TERROR TERROR is an intriguing solo projet by Pierre Arthur Lejeune, an experimental/electronic/lo-fi synth music musician, who sat down with IDIOTEQ to discuss the pure, unadulterated magic he’s been creating. His latest release “Traps” (available both on cassette and digitally) offers an enjoyable thrill ride which should certainly help maintain TERROR TERROR’s reputation. Snap it up and scroll down to read the full interview.
Hey Pierre! Thanks so much for reaching out! Please drop us a few lines about yourself and your new DIY project TERROR TERROR.
Hello IDIOTEQ! my name is Pierre Arthur Lejeune (also known sometimes as Warren Fecal as a joke in the Brussels underground scene), I am 36 and i’ve been making music and bands for 20 years. My last project, TERROR TERROR is like a synthesis of everything I’ve done through the years and something I really wanted to do, without any concession but real confession. An assumed blend of experimental pop-wave, indus, shoegaze/grunge and cold indietronica with cheap electronic devices. Imagine NIRVANA‘s “Bleach” meeting THE NOTWIST.
People seem to prefer simplicity over complex forms of sounds. How do you get started in music and how did you decide to create an outlet for this particular form of art?
I started music in the early 90’s, following the grunge/noise movement like all teenagers at that time, we all wanted to play guitar and start a band, we all wanted to express ourselves without any kind of concession. That was, for a short moment, the “mainstream” music for us. But I probably never felt so close to that state of mind right now, in a world where number #1 hits are crap most of the time, made to sell toothpaste, cars and other pleasures of the capitalism void.
Who and what influence your horror-pop? Are there some examples of their identity in the music you create?
I don’t know if the result reveals it but just before writing this new album, I listened a lot to BATTLES (Atlas) and a lot of WAVVES albums. Of course NIRVANA’s Bleach that I still cherish. I’m also addicted to the music of FEIST. Those artists are very different but probably help to understand why TERROR TERROR is not that easy to classify but I’d be proud to have created an invisible link between them.
How do you feel about the Belgian experimental music scene?
I’ve been in mainstream music for years and never was happy. In the experimental branch, I met humans. I mean it’s not important how big you are, what clothes you wear, I met people who just love music and the risks you take to go deeper in your art.
What was it like growing up there?
Belgium? It’s like living in a big village, I mean it’s so small, that means there’s no “star system”, that explains why we have really good bands, they make music for the love of music, not for the money or the fame. In fact, i think we love our anonymity state of mind. And you probably know Belgium has a separation in two part, really like two different countries, different language and different bands most of the time unknown by the masses of the other side.
Ok Pierre, let’s dive into your newest baby. Your new album “Traps” was released in January 2015. It sounds really intriguing. How do you continue being creative?
I wrote this new album after the break-up of a love relationship. I probably never ask myself about how I continue being creative. I mean the point is that I see music as an expression way and every time I tried to stop was a bad idea. Writing music is keeping me alive (in the literal sense), I’m afraid of what I could become without that creative process ahah. But sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s like a curse. There’s a big satisfaction when the work is done, but the process is sometimes painful.
Considering the quality of “Traps”, do you feel you’ve evolved since you started making music? Which of your abilities have evolved over time?
Of course I’ve evolved, and hopefully I always will. I’ve always been obsessed about writing songs, the different parts and the freedom it is, this is infinite. I disagree people saying everything is done and you can’t make something new anymore, I think they’re wrong because it is infinite. Undiscovered melodies are still waiting. I’ve also evolved in the recording/producing process and little by little, I feel I can start to be proud of it.
Can you tell us about the process of making this record?
I wanted to make everything in a unusual way. I started to think of the general artwork then I wrote the titles of the songs, only the titles. Then i wrote the songs at the same time as recording them. I mean the recording was a part of the creative process, everything was made at the same time. In 4 months, everything was ready.
What are the studio gears, tools, and your personal settings you are proud of?
I recorded everything live with an old 12-track digital recorder (Roland BR) then I sent the tracks to the computer in Logic Pro 8. I recorded most f the voices with shitty microphones and even with the integrated microphone of the computer. Most of the noise effects come from Logic Pro. I wanted a crunchy result, and to prove you can record something serious with very low mean in unusual ways…
Ok, and how about live shows? What kind of places did you perform and where can we catch you live in the coming months?
The hard part was to convert the pressure and the despair of the album in a live act. Again, I chose simplicity, a drummer, a bass guitar and a machine. We’re currently playing in Belgium, Brussels this month, you can check the next shows at our website! Hopefully we will play in other countries soon.
Ok Pierre. What else are you working on, and when do we get to hear or see it?
I surprised myself thinking already of the next of “Traps”. Maybe a EP for the summer, something scuzzy, who knows :)
Thanks! Good luck for the rest of the year. Let’s keep in touch!
Thank you for your time and your support. Long loud life to IDIOTEQ !
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