The French electro scene is blowing up right now, and when one thinks about leaders of the sound, the names Justice, Feadz and Uffie all come to mind. But one man who was alongside them at their humble beginnings is producer and jack-of-all-trades, Para One.
Born Jean-Baptiste de Laubier, Para One started out with French hip hop group TTC, has tried his hand at MCing under the name Paradoxal H, worked with Tacteel as live electro outfit Fuck-A-Loup, directs short films, composes film scores, and even finds time to master Elvish. In Australia to promote his debut solo album Epiphanie, Para One took time out to catch up with ITM.
Is there a story behind the name Para One?
No. [It’s just] graffiti stuff, you don’t wanna know.
So you started out producing hip hop with TTC, but now you’ve released your debut album on the Institubes label, which is synonymous with the electro sound. Why the big change?
There is no change, since TTC started Institubes to release more instrumental and experimental stuff. If you listen to the tracks I’ve produced for TTC, they are very close to the ones I did on my solo album. I never thought about music in terms of genres, it’s very boring to see it that way. I want to make music that I feel, it can be any style.
Hip hop has had a long history in France, but all of a sudden electro seems to have blown up. Was it a conscious decision to follow the trends or were you looking to lead the charge?
When I started producing club music, this “electro” thing didn’t exist in France. I never followed anything; we [with friends Justice, Feadz and Surkin] had to make something out of the empty spaces that the “French Touch” generation left. Maybe from the outside [one could] see it as a movement, but when I did Turtle Trouble I just thought about dance music in general – Detroit and Chicago stuff especially – which wasn’t popular at all among the kids that we knew. I wanted to put some IDM and electronica elements in it like I did with hip hop.
Your debut album, Epiphanie, doesn’t delve into hip hop much. Do you plan on revisiting the genre, perhaps getting behind the mic as Paradoxal H?
I just did it, last year! I rapped on a few tracks on 3615 TTC, our last album. There are at least two hip hop tracks on my solo album.
The big single for you at the moment playing in clubs is Dudun-Dun. Do you ever get sick of hearing your own tunes being played? And where did the idea for the video to that song come from?
No I don’t get sick of hearing it because I hear it in front of new crowds all the time, and it’s always a new experience. It’s a song that was made on purpose; to get crowds excited, and when you see that it works you realise that it’s worth it. About the video, I think it was Teki’s [from TTC] idea. Then JRE and Out One did it.
You always seem to look quite sharp in your promotional photos. Are you a big follower of fashion and what’s in?
Yes, I’ve been paying more attention to my clothes the past few years. To me, it’s just another way of having fun. But I’m not really following fashion. It goes so fast, I would be exhausted! We [with TTC, Institubes] wanted to bring back colour and accessories to clothing a few years ago. Now I’m back to classic but with modern elements.
In Australia, electro seems to be getting a reputation for bringing out fluoro wearing crowds. Is this the same in France or anywhere else in the world that you’ve toured?
It is the same basically everywhere I’ve been! In big American cities like LA or NYC they are downloading every French track possible on blogs everyday, and they’re connected to the boards, so they know about this European style more than us. In France, it’s pretty big too. But it’s even bigger in the UK now.
You went to film school and directed some short films, and also produced the soundtrack to Céline Sciamma’s Naissance Des Pieuvres. Do you have any plans to go back to filmmaking, perhaps direct a feature film and write the score to it like Mr Oizo did with Steak?
I am writing my first feature film with Céline Sciamma, and I’ll write the score for sure. I just need to stop touring to have more time.
Was the soundtrack to Naissance Des Pieuvres similar to your current sound?
No, it’s very different. I mean, to me I always do the same music but I must admit that it takes very different shapes. There are no drums on this album, for example, and it was done 100% analogue. In short, it’s ‘quieter’. Which doesn’t mean it’s less intense.
Is the Institubes stable a tight knit group? Do you guys all get together and bounce ideas off each other in regards to a particular beat or sound that you might have?
Yes at first it was like a hyperactive big family, we fought for years to invent a new sound and bring it to the people, working together all the time. Now it’s at a second phase with everybody defining their own style and trying stuff that others wouldn’t. It’s exciting; every artist on the label is really developing their own personality. We still talk about our music all the time but it’s way more diverse now.
I read somewhere that you learned two Elvish dialects in boarding school. Are they Elvish dialects like in Lord of the Rings?
Absolutely. I can understand it all.
Are there any more plans to do more with Tacteel as Fuck-A-Loop?
No plans, but Fuck-A-Loop will surely exist again in a new, updated version.
And finally, what can Australian audiences expect with your live shows?
I don’t know, I improvise my show all the time. I’ll do my best to bring colours, love, fun and brutality to people. I’ll be 100% all the time for sure, like always.
Para One’s album ‘Epiphanie’ is available now through Institubes/Shock. Don’t miss checking him out on his debut Australian tour this November!
Fri Nov 2 – Bakery Artrage Complex, Perth
Sat Nov 3 – Platinum, Gold Coast
Mon Nov 5 – Onelove, Melbourne
Fri Nov 9 – Empire, Brisbane
Sat Nov 10 – Onelove, Sydney
Sun Nov 11 – Fanklub, Sydney
Want to test your skills in French? Check out this interview and live clip for Para One’s new album ‘Epiphanie’:
