What’s the story for RESET ?
Chiasm- Reset is my 5th full-length solo album on the label (COP International), and I wrote it as a sort of stepped-back reassessment of my own path with the previous albums. So there’s a little bit of everything, and a lot of advice to my former self there. I wrote from the heart as if I had just begun and really took my time with it. The story itself feels almost like a time travel initiative, an attempt to make sense of old feelings. We all think of going back to start over and wonder what, if anything would be different. It’s reassuring to still know we might end up exactly where we are.
Your compositions and your texts ?..What are they talking about ?..How does inspiration come ?
Sometimes I wonder where it all comes from too! Often times it’s just inspired by thoughts I’ve jotted down in passing that I wish I’d been able to express but couldn’t in the right moments. It grows from there, taking on a new life when matched up with the music I’m working on. I try to let the music itself take some control over the song’s development so it creates a natural flow. It gets stuck in my head and I wait for it to sing back to me. I am pretty much constantly taking notes and recording voice memos on my phone for later.
Are you day or night ?
I am the early morning in the dark. I like it just before the sun comes up the best, it’s so quiet. I get the majority of my recording done then, nowadays.
Why the name CHIASM?
I was inspired by the structure and function of the optic chiasm when back in school. It’s organic and complex and creates so many parallels to life when you think about how fragile perspectives can be.
What are your personal musical tastes and your influences ?
I still listen to a lot of old-style industrial music but have caught on to some newer electronic and like pretty much anything that just sounds authentic and raw.
What’s your top 5 albums of all time ?
This probably changes often, but today we’ll go with:
Skinny Puppy – Too Dark Park
Kraftwerk - Computer World
Einstürzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture
Orbital - In Sides
The Tear Garden - To Be An Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide
In the shower or in the bath, do you sing ? If yes, your songs or those of others ?
Yes, I compose in the shower all the time. :-) It’s a great place to allow yourself to naturally hear the flow of a song you’re working on without obsessing over the sounds themselves or the visual structure of it. Sometimes I will break into Skinny Puppy or En Vogue, just to be loud.
What's your best live memory ? And why ?
I bring up the KMFDM/Chemlab show at Industry in Pontiac, MI from the late 90’s often. I just never could have imagined a show with such intensity before it and it’s had a huge impact on my understanding of what music can mean to people.
In studio, what was the atmosphere for your album ?...etc.…
Among the music equipment, I am indeed surrounded by cats, stuffed animals, trinkets, toys, action figures on the walls. It’s my happy little oasis to feel most comfortable in so that I don’t fear being vulnerable in the songs.
How does it work for the design of the CD ? and why this title ?
The Reset album is actually released on vinyl this time, but it turned out pretty great ! For the images, I took some self-portraits and the label turned them into some beautiful artwork. I think it captures an internal world with it’s haziness of colors when observed closely and is captivating to dwell on.
What are your projects ?
I’ve had a whole lot going on in the past year as far as contributions to other projects, but they are pretty piecemeal with tracks here and there. Here’s a few of them (some coming soon) :
Third Realm – Tides of the Sea and backing vocals for Bipolar Pop
Carphax Files – Durch Die Seile (EP and video)
Jean Marc Lederman Experience – Tell Me Why
Attrition – The Great Derailer – Chiasm remix
And then, I just finished writing a whole new album with John Fryer which is amazing, so there should be more news on that soon !
What's your motto ?
Question everything.
Website to remember
My website is www.chiasm.org and you can find all the links from there.
What would you like to say to the readers ?
It can be so hard to reach people these days, so I hope you find a moment to take a listen, and thanks for your support!
What question, I did not ask you and would you like me to ask you :-) ?
I would say What’s Next ? but I think I covered as much as I know, and honestly I’m not sure what’s next ! I’m looking forward to my pending releases and am already up for more collaborative adventures. J
Thanks for the upkeep
Hugues B.
