Origin : France Style : fusion progressive rock Formed in : 2000 Line-up : Aurélien Budynek : guitar and vocals Aurélie Martin : keys Lionel Bertrand : drums Philippe Sifre : bass and backing vocals latest album : Da 63 Projekt (2004)

A promising new ensemble hitting the french progressive scene, aLkemy gave us an interview so that we know them a little deeper. The conversation is mainly about their first album Da 63 Projekt (reviewed in our columns) and its elaboration.

How did aLkemy start ?

Aurélien : during the summer of 2000 I recorded a couple of demos by myself hoping to find other musicians to form a band et play these songs. I had already played with Lionel, on drums, in another band for a couple months before that and when he listened to the tracks he said he was in. Then luckily, I met Philippe, on bass, in an online chatroom. He listened to the tracks as well, we all got together to play and the electricity between us felt really good. We played as a trio for about a year, long enough to record our first demo as a band. Meanwhile we were always looking for a keyboard to complete our sound, but couldn't find any... then we got in touch with Aurélie through Philippe, she joined the band during the summer of 2004.



Let's talk about your album. Can you explain its title, Da 63 Projekt ?

Aurélien : "quite simply", it's a project of 63 minutes (and a few seconds). The "Da" is simply a commercial effort to get in the hip hop charts and awaken the awareness of Californians. We all have a Californian sleeping deep within us...



What does the artwork represent ?

Aurélien : in the first place it's a picture of the band - guitar on the left, drums on the right, believe it or not - with a bunch of filters and deformations. Davina Barreyre is responsible for it.



Aurélien, you wrote all the songs. Explain your writing process.

Aurélien : I don't have a systematic method, ideas come, or not, whether it's a riff, a melody or chord changes, very simply in the first place. The rest is mainly "perspiration work", play with the rhythms, the accents, the chords, the notes... Very often I get a simple idea and just stay with it and get nothing out of it, for months or even years, then I come back to it and find something interesting to complete it. Sometimes, I just write the first note and everything is already there, at least in my head, I just have to write what this very note is dictating me. Sometimes, nothing comes in months and everything gets to me at the same time, within hours. The album, compositionally is pretty heterogeneous because the songs were written between 1998 and 2002, and of course, between the dates, my tastes, my ears, my methods, the way I'm feeling and listening to music have changed. But eventually, the purpose remains the same, doing something musical, that means something. No matter how you achieve it.



Are the other members involved in the composition ??

Aurélien : the rest of the band is not involved in the writing process but is involved in the arranging process, which to me is at least as important as the composition process itself, both aspects are indissociable. Often I would have ideas to guide them, which we keep, or not. I often record some demos by myself with basic arrangements that everyone make richer or modify when we get to work together. Everyone build its part around this and try to complete each other, trying to form an overall sound that makes sense, that is natural.



We find a lot of diverse influences throughout this album. Speaking of which, what are the artists that inluenced your music ?

Aurélien : my rock education was based around guitar-heroes - Satriani, Vai, etc - and blues ; Stevie Ray Vaughan, Paul Personne, BB King... on another hand, jazz and fusion guitar players like Al Di Meola, Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny. Composition wise, my influences range from rock like Led Zep, Queensrÿche, Dream Theater to fusion such as Chick Corea, Planet X, Mahavishnu Orchestra, through electro - Björk, Goldie, Massive Attack...

Lionel : Simon Phillips, U2, Nightwish... all the bands I listen to...

Aurélie : I listen to a lot of classical music from the early 20th century, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Debussy. Some jazz : Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny Group, Michel Portal, Brad Mehldau. Progressive metal : Dream Theater, Vanden Plas and other styles like Loreena McKennitt, Dead Can Dance, Buena Vista Social Club. It seems that my classical training had quite an influence.

Philippe : personnally, on the bass, I get influenced by a lot of artists. The jazz touch of Pastorius, the slap of Marcus Miller, the soloing a la DiPiazza... Musically, my favorite bands are very diverse : electro, trip/hop, electro jazz : Kyoto Jazz Massive, Kruder&Dorfmeister, LTJ Bukem... Jazz : Maceo Parker, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Erik Truffaz, Julien Loureau, Madlib, Laurent de Wilde. Prog Rock : Flower kings, Spock's Beard, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, A Perfect Circle, Tool...



It seems that most of the tracks were already featured on your first demo, released in 2001. Were there any changes so that they would be featured on Da 63 Projekt ?

Aurélien : the 7 tracks found on Stockholm syndrome are all featured on Da 63 Projekt. Most of the changes, besides re-recording everything, are mainly about arrangements, structure and interpretation. Less notes, more global sense.

Lionel : more nuances, dynamics. Make it more musical rather than technical, demonstrative.

Aurélie : I was the change !

Aurélien : the demo did not feature keyboards at that time.

Philippe : my playing got better between the recording of the demo and the album. My bass lines are more fluid, groovy, make the tracks more natural, which in the first place seemed more industrial, technically speaking.



How did the recording take place ?

Aurélien : the drums were first recorded in the studio, live, it took two days. There are very few edits, just "half of a song, then the other half" on a couple tracks. From then the rest of the instruments were tracked at my place, bass, guitar, vocals and keys, more or less in that order. The whole thing took about two months and a half. Everything was done at home on a computer, for financial reasons.



If you had to change something on Da 63 Projekt, what would it be ?

Aurélien : what is done is done, everybody gave everything during the recording. We did our best, I don't like to say to myself "we should have done this or that", the album is as it is and that's it.

Lionel : the tracking and engineering of the bass drum...

Aurélie : nothing !! Not as auto-satisfaction, but as a principle. It's a debut album, in its spontaneity, faithful to what aLkemy was at the time of the recording. Everyone's personnal evolution and the band's will probably be obvious on the next one...

Philippe : this CD is really an achievement, I'm very happy about it. I wouldn't see anything more or anything less, it's brand new and pretty...


How did you get a deal with Unicorn Records ?

Aurélien : once the recording and the mixing of Da 63 projekt were done, I sent a bunch of CDs to record labels, worldwide. We had several answers and the people from Unicorn seemed the more enthusiastic about us. After several months of discussion I met Michel Saint-Père from Unicorn in Montreal, late 2003. We talked a little more and agreed to release the album in early 2004, after a new mixing and mastering session.



If you had to talk someone into buying your CD, what would you say ?

Aurélien : the CD gathers a lot of influences. It mixes rock rhythms with some jazzier chords, more fusion, with solos in that same vein. Above all, this fusion is featuring vocals, unlike a lot of similar groups.

Lionel : "every" style of music is being represented : rock, jazz, metal, funk-groove.

Aurélie : everybody's diverse influences create a style on its own, rather than a sum of styles taken separately ; this is aLkemy's strength and originality.

Philippe : let yourself be carried away by the colors of this CD, all of the influences, let yourself be invaded by the groove of "On the very day", the clarity of "Turtle soup", the power of "Sick Seekers".



What is your definition of progressive music ? First, would you consider yourself a progressive band ?

Aurélien : I don't like to put labels on the music I listen to and especially I don't like to impose myself a label when I write music. Eventually it's a song, a piece, whatever you want to call it, and it doesn't matter how to classify it. We like it or we don't. Of course, the instrumentation sets playing and experimentation limits, and helps to keep a homogeneous sound. I think everybody sees what he wants in defining progressive music, as well as defining rock music or electro, I don't think we can find a precise and universal definition. Someone is going to like a rock song for its violence, its rhythms and someone else for its melodic side and its harmony and so on... Eventually, the music must mean something to the listener and move him, make him feel something. Whether the listener knows what makes it moving to him is not part of the problem, the only thing he's got to know is that he likes what he's hearing. Then there can be two musical distinctions : music that moves you, and the rest.

Lionel : most of the time, progressive music is a technical showoff, asymetrical measures used in an unmusical and excessive way. Nevertheless, some bands were able to make something interesting out of it and touch a lesser elitist audience. To me, our group is an alchemy of several musical influences, hence our name... We use technique to make something musical, melodic.

Aurélie : progressive, in the rhythmical sense, in the asymetrical measured mentioned by Lionel and in the global structure of the songs, then yes, maybe. But I think aLkemy goes beyond that, every member has his proper and pronounced style, the mix of it gives a result too rich in influences to be classified, labeled, and it's for the best.

Philippe : I'll be more precise about our style, but am afraid of putting some more ugly words before the word rock. That would be progressive/alternative/fusion/funk rock. Pretty ugly, huh ?... For that reason, no labels. That's actually the philosophy of the band. And what is prog rock ? What is classical music ? It depends on who is listening. For some, prog rock will be a music for nuts, for others it will be like a lullaby, same thing for classical music.



Give me your three favorite albums and explain your choice.

Aurélien : without particular order, Queensrÿche's Promised land. Its darkness, its expression, its production, its composition and its interpretation are models to be followed to me. Björk's Vespertine. Happy and sad, deep and subtle violence to delicacy, complexity and simplicity. This album is filled with contrasts that make each side stand out. The beats are innovative and incredible, strings and choirs intensify the compositions. And on top of that lays Björk's voice... Tool's Lateralus. Once again, very dark. This disc is very different from any other bands by the songs' structure and this rhythmic and polyrhythmic aspect that we rarely find in a rock album.

Lionel : Within Temptation's Mother Earth for its mix of metal and crystal voice. Alanis Morissette's Jagged little pill, for its composition process, all that she transcribes throughout her songs. Loreena McKennitt's The mask and the mirror for its extraordinary mix of musical influences, of instruments, the emotion we feel when listening to her records.

Aurélie : Dream Theater's Metropolis Part II. A classic piece : Ravel's Concerto pour la main gauche. Dead Can Dance's Spiritchaser. No explanations, words would not be enough, it's all inside.

Philippe : The rite of string, acoustic jazz trio featuring Al DiMeola, Jean-Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke. A beautiful musical osmosis with mediterranean colors and outstanding musicians... incredible. Infectious Grooves' Mas Borrachos, the funkiest album of their discography. Very different from the punk side of their earlier albums, on this one we can feel this infectious groove, Trujillo's big slap, big funky guitar lines and again this crazy side from the Cyco Family.. I like that !! Pink Floyd's The Wall, the freakiest concept album I've ever heard, especially with the psychedelic pictures from Alan Parker's movie... A breathtaking power...



What now ? Any concerts in France ?

Aurélien : probably a couple gigs in the summer. Our situation is kind of hard because I'm in the USA eight months a year. On top of that, concerts for bands like us are hard to find in France, it's hard to evolve on stage but we can still find some keys, we struggle and little by little we make ourselves heard from others. Fortunately, a few organisations set up concerts and festivals to support this under-represented rock movement. Some people give chances to small groups rather than big sellers, but that kind of people are way too rare to make things move in the cultural and musical landscape (at least in France). I'm not jealously blaming the Star Academy (ie : french version of American Idol, PopStars etc...) for existing but I'm blaming them for taking all the room.



Last word : anything to add we didn't talk about in this interview ? A word for our readers ?
Aurélien : on behalf of the band, thanks to the readers of Progressia for their support and to all of the people that support us in some way. For small bands like us, word of mouth - through reviews, recommendations - remains the most effective way to be sucessful. Visit our site and buy Da 63 Projekt !

As told to Greg Filibert