28 year-old French DJ/producer Harole Boué, better known as Abstraxion, is currently based in both London and Marseille in the south of France. Following his well-received 'Moon' EP, he released his full-length album, 'Break of Lights,' last month on HAKT Recordings. His work has been supported by the likes of Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, James Holden, and Dan Snaith. In addition being a DJ and producer, he also co-manages his label, Biologic Records, along with DC Salas. We had a chance to catch up with Abstraxion to discuss 'Break of Lights,' the music scene in Marseille, his label, some of his favorite equipment in his studio, and what else he has been working on.
You said that you wanted ‘Break of Lights’ to take listeners on a “timeless spaceship.” What was your creative process in achieving this? I tried to build a system in my studio that allows me to improvise with my analogs synths. I record most of the time in a live session, recording multiple instruments at the same time to keep the feeling that was in the room. When I have an idea, I start to compose and create the melody with a poly synth, and sometimes I compose with my guitar or just with my voice and few effects. Most of the time, I'm searching for new sounds and experimenting with my analog and modular synths giving me many possibilities, and I'm excited when I get something that sounds new or similar to what I had in my head when I started to compose. This process is what defines my music.
You are based in both London and Marseille. We know that the scene is really strong in London but how is it in the south of France? Yes, 2013 has been a busy year in Marseille as we're the European capital of culture so there are many things happening right now. I've built my studio there and electronic music is becoming more present in the south of France. Of course it's still small if you compare it with London but being in both cities is a chance that gives me many possibilities.
You co-manage Biologic Records with DC Salas. Are there any forthcoming releases that you’d like to highlight that we should keep our ears open for? Yes, we signed a new EP from Gameboyz and new artists Frenchfire & Re-Feel. DC Salas is also going to release his next EP.
You’ve had a busy summer/fall tour hitting lots of different cities including Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, and more. What have been some of the highlights? What cities are on your bucket list that you haven’t been to yet but would love to play? Yes, playing at Barcelona was great this year during Sonar. Now that my live show is ready, I'm looking forward to play in London, Marseille, New York, a city that I love, and many more next year.
I would love to play next year in Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico, and Auckland for the big names, and Örnsköldsvik and Tromsø for a Scandinavian tour!
Your bio says that your studio is full of old analogic instruments. What are some of your favorite or most unique instruments/pieces of equipment that you’ve used in producing your music? Yes, I have many old pieces that I used to produce the album or got recently. I really like my console that is a Neve Kelso and the first synths that I had and used a lot are a Moog Voyager and Alesis Andromeda. I also have a Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 and a Roland Juno 60, and I recently got a Doepfer A-100 modular system. I especially like Analogue Systems modules.
What else is on the horizon for Abstraxion? A lot of exciting things - I finished some music videos, the live A/V is ready to tour, and another single from the album, 'Around Me,' is being released with remixes from My Favorite Robot and Fairmont. I'm also going to get back to my studio where I'm looking forward to producing new music that will be in the continuity of my debut album.
