On The RCRD: Melody's Echo Chamber
Melody's Echo Chamber, the project of Paris musician Melody Prochet, is adept at jamming rock's elusive history – in all genres, emotions and attitudes – into a hazy, catchy brand of music. Her debut, out today and sampled below with the track "Endless Shore," features extensive collaboration with Kevin Parker from Tame Impala. And in celebration and reflection, we got Prochet to go On The RCRD, revealing why expressive intensity should be an artist's highest goal, how the ability to float in space would improve her lifestyle and why a good drum sound is super important.
Life changing record for you was…
Bodysong by Jonny Greenwood and Blonde Redhead first albums. They just really opened my mind and made me want to experiment more.
What people, outside of music, have influenced you over the last year?
Marianne Von Werefkin, she's a german expressionist painter from "Der Blaue Reiter" movement and i instantly fell in love with her work last year. She was also a fascinating character. She was married to this famous painter Alexander Jawlensky and she stopped painting for 10 years when they were together. She wrote an amazing book about her life, i recommend it too "Lettres a un Inconnu." I really admire artists that try to reach the greatest expressive intensity, and this movement has some really intense and degenerated works. colors and shapes are really psychedelic and i love the strong symbolism in it.
What did you learn about yourself and/or the world at large the last time you made a record?
The trigger was definitely leaving for the other side of the world for Exploration (of the place but also to find a new Me). I think I went through stages like abandon, guilt to blossoming new dreams of happiness. Also I recorded in Perth, Australia, and there is loads of space for your mind (compared to Paris and european cities that are so packed, oppressive sometimes and where you live in tension most of the time) that space around you influences creation a lot i think. Also I realized how making a record can be super fun most of the time and also be sincerely emotional. You don't need to be a extremely tormented and sad musician to make kind of melancholic and emotional music.
What gift would you most like to possess?
Actually i'd love if I could make my mind leave my body and float in space or anywhere easily. These days i'm really into Buddhism. I didn't start practicing or studying it seriously yet but i think of it. i tend to be very stressed and worried about random things and it'll ruin my life if I don't control it better, so yeah that would be a sick gift!
What quality do you admire most in a song?
I'm very obsessed with drum grooves and sound – my big favorites are Jakie Liebezeit's from CAN and Silver Apples. i think it's the most important element that color an album. Also i love to be surprised by chords and unexpected melodies, weird and interesting textures of sound, and when you can feel the person has tried to experiment to make it more interesting and to treat you well. `
What's your take on the music business in 2012?
I'd love to bring my live band to South America, Australia and Japan. that'd be sick and very disorienting. fingers crossed.
Best instrument ever invented was....
I'd say the Ondes Martenot, i heard it's the first analogic keyboard invented or something? i might be wrong though I dream to try one!
