Stories

New Bands on the Blog changes its format to give every new artist the chance to be exclusively featured on ElektroSpank Online Music Magazine. We're all unique and deserve to be treated as such.

First pick for our renewed story series is a duo from Brussels "Pornographie Exclusive". Their debut was so impressive I couldn't help it but share with you. Séverine Cayron and Jérôme Vandewattyne will share with us some info.

"Fighting to keep some light in the darkness..."

ES: Would you like to introduce yourselves and Pornographie Exclusive to our readers?

PE: Pornographie Exclusive is a Brussels based Cold Wave / Electro-Rock duo. It stems from the creative and amorous alchemy between Severine Cayron and Jerome Vandewattyne since their encounter in 2020 and arises as a natural extension of their lives and careers. Her as an actress and him as a film director, both musicians, both extreme and passionate about everything they do, driven by a sense of urgency, a vital need for uncompromising unity and musical expression. Pornographie Exclusive is a human and musical adventure where intense emotions and dark romance will always take center stage.

The name of our band came up spontaneously in conversation. It just seemed like the obvious thing to do. We didn't go looking for a name for our band, as this one fit perfectly with the cold wave scene and our way of creating, which is organic and spontaneous. We only go for the obvious and what makes us tick above all else.
We were aware that the name would raise questions, given its provocative connotations. But above all, we wanted to play with language. We began to analyze its meaning and why these two antinomic words appealed to us so much. With these words, we exclude the reduction of language, the obligation to fit into boxes. "Exclusive" doesn't mean we're against inclusivity, of course. It's more of a questioning exercise, because today the word "exclusive" may seem more shocking than "pornographie".
We defend a world that fights for the subtlety of words, that refuses to reduce them. To reduce language to a single definition is to run the risk of reducing thought. We'd like to encourage inner, more intimate and even dual reflection, because duality is what human beings are all about. Which is a good reflection of our musical approach. It's nostalgia for the past and a desire for modernity at the same time. The real question is, how do these two words resonate with people?
For us, the words "pornographie" and "exclusive" are above all put together to talk about exploring all possibilities with your loved one and finding freedom together. It's more of a key than an explanation, leaving everyone free to interpret. Hence the key to our logo.

ES: How did the seed of music bloom within you?

PE: We come from two very different musical worlds. Severine sang even before she could speak. She comes from a classical music background, and her first instrument is the cello, as it is the closest to the human voice. She then took up the piano and explored pop-rock composition with her solo-project Valkø. She is the daughter of a classical and contemporary music composer and a music-loving mother and amateur singer.
Jerome, on the other hand, was raised by a DJ father and a music-loving mother, and educated by rock'n'roll and blues. Jérôme has never dissociated music and cinema, his aim being to tell stories first and foremost. Some stories are meant to be told through music, as with his psychedelic-grunge band VHS From Space, and others through short or feature films. One always feeds the other.

ES: Who are the artists who influenced your artistic being?

PE: Despite our different musical backgrounds, we found each other in the Bristol trip-hop scene and in film soundtracks. Especially David Lynch's Lost Highway: Bowie, Trent Reznor, Angelo Badalamenti. So many artists who move us in the same way. One thing led to another, and Jerome indulged his long-held cold-wave-electronic-rock cravings by introducing Severine to bands such as Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Front 242, She Past Away, Boy Harsher, Kompromat, etc. Severine was seduced by these musical sounds and emotions, and left her classical piano for a Moog and other synths but keeping the cello.
We're also influenced by the way Brian Eno composes. Severine's regular collaboration with long-time Eno acolyte Leo Abrahams has brought this methodology to the group: working like perfectionists on spontaneous, organic creative material.

ES:Your favourite part when creating?

PE: We love creating together and for each other. We always try to seduce each other with our proposals. It's our barometer: if the other vibrates with our idea, we know we're on the right track. It's our exclusive pornography: we reveal ourselves to each other in complete safety.
But what we love most is having an excuse to find time just for the two of us. We're raising an 8-year-old girl together, and our band is a way of never losing sight of us as a couple. It's very exciting to take our home studio with us in the car and go and record wherever we want and feed off the energy of other countries, other languages and combine a lovers’ city trip with music-making. We've always loved to travel, thanks to our art. The band is another excuse to travel the world, while taking our listeners on a journey with us by sharing our stories.

ES: What messages do you wish to communicate to people?

PE: The band invites introspection, transforming a relationship into a daily act of creation. For us, a real joint project like Pornographie Exclusive is the cement that binds us together. It's not just about creating music, it's a way of life where everything becomes inspiration. We like to make the ordinary extraordinary.

ES: How would you describe your music?

PE: Our album is very varied in its emotional palette. It's at once raw and always melodious. Love as an exorcism. Each track contains a little bit of demon and a lot of love. Like our name, we don't fit into a single box. Throughout the album, we try to reinvent our own codes without too many genre restrictions, letting ourselves be guided by our own desires and torments. The band feels equally at home in cold wave, electro rock, Nine Inch Nails-style industrial and Badalamenti's ultra-melodiousness. We feel we've digested our influences to deliver a very personal album, which may be hard to classify, but of which we're very proud. We look forward to letting you hear it in its entirety.

ES: This moment finds you ?

PE: We're full of hope with this project. Despite the current pessimistic climate, we're fighting to keep some light in the darkness. We're grateful for the warm reception « A Party In Tears » has received. If we can bring a little strength and beauty into the hearts of some people, we'll be overwhelmed.

Info:

https://antibodylabel.bandcamp.com/track/a-party-in-tears

https://www.facebook.com/We.Are.P.Exclusive

https://instagram.com/we_are_pe

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fyppU7GLm6BNlI1RxrPGv

https://youtube.com/@PornographieExclusive