MUMBAI: The first thought that hits one's mind on listening to Corvec’s sounds is: melancholy absorbing and impactful melody!

The frontman, Vincent Corvec, himself explains his music as the soundtrack of inner life. His sound waves weave in minds as a lovely elegant melancholic soundscape. Solo or accompanied on stage by singer Marie Lanfroy and by video-maker Pierre Moulin’s projections, Vincent creates a ?magnetic wonder through cinematic visuals and a musical synergy of piano and voice.

As the Reunion Island-based live electronica trio is debuting in India this March, we at Radioandmusic.com got an opportunity to have an interaction with the frontman of the band, Vincent Corvec.

We asked him about his advanced, experimental music, how did it start? Vincent responded, “My interest in music began at the age of five when I accidentally listened to ‘Forbidden Colours’ by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The apparent simplicity of the melody reminds me of the sweet and not yet conscious childhood melancholy. I've started music at age or 15, with a friend, beat making on a rhythm-machine and singing as an autodidact in our HipHop band. Then, at around 20, I released two solo albums (one in France, another one in London) and started playing live in clubs and festivals. For personal reasons, I stopped music for almost 10 years. However, I started again in 2010, and decided to enter the conservatory.”

While describing his music and his stage name, Corvec said, “‘Corvec’ is my family name. After having changed numerous pseudonyms during my youth, I decided to use my simple and true name. The name isn't just a word, but a kind of a legacy. Choosing this name is working on how you can make something creative and new, from an old name that life and fate gave you. My music is a crossover of pop, hip-hop and cinematic music, influenced by western classical and impressionist music.”?

On our asking about how he exerted himself while fusing various elements when arranging a song, Vincent explained, “The creative process is empirical, based on sensitive perceptions. Never on the intellectual concept. First, I play alone on piano, looking for an ambience or a melody, then, I write an arrangement for four voices, playable by a string quartet for example. At the end, I record the vocals, if it fits with the mood of the track, I bring to an end, if the music is better without words, I let it be the way it is. The electronic process permits me to record easily, restructure the score, and produce with more options.

Is it indispensable for a musician to have a cutting edge understanding of numerous instruments? We asked him. Vincent replied, “It depends on what type or music you’re in and where you want to bring it. Some modern composers don't know musical theory, but they are very impressive. One important thing is the role of each instrument in accord with the others. Understand the global meaning of what music is deeply telling you. Respect each instrument’s place in the composition in the mix or to break the rules.”

While talking about the essence of electronic music and the youth who are inclined to electronic music, he said, “Electronic music is freedom. I hope young people won't just take any advice from anybody and do it in their own way, to keep going the music evolution. I always have listened patiently to all the advice, but never followed it.

“I don't think that growing personal musical knowledge is always a good thing, or a proof or a quality. The evolution of creation is not linear; knowledge is not proportionally linked to creativity. The knowledge of music can be scary and castrating. The act of creating could be done between formal constraints and a state of no apprehension. Or, between patience and fury, as said Charles Baudelaire,” added Vincent.

He has played across at festivals such as Electropicales and Safiko Musik Festival in the past, also in India a few years ago. According to him, every venue is different. “Even when you play two nights consecutively at the same place, shows can be incomparable. Actually, clubs are particularly adapted to our set, so we are glad to come in such venues for the tour. I’m glad to come back and share some music with Indian audiences,” said he.

On being asked about his band’s playlist, Vincent informed that they would be playing a mix of his old songs and new compositions, in French-English. As it will be a live show, there will be melting music, choir, and video projections from Reunion Island.

Influenced by Chet Baket and Kurt Cobain for their voice tones, and Erik Satie, George Martin and the Beatles, Antonin Dvorak among others, Vincent doesn’t belong to a particular scene or a style. For him, song-writing comes first as the architectural structure of the songs. Also, he wouldn’t like to change anything about his composition, except the pragmatic way of producing or recording his music, if electronica goes down after a few years. “For world music, I have been hooked on to mainly Indian traditional and Ethiopian music, currently, I’m listening, again and again, the same old records, such as Jay Jay Johanson's Poison,” added Corvec.

“My upcoming project is a soundtrack for a photograph exhibit in May and a tour in France, then an EP in 2018,” he said as he signed off.

?In associaation with Vh1 India and Mixtape, the three-piece live electronica act comprises of Vincent Corvec, Marie Lanfroy and Pierre Moulin, will be heading to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune on 9 March? (antiSOCIAL, Delhi)?, 10 March? (antiSOCIAL, Mumbai)?, 11 March? (The Humming Tree?, Bengaluru)? and 12 March? ( High Spirits?, Pune? ?)? respectively.? ?
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In addition, following the Corvec ?multicity ?tour, Vincent will be taking his DJ set to four cities as a part of Mixtape’s flagship property Soul City, a night dedicated to the sounds of funk, soul, and disco. Vincent will be performing on 16 March in Delhi (antiSOCIAL), 17 March in Bengaluru (Koramangala Social), 18 March in Mumbai (Bonobo) and 19 March in Pune (High Spirits).