The13th AÑO: 4 | NÚMERO 41
UNA R E VISTA IMA GINARIA
MORGANE LHOTE FEAR THE GIRL KEYBOARDIST
[ Interview With Morgan Lhote from Hologram Teen by Pablo Müllner. Photography: Elena Kulikova ]
FEAR THE GIRL KEYBOARDIST
3 Morgane Lhote was one of Stereolab keyboardists during the band’s crucial years. The woman has her credentials. Dot. And Loops. Lots of Loops… She has just released “Between the funk and the fear”, her first solo album under the name of Hologram Teen. She had put out two EPs before, with a similar taste for the sinister and the over the top absurdity that comes to mind when listening to iconic horror films soundtracks like Suspiria or Inferno. Probably also combined with some serious dystopian musical scenery by Blade Runner or 1984. And to keep us going a sparse but thick rhythm base that something resembles Kool and the Gang or even the most daring Giorgio Moroder disco oddities. Here is to you all, old and teen, digital readers and internet stalkers, Miss Morgane Lhote, “The” Hologram Teen. Hi, Morgane, it´s a pleasure to meet you… First things first, if I did read the accurate sources “Hologram Teen” is your solo project rather than a band. So how did you came up with that name and why you decided to use it instead of Morgane Lhote? It’s a pleasure to meet you too! It is my solo project that I started about 4 years ago in NYC. I needed to quickly come up with a name so I went to an anagram generator online and typed in my first and last name. When I saw Hologram Teen on the results list, it just jumped at me and it was instantly adopted. The whole process took about 10 minutes! In another interview, you said about the making of “Between the funk and the fear”: “I wanted to create the soundtrack to the trippiest horror movie ever (…) through a very tongue in cheek aesthetic both musically and visually”. I think that it makes a lot of sense listening to it. Are you very in touch with films too, right? Yes, very much so. I was a film student in London and I work for Netflix nowadays so I get to watch the most varied range of films weekly, it’s
wonderful. I’ve also been really into TV and movie soundtrack since I was a kid, it’s always the part of the cinematic experience that left the most lasting experience on me. Personally, I got a first impression of the soundtrack work to Dario Argento films, by Goblin and Ennio Morricone, probably some early John Carpenter too. But then there´s a heavy rhythmic section that takes those recognizable sounds to a different, unexpected ground. Sometimes it even sounds close to Giorgio Moroder´s most futuristic disco. How do all those elements come together? Good ear! You are the first person that noticed the Ennio Morricone connection. I love all of those artists. I was definitely super inspired by Goblin and the John Carpenter’s “Escape from New York” soundtrack. And you’re right, the rhythm section is the most important part of a song for me, the bass and the drums… I wanted to offer a fresh take on those classic soundtracks with a more dancey, almost funky rhythm background and playful, manipulated samples to add an extra, unexpected layer. I loved the fact that tracks sound very sinister, because I am a huge horror films fan especially vintage European horror, but at the same time I enjoyed the scattered quality of them. It´s rather the sound of the “plot-twist scenes” or the “mindfuck scenes” than truly explicit gore exhibition. Is it the same for films than music: less is more? I’m not sure… Unfortunately, one thing that I’m trying to work on a songwriter is that too often my tracks have too much going, too many motifs and ideas. I often have to get rid of entire sections or a ton of tracks. So maybe that is why the songs sound sparse to you. I’m also trying to experiment with more straightforward song structures. But I agree, I really like the idea of suspense and building suspense within a song, which I did in the two shortest tracks on the album: Bleecker Street! Chase Me! and Brooklyn’s Broken! You
Caught Me! I learned that you started writing and recording on your own after you discovered the newest technology to record and buy it yourself, which is very punk by the way. Would you be so kind to tell us what is like to work in that (lonely) way? It’s amazing! I work on music everyday and it does not feel lonely at all. I do collaborate with my producer and mixers at later stages of the songs so there is more room for discussion there. I’s so amazing to have complete freedom and not have to argue or compromise with fellow band members. I wouldn’t have it any other way. You have been part of one of the most iconic 90´s bands, Stereolab, I think since the “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” (1996) album that is a very cult-classic now. Can you tell us how it was to be part of the “brit pop scene” is there was such a thing, and how did you decide to
call it a day? I’m not sure if we were really part of the brit pop scene as such, but we were definitely around when there were a lot of very exciting things going on musically in England. I didn’t decide to call it a day really, my departure from Stereolab was not super harmonious but it was definitely time. Back in those days you should have some touring. How does it work nowadays: is “Hologram Teen” doing any kind of live performance? Would you choose a band format again? Oh man, it was pretty much touring 8 months a year for six years straight. It got kind of exhausting. I don’t have any tour dates planned at the moment as I’m really happy just working from my home studio and recording stuff. But people are asking about live dates so I should keep that in mind! And yes, I would have to get a band together in order to tour so we shall see… Laetitia (Sadier, from Stereolab) had a really
5 personal singing style, and the lyrics were influenced by vanguards like surrealism, some even found “Marxist messages” in them. But the fact that Hologram is an instrumental project does not mean that there is not a “narrative”… There is definitely a strong sense of narrative
in my songs, and you have to express it through moods or specific sounds when you don’t have a vocal line. But I do also use a lot of manipulated vocal samples instead of a singer. It’s something that I would like to experiment with on the next album and start using singers for some tracks, as I have a ton of lyrics that I could use.
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I wonder how and where you chose the audios from… For instance in a track like “Hologram Teen and Brasil 666” which is a pretty Kraftwerkian track meets some satanic ritual momentum. Ha ha ha! That’s pretty spot on! I don’t want to get sued so I’ll keep an air of mystery about this. But I do listen to every genres of music spanning different decades and different parts of the globe so there’s always a ton of inspiration to choose from. Stereolab was a band with very self-conscious image and sounded much more feminine, womanly where Hologram sound rougher, sharper. Is there any visual project, like scoring a movie or making a short film? I pretty much consider Between the Funk and the Fear to be a film soundtrack and I would love to make a soundtrack to an actual movie as I think my music would be well suited to that. Speaking of roughness a title like “Lesbian Death Drums” could be mistake with a Rob Zombie tune. But it rather sound like a experi-
mental jazz. After a second, third listening the whole record sound like an avant garde jazz thing. Are you influenced by any jazz music? I love jazz! I like any kind of music really. But there’s a track at the end of the album called Magique Afrique, which is my take on astral jazz and artists such as Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane. I think that’s a result of living in LA, where they really love their astral jazz and artists such as Kamasi Washington. You hear his tunes on the radio a lot and I think that seeped into my subconscious mind. Finally, I just want to let some space to talk about the near future of Hologram Teen or Morgane or anything else you think it is worth mentioning before “Goodbye” Well, I’m already working on a new album right now and have a few tracks ready. So far, it’s spans across very different genres such as hip hop and Tropicalia so I’m excited to find a narrative musical thread to join them all together! Thank You Very Much, Morgane Lothe!
The13th U NA R EVISTA IMA GINA RIA