Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
M: My name is Magnus, I come from a punk rock background, but spent a fair amount of years producing horror synth as Videogram. Following the pandemic, and the toll it took on family and friends, the whole thing just felt silly and childish, and I really needed to create something new. I highly doubt my childhood impacted this project’s direction. It was born out of the plague, hence the name “Black Death.”
A: Hi, my name is Andrew Claristidge, I am a French musician and producer. I am mostly known for my projects Acid Washed, Andrew Claristidge and my former band Sex In Dallas. I guess my childhood references are still impacting my music. I remember as a child listening to Kraftwerk « Radioactivity » on my parents hi-fi system and I guess as a kid from the 80s all the soundtracks were filled with electronic music.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Mort Noir”?
M: By continually putting out singles and EPs. I’m going to quote Dante when it comes to our message: “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.”
A: Actually I am not really working on growing our fanbase. We are really concentrated on creating music. The social media environment is not at all my priority. The message can be « get ready for Dystopia ».
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
M: These days I mostly listen to Bach and I’d really like to think Mort Noir has a sound that is truly unique. When it comes to inspiration for making music, I’m a firm believer in trusting in your subconscious mind. Enjoy the process, it’ll work out in the end.
A: It is difficult for me to mention one artist. I would say John Adams, Aphex Twin, Zoviet France, Stephen O’Malley, Alessandro Cortini… Inspiration comes from everyday life, the books I read, the food I prepare, the people I meet, the situations I see in the streets… etc.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Apparitions.”?
M: Musically, it was an interesting riff that felt like a good introduction to our project. Thematically, inspiration was drawn from a lot of things, including those peripheral hallucinations caused by exhaustion and sleep deprivation, a Gustave Doré wood engraving I unfortunately don’t remember the name of, and H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls.” It’s a good instrumental theme song about the things that go bump in the night, no?
A: Does our music have a message? This is a good question… The story behind is written above. Magnus sent me a draft of this track and I guess I completed it… I am good in musical ornaments.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
M: Summing up Mort Noir and what I envision for this project with one word is impossible. It’s an occult blend of vintage synth and horror soundtracks. I do like the phrase “foncé electronique,” because has a nice ring to it, but I’ve also used “Fucked-up Kraftwerk” a couple of times.
A: Magnus is very « spot on » with « Fucked-up Kraftwerk ». It has definitely a Horror Soundtrack type of composition. I would also say that we are in a Modern Analog type of sound.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Apparitions”?
M: Creating art always comes with its fair share of challenges but, again, I trust the process and have grown to enjoy it.
A: Every recording is for me a challenge as I am trying to create space in a full environment 🙂 We had few issues as we took the wrong road trying to include a Saxophone 😉 This was a big fail … hahaha. But all in all we are working just fine together.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
M: An exploration of the darker corners of human existence. Death and insanity. My personal goal is to put out a fair share of singles, EPs and maybe even some albums and then I’ll quit.
A: « Don´t be afraid of darkness! Embrace it and you might find beauty in it… ». My goal as an artist: to stay free of creating what I want. And for sure to release the music I want to share with the eternal world.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
M: I enjoy collaborating with Andrew and have no interest in changing that anytime soon. But, sure, if Jean-Michel Jarré wants to join the Dark Side, it’d probably get some intriguing results!
A: Magnus is the king. It is just a great match. And well after collaborating with Jean Michel Jarre, Kittin, Patti Smith… etc… I would say Aphex Twin or Steve Reich or The Residents would be amazing… For sure I would have loved to collaborate with Bach (it is, I guess, a bit late) and also I would have loved to collaborate with Snakefinger.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
M: Find your own voice.
A: Be honest, stay true to yourself and the others, work hard, push your limits, never give up, your time will come if you worked enough (and even more).
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
M: Ignore genres, just create and don’t worry about it.
A: Don’t worry about trends!!! Create your own style,… make it personal. This is the only way you will create something unique.