultimately lends itself better to the lyrics as it deals with a love that's too fused to last: the kind of relationship you have when you're young, believing that love can only be true if you live 24 hours a day with someone. Big mistake! :-) Other emblematic songs from our journey have also been rearranged to fit the actual mood (Diving Board and Darling). Some older tracks will get the same treatment on stage!
What does your creative process typically entail? Do you start with a story, followed by music, or do both come together as one piece?
Computer music (Cubase) is always the starting point. It has almost become a ritual to switch on my PC: when I open a blank music project, it's the same excitment than when I was 12 and used to open my LEGO box to start building new original stuff! Really, the excitment is still intact after all those years: music is a magic place! I think my endless quest will always be to produce "the perfect single": something that could be the perfect balance between melancholy, energy, melody and all the best artists who have influenced me on the journey. I'm aware that I'm always chasing after an impossible track :-) What a weird, funny and time consuming obsession.
First, I compose about thirty grooves on Cubase, trying to use the same rhythms colours, samples, FX and synths (mainly Juno 60) to ensure a certain consistency and some of them end up winning over because they trigger the desire to sing. The vocals come out as 'vocal mush' and are there to sculpt a melody and define an idea. I like to keep the lyrics simple and the musicality of the words count more than their meaning: that allows everyone to make up their own story. Even though I lived in London for a few years more than 20 years ago, I can't say I'm fluent in english. That could be seen as a problem but in fact it forces me to go straight to the point and say things that I wouldn't dare in French, because I'd find that a bit too simple.
Funnily, I like humor (mainly British :-) ) but I only write about difficulties: it's a sanctuary were I put all my sadness, melancholy, doubts and fears...
Could you provide additional details about Suffocating Minds’ upcoming concerts and the album next year?
As mentioned before, we're aiming to put together a 'compact' trio on stage so we can play anywhere, but also to accentuate the more contemporary electronic side (Justice, Kavinsky, Droid Bishop, etc.) while cultivating the live aspect via the bass, vocals and sax, which adds that totally 80s touch with maximum reverb on it, ah ah ah!
For the first 2 albums, for example, we played with a drummer and a guitarist: this accentuated the more Rock side of the band. This time round we've gone for a more electronic sound. With this third album, SFMD would like to be a bridge between 80s typical Synthpop and more contemporary Synthwave.
How would you describe the indie music scene in Belgium, particularly within your genre?
Musically, there's a huge difference between the French-speaking and Flemish-speaking regions of our little country. Flanders is influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture and Wallonia, where we are (Liège), swears by French rap and cover bands. We get very little support from local radio stations in our part of the country , which concentrate mainly on French songs. Synthwave/Retrowave is absolutely non-existent and misunderstood by the general public here. Indus and New Wave survive but are limited to fans of Depeche Mode, Front 242 and Rammstein.
SFMD's choice to try and offer a melodic Synthpop that's less Dark than before is absolutely suicidal but galvanising: you only have to see who listens to us on Spotify to understand that "no one is a master in his own country" (Germany, Poland, Sweden, USA,...). We feel like post-apocalytic resistants in our own region!!! The good thing is that we're going to offer something that doesn't exist around! Our ultimate goal is to export ourselves to meet people who 'understand' our music. In fact, our biggest fan is...Polish (hello Raf!) and he's an incredible ambassador for SFMD in his country!
What are your next musical steps in the near future?
After a demanding year of releasing singles and promoting via social networks, with no structure to support us, we're going to finalise our live set, shoot a video to show the new version of SFMD to concert organisers and decide on the most appropriate medium for the album.
Digital release is obvious, but if we want to remain logical in our approach to celebrating the 80s through original tracks, we should offer our 3rd album on vinyl too: it would be a first for us... and a huge source of pride to promote it on stage!
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