Rïcïnn - Interview

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Published on Sunday, 03 July 2016 20:37

Interview with: Laure Le Prunenec (Rïcïnn)
Conducted by: Michael

"Language is the reason behind Rïcïnn, in reaction to her difficulty to express herself to a world in her "native tongue", the need to reach for a higher form of communication and translate her imagination to others. Still as a child, she concocted magical remedies and verbal formulas to help others heal their wounds, with time she ended up inventing her own language. Using her voice as a tool of emotional conduction, avoiding words and other impediments to vocal expression. Improvising into becoming herself."
A biography which starts like this immediately makes one realize that this artist is maybe a bit different than the usual. After falling in love with her latest album, Lïan, (read my review over HERE) I contacted Rïcïnn (Laure Le Prunenec), and asked her a variety of questions, to find exactly where her inspiration comes from and also to get a little personal details about the person behind the music. I hope you will all enjoy reading her responses as much as I did.

Michael: "Language is the reason behind Rïcïnn", a few questions about this topic of language. What is your native tongue?
Laure: It’s something hard to translate into words… by definition, it’s what I love the most about it. Just kidding, I got this question wrong, I’m french.
Michael: Would you like to speak any about your invented language?
Laure: Sure, shall we do it in my language? This would make a lot more sense to me since I can only sing it, and you’ll need to make your own too...
Michael: Is it something you use in your music, your personal life?
Laure: That s the only thing I use... If it’s not abstract words, it’s the music speaking through it, it’s me, it’s personal, so I share it for anyone to listen to, isn’t that what you’re suppose to do with your emotions?
Michael: Totally! I have read that you were into herbalism from a young age, would you like to describe any of your childhood natural remedies?
Laure: Lots of herbs..., mostly useless things, the better looking the greater the effect, you need to believe in it, they’re working great, I swear.
Michael: I have felt, especially when listening to various metal genres that the vocal delivery is more important than the lyrical content. Since many fans don't even pay attention to the lyrics, the delivery is all that they have to connect with. Do you agree with this sentiment? Would you care to elaborate on it, if so?
Laure: Listening to this question in my head sounded like something that I come across, it described quite well my own feeling towards the need of lyrical intelligibility, I’m all about the emotional content rather than what the words might bring to it. Words are great for ordering coffee, other than that, I’m not sure...
Michael: Igorrr has been a large part of your musical journey. How did you come to collaborate with Igorrr?
Laure: I ve been lucky enough to meet plenty of wonderful people. When meeting Gautier everything sort of happened on its own. At the start we would work "on demand" for advert clips and such things, paying stuffs mostly... It was time to move on to some more serious stuffs, our duo in Corpo Mente and various featurings on Igorrr and lives.
Michael: How did your collaboration with Igorrr impact Lïan?
Laure: Like I said before, plenty of wonderful people... I added to the list Antony Miranda (bass on Lïan) and Vincent Beaufort (drummer). The time spent with these personalities, adding to some hard work, I shifted towards the need to do things on my own, it feels kind of natural really... And It feels like a "family creative people tree" with my own private branch now.
Michael: What is the meaning of the word Lïan, for those of us in America and other countries?
Laure: The same for all countries, the connections of lives, no matter the size, no matter the place, it’s more of a feeling than an idea. That’s how the brain works.
Michael: And what is the meaning of the name Rïcïnn?
Laure: “An archived recollection of internal voices” (that’s the commercial pitch). Rïcïnn is the contracted version of Ricin-in (Roots inside).
Michael: You seem to have influences from all over the musical spectrum. What do you listen to most in your free time?
Laure: Some classical music, some traditional music, some “doom music”, some electronic music,... Yesterday I spent the morning listening to the works of some Catalan composers writing for classical guitar, it made my day. I could have went on listening to Aphex Twin and Debussy afterwards, it wouldn’t have been unusual for me. Anything which is true and authentic gets me, whatever the genre.
Michael: What motivated you to do a solo album?
Laure: The money and the fame obviously, big cars and designer clothes have always been a huge inspiration and more than likely the greatest engine for my musical ambitions. More seriously, making my own music is what got me to get into it in the first place, I’ve been lucky enough to have a rather eclectic and “goodwilling” entourage to help me bringing my ideas into something real, which helped... Perhaps the most important motivation was the fact that once signed with Blood Music, I have the certainty of having my work released and relayed, it gave me a concrete motivation to have things done and to take on the task of assembling the people I’ve been working with for the past years. Collaboration was the base for this project to go somewhere, and there it went... somewhere outside my head.

Michael: You obviously have a great interest in fantasy. What are your influences in this area, musical or otherwise?
Laure: My own life seems like a fair reference, I grew up close to the sea in the “druidish” part of France, Normandy. If you enjoy walking and being alone, it will inevitably turn someone fond of the mystical and fantastic colors of life...
Michael: Your album debuted at #3 on the metal charts. Did you expect this reception?
Laure: Not really... is this a good thing?
Michael: I think so, yes! Your album is available on Bandcamp as "name your price". What is your opinion on this pay scheme?
Laure: It’s a lie!, I’m sure people would love to make me rich if they had the means to do so, we just need people to be richer, then I’ll be rich too and I wouldn’t even need to sell it at all! We need to spread this idea, let’s have everyone rich, then no more problems... Politicians really need to address this...
Michael: How do you feel about Bandcamp as a platform for DIY artists?
Laure: I’m sure that all I could say about it would be a shallower position towards their business model and the music industry in general than many people have already been making. Everyone seems to have an opinion on this, I like that, it prevents me from caring too much, nor from understanding it, more time for my music as far as I’m concerned.
Michael: Do you think the flood of self-released albums on Bandcamp and Soundcloud is good or bad for the evolution of musical output?
Laure: Just like the previous question, someone somewhere must have a wonderful opinion about this, this person is right and I stand by everything he said!
Michael: What is your favorite film? (or film Director if you can't choose just one film)
Laure: That Michael Bay movie with the robots is pretty convincing, the explosions and all is just lovely, women with big breasts, big cars and guns, we need more like those I think... More seriously I’m an avid film lover, sadly I can hardly find the time lately to keep up with some of the great ones that are being made right now. As far as the past goes, I’m still enjoying, greatly, the kinds of silent movies from the 20s and 30s (The Cabinet of Doctor Galigari being one of my favorite). The Monty Pythons and their ingenious and unaging abstract humor never cease to make me laugh. Let’s make another article about this in the future, I’ve got too many things to say about that...
Michael: I would love that! I'm a passionate film fan myself. What is your favorite music album?
Laure: Not sure it has already been made yet...
Michael: That is a great way to think about it! Now on to the question that is probably burning into everyone's minds. Do you think the apocalypse is coming, and how do you think it will happen?
Laure: Of course it is! It’s extremely near..., it’s hard for people to take it seriously though, they’re in a desperate state of denial, despite that I do my best and spend most of my days off wearing this great cardboard reminding people, most of them laugh, what can you do? Regarding the how: our lord and master, “Greg the Deliverer” he works at the supermarket down the road always tells us that it’s going to be super great, pretty much like St James’s gospel but with better special effect... He insist that we, the women under 40, can avoid it by spending as much time with him as possible, what a guy that Greg.
Michael: Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my questions! These responses have been very entertaining for me! I'll leave the last words to you, Laure!
Laure: That’s very kind of you, if these are indeed the last words, shouldn’t we just save them for later, maybe for something more important? Or dare I say it? “The end is near, repent!” Also, thank you for taking the time to raise the awareness of my musical existence, I hope that some people will get to read between my lack of commercial capabilities to promote myself and see someone that doesn’t feel the need to undermine the spreading process that you allow me to benefit from, despite some idiotic responses to those otherwise absolutely reasonable questions and will get to feel the envy to discover my album, find the time and energy to get into it, and obviously, enjoying it, it’s me, I did my best.

Rïcïnn links: Official website, Facebook, Bandcamp

 

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