Hante. - Sound In The Signals Interview
First off thanks for the interview
Hante.:You’re very welcome! Thank you for wanting to know a bit more about Hante.
Your new album This Fog That Never Ends just came out. Can you tell me a little about the recording process of the album and how long you worked on it?
H: I started to work on This Fog That Never Ends in June 2016, just after finishing Violent Rains, the last album of my other project Minuit Machine. Actually, I recycled a few unused instrumental parts that I composed at first for Violent Rains and reworked them to fit a new Hante. release! The quiet summer months helped me to focus on the composition and the album was ready in October.
What were some of your inspirations when you were working on this new album?
H: This album is very personal. I mainly found my inspirations in my own emotions and I guess that this last summer, I was a bit down haha. I think that we feel the influences of the bands that I was listening to at this moment: Prayers, Roladex, Void Vision, Sanne de Neige…
How do you like to write songs? What do you like to start with when working on music?
H: I always use the same process to write a song. I start with the drums and the bass parts, then I try to find some synth melodies that really move me. When all the music is composed, I write the lyrics. It’s often the hardest part for me, finding the right words, the right vocal lines. And sometimes I can even change all the vocals a few weeks after having already recorded a song because I think it’s not good enough. The song « This Fog That Never Ends » is the only song for which I used a different process. I recorded the vocals before composing the music. The melodies are completely spontaneous and I just wanted to add some really simple synth lines and drums to keep the fragility of the voice.
I like the song "Shadow Boxing" off the new album. Can you tell me a little about the songwriting process for that song and how it came together?
H: This song has been the most chaotic one in terms of composing! I originally made it for Minuit Machine but after a while, we decided not to use it. But I couldn’t let it go, I really loved the melodies and I reworked it for Hante. I changed the bpm, the drums, the synth sounds and wrote lyrics. I recorded the vocals but was not happy with the chorus… I was singing faster and it wasn’t working. It lacked melancholia. I changed the chorus just before pressing the album. It was really last minute. About the lyrics, the song talks about a destructive love, the kind that is not going anywhere but that we endure no matter how hard we fight to stop being hurt.
I really like the artwork for the new album. Who came up with the concept for the artwork, who created it, and why did you want to use that particular image for your album?
H: Thank you very much! Actually, I did it. I studied art and I used to work as a graphic designer for musicians and labels a few years ago. This artwork is as personal as the music. I used some elements that fascinate me and scare me at the same time. The mountains, the moth… I have a huge phobia of flying insects but I also find them beautiful. The moth is also a reference of one of my favorite movie « The Silence of The Lambs ».
If you had to pick one song off this new album for someone to check as an introduction to Hante. which one would you pick and why?
H: I would say In Cold Water. It’s not my favorite one and maybe not the most interesting but I think it is efficient and represents well my style and the spirit of the album.
What are some of your upcoming plans for 2016?
H: It’s a pretty busy year for Hante.! I am currently touring across Europe and will be moving to Montreal in March. I already have some confirmed dates in Canada and I really hope to play my first gigs in USA this year too! But I will be back a few times in Europe for some great events like the Wave Gothic Treffen in Leipzig (DE) in May. And of course, I will start composing a new album as soon as I find the time!!
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
H: I really would like to thank all the people who are supporting my music everyday, buying my records, going to my gigs, sharing my songs, interviewing me :p etc. It means a lot.
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