We are Absenthium

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Nicolas: For my part, I grew up in a family near to the Italian border. The only artist in my family was my grandfather (I discovered it many years after his death). Even if I always loved music, I began to learn piano when I was teenager (14/15 years old). One day, my grand mother told me “you really have pianist hands” and it made “tilt”, then one year later I began piano courses. I learned a lot about composition and orchestration with my first band (Symphonic Metal !). I know piano and it’s my favorite instrument but I have more experience on keyboard.

Vincent: I always loved music, for so far I can remember. My godfather is a musician, composer and pianist; I discovered the instrument at his place. Then, one day I was 6 y/o, I asked him to play a simple melody on the black keys – wich I manage to play “by ear” 2 or 3 weeks after. The year after, I started classical musical studies. And I never stop. I started to improvise/compose for the piano at 10, and to compose for large orchestra at 18 thanks computer-assisted music.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Simply, never forget your first, your primal dream. Let it guide you through the obstacles and problems of the musical life. In classical or contemporary music, practice and work always pay. Always.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

Vincent : A performance could never be perfect, unless you’re a genius ! *laughts*. It’s pretty difficult to handle, for sure, but with some distance, you’ll see that it’s only an experience. You’ll know what to do for not failing the next time. And, to end with, all artistic life come along with mistakes. That’s how we learn.

Nicolas: Who never did mistakes? The perfect show/performance doesn’t exist. The most important is to keep going, it’s just a bad moment and it makes you learn a lot. The show must go on !

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

We’re not touring musicians. Even if the tour-dream is always here, we’ve got our installations at our places, and we’re only making “studio/computer generated music”. Maybe with an other project who knows?

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

Vincent : A custom PC that I built myself. I’m still pretty happy with it, and I plan to get it upgrated next summer. My master Keyboard is an old Yamaha synth that I used when I was stage keyboardist for my first symphonic metal band.

Nicolas : Everything will change ! I will buy a custom PC and a new master keyboard (i’m not decided which one yet). For the moment Vincent : A custom PC that I built myself. I’m still pretty happy with it, and I plan to get it upgrated next summer. My master Keyboard is an old Yamaha synth that I used when I was stage keyboardist for my first symphonic metal band. Nicolas : I’m working on a nice Asus laptop, my master keyboard is an old Yamaha 88 keys and I also have a Korg PS60, a good 61 keys synth. I used both of the on stage.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Nicolas: I’m in charge of most of the promotion. We are on Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud but I’m thinking about making a YouTube chanel to make some videos montage to promote our music in the best way. We are making cinematic music, so it seems to be logic ! *laught*

Vincent : Tease with some extracts, sometimes, when we have time – I’m still student at the conservatory, so I don’t have much ! *laughts*

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

Nicolas: If I could work with an original composer, it would be Danny Elfman, I discovered his work with Tim Burton’s movies in particular in the Corpse Bride which is my favorite movie of all time. I can’t describe how I felt the first time I listened Victor’s Piano Solo. The second one is also very important to me in my musical life, it’s Tuomas Holopainen, the leader and keyboard player in the symphonic metal band Nightwish. If I could perform with him, I would probably be the happiest man in the world.

Vincent: I’ll say two. First, as an original soundtrack composer, my dream will be to meet Mr. John Williams. I consider him, along with Enio Morricone, as the best composer alive. And secondly, as a traditionnal metalhead, my dream is to make a gig, at the keyboard, with my favourite symphonic metal band ever : the dutchs from Epica.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Vincent : Always. Nicolas and I are always discussing about new projects, new concepts, how to upgrade and improve our composing technique and our workstation. Let’s say : we don’t face any trouble to find ideas. Are we ?

Nicolas : Vincent and I have a good musical and human feeling so I’m not worried about the future. We are patient, we are growing everyday but we want to make great things so we take our time.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Vincent : Personnaly, my first passion was not music. When I was 4, I discovered the works of Howard Carter and the discovering of the grave of King Tutankhamun in 1923. My first dream job was to be an archeologist, an Ancient Egypt specialist. But then, the piano strikes, and, you know the rest of the story!

Nicolas : I would be dead ! *laught* More seriously, I am very interessted by astronomy and astrophysic since i’m a child. Which is really strange if you knew my mathematic level… To be honest I don’t know what I would do without music, I have a bachelor in Nordic Language Literature and Civilization specialized i Norwegian, so maybe teacher.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?

Vincent : Better soundtracks with more greater illusions of real orchestra playing, even if it’s not true. … And some symphonic metal compositions, for my own pleasure.

Nicolas : The same ! And we will work on the original soundtrack of a documentary at the begining of 2017. I can’t tell you more for the moment.

Exposed Vocals: Any Shout-outs?

Never let go. Always follow your dreams. Because, in a world that darkens a little bit more every day, dreams are the best thing that we still have.