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Interview conducted
in May 2004
LATEST RELEASE:
"Kiss + Swallow" |
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| |  | |   | | By Renaud Martin | | Photos all rights reserved |
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When Chris Corner isn't the singer of the Sneaker Pimps, nor a producer, he composes music under the name I Am X and is now releasing a solo album, "Kiss + Swallow" which is more direct and more dancing than the previous work of his band. Interview with a very busy man.
When and how did the idea of a new album come to you?
It was about one year ago. We already started composing for the next album of Sneaker Pimps, and we already had about ten songs. But, little by little, the tracks took a different musical direction, and it caused some disagreements in the group. Personally, I liked them very much, so I worked on them again, especially the lyrics, in order to create something more personal.
How long did you spend on this record?
I would say that, from start to finish, from the writing to the production, I spent five months on it. Initially, the album should have been ready for the end of last year, but the "business" stage took longer than expected.
Does it mean that the release of Sneaker Pimps' next album will be delayed?
No, not really, we're very prolific you know. To write and to compose isn't a problem to us, and right now, we have quite enough tracks to release a new album. The recording and the production are the things that take the most time. At the present, each member of the band is quite busy on his own side, so the album won't be released just yet. We should meet again at the end of the year, not before.
You name, I Am X, is a clear reference to Sneaker Pimps' first album. Why don't you simply use your own name, "Chris Corner"?
It's simply because Chris Corner is a very boring name (laughs)! More seriously, I really wanted to free myself from this very reassuring kind of family that my band is. This name represents myself, it separates me from my band, it's this "X", this abstract variable which obsessed us so much at the time of our first album.
What is the track Kiss and Swallow talking about? Is it a song about the ideal woman?
Yes it is a bit that (laughs). My whole album talks about that, you know, of love and sex. I'm not totally obsessed about that, but it's something that is really a part of my life and my way of being. So, you're right, my album talks a bit about the perfect girl, but a bit in a depressive way, knowing, obviously, that an ideal doesn't exist.
It's a very dancefloor track, and there are several others very electro tracks in your album. Are they those the other members of the band didn't like when you composed them?
Yes indeed, it's the rough side I wanted to give to Sneaker Pimps that is at the origine of our little disagreement. I really like this club aspect and it's the first time I can really express it and write such songs.
Have you got model bands in electro?
Er, well I don't really know what to say, it's often the kind of question I answer badly, so I'll avoid naming such or such bands. But, I like dancing music and I like to dance.
On what kind of music?
I would say, on lot of things, as long as the track has got this small, unique aspect that makes all the difference. You know, it's very hard to create something very dancing and efficient that has soul and is interesting at the same time. That's precisely what I look for in dancing music, might it be from the 70s, the 80s or the current one. There are some bands I like, but frankly, I hate naming bands, so I won't do it!
Did you especially work on your vocal for this album?
Yes indeed! You know, when I listen again to "Splinter" of Sneaker Pimps, the first album where I sang, I don't recognise myself. At that time, it wasn't obvious to me to find my place in a band where everybody plays loud. But, little by little, after several tours, I improved and I learned to express what I wanted better.
Who did the female vocals we hear on several tracks of the album?
It's Sue Denim, from the Robots in Disguise.
It's a band you produced...
Yes it is, there are even friends, I knew them well before the Robots in Disguise. At that time, they were in another girls' band which has split. We've been working together since then. We precisely just finished their second album which should be released very soon.
Do you consider yourself more like a producer or like an artist?
It's true that lately, I worked a lot as a producer of the Robots in Disguise or for a Japanese band called Zwei. I like the freedom of creation I have in this work: I can experiment, and express myself without the risk of having it following me the rest of my life, like it's the case when you're an artist. But I feel more like an artist.
What has become of your label, Splinter Recordings?
We're resting. To have a label takes a lot of time and money, and even if we released some records that worked well, like Robots in Disguise or The Servant, we earned nothing with them. So, I prefered to focus on music again.
What about the club you opened in London?
It's also pending. It was a club based on the "home-taping" concept: the idea was around audio tapes, you know, this completely obsolete and outdated object which we enjoyed so much as kids, with all these compilations we did or listened to. In this club, we invited famous people and we asked them to make a compilation on tape and then come and play it. It gave a good overview on these people's tastes and their stories, frankly, it was good. We had all kind of guests, politicians, writers, artists, the list is long! But this club also gave me a lot of work: it wasn't always easy to convince people to do a compilation and to come and play it, some people even thought it was a joke! Then, one of the down sides is that we heard some really bad music!
Do you think you'll do other albums under the name I Am X?
I would like to, yes! In solo, there aren't any disagreements that arise in a band, you work quicker and it's easier to express oneself. I really think this experience was interesting, and I'd like to renew it.
What memories do you have of the concerts you did with Sneaker Pimps in Paris?
I remember I opened the concert of Massive Attack at Bercy. It was one of the first concert I did as a singer, and I was really nervous to play in front of thousands of people. But I keep a good memory of it. I also remember I drank a lot that evening! We also played with Placebo at the Zénith. I prefered this concert, I think that both our bands matched each other well at that time.
You did a very good remix of one of their EP, the hit Every You Every Me...
That's true. Nobody expected this result.
Have you planned to have tracks of "Kiss + Swallow" remixed?
I thought about it, yes. At the begining, I wanted to remix some of my tracks myself, but since I wrote them quite a while ago, I don't feel like working on them again, so I gave this idea up. But, I would like to have them remixed by other artists.
Who?
I don't know yet! I would like something original, maybe dancefloor or something crazy, or even lo-fi. It's possible I release a single, but nothing has been decided yet.
What's going to happen in the coming months?
I must join the other members of Sneaker Pimps in a few days to work with them. Then, I'll go to Tokyo for my producer's work, then, this summer, I'll play some concerts in festivals and there'll be a tour in Autumn.
What happened to your famous haircut?
Ah, well, I changed it. Me and my hair, it's always been all a story. I never really knew what to make with it. Maybe next time, I'll shave my head! | | | | | | | |
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