Scenario Rock is Frenchman Mehdi Pinson, a self described “rowdy crooner” who heads up the collective of musicians who are also part of the band, at various stages. You’ll recognise Mehdi’s unmistakable vocals from Scenario Rock’s massive hit Skitzo Dancer, as well as from his guest appearance with none other than fellow countrymen Justice on DVNO, taken off their massive debut album last year.
But there’s far more to Scenario Rock than just the lush indie/dance vibes of Skitzo Dancer, and collaborations with fiendish Ed Banger electro freaks. Mehdi is just as happy looking to 70s and 80s soft rock for inspiration, and his brand new album Histrionics has seen him stretching his songwriting legs. FM rockers Joe Jackson and Steely Dan are listed as big influences, if that gives you any idea of where he’s coming from! But that doesn’t mean there’s not still room for a little bit of a French electro influence to still creep its way in… ITM finds out more about their new album.
Congratulations on the new album. Are we going to hear a different side of Scenario Rock on this to what we’ve heard before?
Thanks. The new album is a bit different. It’s a classic pop FM record performed by rowdy crooners. It’s not the total opposite, there are just more space for emotions and songwriting than ingenuous production values.
How is this album different to your previous releases?
I mainly focus on the songwriting, and I worked more as a composer with the orchestra than a rock band. I wanted to improve our abilities and create a display of emotional, epic and funny tunes.
Do you have a favourite track on the album?
So far my fav is the Gypsy Walk or Maybe Histrionics.
You’ve included a lot of remixes on this album why is that?
Well, lots of people where expecting a Skitzo Dancer part 3 or something like that but we wanted to go forward because I already had a sequel with my eponymous track DVNO on the Justice album. It was interesting to have a few remixes, included in the album because it was a cool way to stay connected to the electro scene. We could have produced the whole record like this, so it was less frustrating.
What/who were your influences for this album?
Mainly Joe Jackson, Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Joe Walsh, John Hughes, Mark Gonzales, Jean Michel Basquiat, Jason Lee, Venis Rose, Surface To Air, Kirby & Jouet, The Goonies, Secos e Molhados, Os Mutantes, Nick Drake, Ritchie Havens, Biz Markie, Ad Rock, Quincy Jones, Geroge Romero, Minor threat, Jon lucienŠ.Skitzo Dancer seemed to strike a chord around the world. Did its success surprise you?
Yeah! It’s a very cool thing I wasn¹t expecting. This song means a lot to me cos I got lots of good souvenirs and funny stories about it. I’m glad that we manage to maintain a balance between all those silly personalities, and melt them into a single record.
The French scene is pretty hot right now what’s it like to produce and work with that around you?
It’s refreshing and inspiring to feel that Paris is back on the map, and to have all these talented friends around.Who are the artists you’re excited about at the moment?
All my boys at Ed Banger and Institubes. Mgmt, Vampire Weekend, Punks Jump Up, Aaron Lacrate are some of the artists that are exciting me.
Who would you like to work with that you haven’t yet?
Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Midnight Juggernauts, Aaron Lacrate, Julian Casablancas, Ben Kweller, Ben Folds, Michel Berger, Serge Gainsbourg, David Axelrod, Stewart Copeland, Bernard Purdie, Kid Sister, Nima nourizadeh, Chris Cairns. I know some of them are not alive, but it’s all about dream, right?
You’ve been in the game for quite a while what are the biggest changes you¹ve seen?
Bedroom producers are about to control the world!
Scenario Rock’s Histrionics is out now through Sony BMG, and to refresh tour memory check out the amazing clip for Justice’s DVNO featuring the crooning vocals of Mehdi Pinson…
