We caught up with Vincent Taurelle to chat Gooontran, musical inspiration and more in advance of his debut LP release.

Hi Vincent. Welcome to Music is 4 Lovers, great to speak with you!

Hello, thank you very much, nice to meet you too.

Where do you find yourself right now, and what have you been up to lately?

I’m mostly in Paris, working on the next Justice album, as well as on a side project with Yannis Philipakis from Foals. I’m also preparing my next album.

You recently unveiled your debut LP under your Taurelle alias on Gooontran, can you please tell us something about the ideas behind the project?

The idea evolved as the process went on, I initially wanted to make “light” tracks, in my underpants at the hotel, with no pressure, I started most of the tracks in Tokyo, and as I developed, I realized that the shapes were very weird, so I tried to make them more “normal”, and I found that horrible. I realized that I had to do something else, and I kept these narrative, poetic forms, which is ultimately, I think, the real interest of the album. I had a few images in mind – dealing prohibited energy drinks, depraved people with necrotic limbs, pimply teenage virgins… but I didn’t want the image to reflect them too much, like a concept album, because these images are already in the music.

What’s your relationship like with the Gooontran label?

Gooontran is actually my label. It’s how I release my music independently.

You have worked with some other incredible artists and bands with previous projects, can you tell us a little bit more about this?

I’ve been quite lucky, each artist has a unique vision, and I’ve grown a lot through their collaboration.

Can you give us a brief overview of the vision behind your Taurelle project?

First, I wanted to be free and relatively independent. The next record will be in the same vein, but more direct. Later on, I’d also like to call on more musicians and mix live recordings with music composed “the old-fashioned way”, on scores, and then do my own little electronic cooking.

How does your creative process work, particularly for this LP?

Most of the tracks are based on improvisation, which I did fairly quickly, trying to establish a structure for the whole piece as quickly as possible. I start with the melodic lines. Then I find out what I’m dealing with… then I develop (more slowly) a world that follows on from it… the production was done right and left, from the hotel room to the big commercial studio, from my cellar to my mixing studio.

‘Cock Porn’ featured a music video, how did this idea behind the visual identity come about?

I found this sculpture of a nun at a flea market in Brittany, and it now watches over me in my studio, calling me to order from time to time. Cock Porn is both pleasant and disturbing, and I wanted to put a character in that situation. Always under the Machiavellian gaze of the nun.

How did you develop your musical skills, and what challenges have you faced along the way?

I started out as a self-taught musician when I was about 10, trying to play jazz and a few small pieces by Beethoven or Ravel, then I got into a few teenage rock bands before finally taking lessons at the Chartres Conservatoire, then the Paris National Conservatoire. The rest, however, I learned to record, mix and synthesize as I went along.

What motivates you to keep learning and pursuing your music career?

I don’t really ask myself the question, I’ve always felt the need to do it.

Taurelle ‘Mastoïde LP’ is out now on Gooontran.

PURCHASE HERE.

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