His musical style(s)

How would you describe your style ?

I don’t really know. The others would probably answer that question better that I will. I think that the style is not something you search or something you create voluntarily. Style sets itself up, step by step. It’s generally the result of a mix between your artistic influences, your references, your professional experience and your own sensitivity.

What are your references?

My classical references are Mozart, Bach, Wagner (of course) and Vivaldi. My contemporary references go from Phil Collins to Led Zeppelin, including Dire Straits. And about Screen Music, like every one, I’ve been very influenced by the work of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams and James Horner; but; I must confess that I have a little crush for Dany Elfman’s work. I really enjoy his creativity and originality.

"The richness of an art

exists only through its diversification."

No engench references?

Just one, Jean-Claude Petit.

In your scores, we find very various cultural influences, such as symphonic, electronic and even some very ethnic sounds or rhythms.

I believe that the richness of an art exists only through its diversification of styles. If you stay glued to the same style, your music can not evolve nor progress. Music constantly needs  new influences  to be bloomed.

Tell us about the « Electro-Symphonic » style

That comes directly from what I’ve just said. You pick two complete different styles, you combine them in order to create a 3^rd homogenic new one. The goal of a theme like “Cybertown” wasn’t only to put a symphonic orchestra on samples of techno. The real goal was to get the impression of listening to a complete new style that is neither symphonic nor techno, but something new.

But it still must sound “Movie Score”?

Of course, it has to sound “cinema”.

"Whether we like it or not, it would be hard to

deny the efficiency of Americans soundtracks."

About sounding "cinema", many people think that screen music, and especially American one sounds always the same?

It’s true that we often get the impression that American soundtracks have all been scored by the same composer. But, it comes mostly from their way of working. First, when you work for Hollywood, they ask you to make it sound “Hollywood”, otherwise, you’re out. Then, 9 times out of 10, they record the score with the same orchestras, either the Symphonic British Orchestra of London or the orchestras of Prague or Budapest. So, you get the same music style, played by the same musicians and recorded in the same studios. Obviously, it will sound very similar.

However, even if 70% of American scores sound pretty similar, there still remain magnificent pieces of music. Nobody can deny the differences between a John Williams’ score and the work of Dany Elfman or James N. Howard.

So, if I say that your music sounds a bit “Hollywood”, it doesn’t upset you?

Not at all. It would rather be a compliment. We have more and more often this strange reflex of denigrating systematically everything that comes from the US, like a sort of “Mc Donald’s syndrome”., like if everything that is American should be automatically banned, only because it’s American. I’m not pro-American generally, but, about cinema and film scoring, we must remain sincere. Whether we like it or not, Hollywood screen music has seriously proved its efficiency. The biggest standards of film scores are Americans. And if American movies are so internationally successful, if they’re so easy to export and if they make such huge profits, it’s also thanks to their screen music efficiency. I would find stupid not using it for the only reason that “it sounds American”. 

So, you’re saying we have to compose just like they do?

No, they already do it. I’m just saying that we could use their experience to our advantage in order to give our movies a better impact and greater successes on the international scale. Americans have taken the best of Europeans classical composers such as Berlioz, Wagner or Tchaikovsky; they’ve added touches of jazz, blues and rock, they've learned how to include ethnic styles and instruments in their scores. It took more than 80 years of evolution to create the actual American screen music. Let's continue that evolution from where it is now and then, that will give us the opportunity of creating a new Australian Screen Music with our own influences.