Fragrance. in interview: "Fragrance. (…) is sort of an artificial, synthetic smell and not a natural one"

On Saturday, May 26th, we went to the festival MONITOR - Minimal Wave & Post-Punk International Rendez-Vous - in Leiria, where we had the chance to interview Fragrance., the solo project of the French Matthieu Roche, who opened the festival that day. As of now, he released an EP - Dust & Disorders (2017) - and the singles "Heatwave" and "So Typical" (you can find/buy all the work here).

With this interview, we wanted to know the roots of the project, the concept behind his artistic name, the performance at MONITOR, plans for future, among other things.

This show in MONITOR was your first show ever, right? I would like to know how your project started. 

Matthieu – Yes it is. I always had music projects and I was doing electronic and dark music when I was 14, because of my brother, he was using softwares and stuff. So at night, when he wasn't there I was trying some stuff on his software. And, then, two years ago I had some other projects, not musical ones. I needed to do more music, so I started to make music and songs at home, and it wasn't even for putting it on the internet, or doing live shows, it was just for myself, to put my anxieties and feelings in somewhere else than just me. I don’t know why, I was really asking myself "Do I have to put these songs on the internet?". I had a long debate with some friends, and I think it was just human… I don't know (laughs). So it started like that. I had to search for a name and something… 

Yeah, how did you get the name? 

Matthieu – I don't know, it was so long to find a name. So Fragrance., when I think of that first, it was pretty cool, because it's not a smell, it is sort of an artificial, synthetic smell and not a natural one, and it's pretty interesting to have some… 

Is it like a metaphor for your music?

Matthieu – Probably, maybe… 

Like, your music is synthetic… 

Matthieu – ..and quiet artificial because there are no real instruments, it doesn't have guitars and everything. I really prefer some artificial instruments and some electronic stuff, so, I think the approach is quite interesting for that name. 

You have a lot of visuals besides the music so, I would like to know if that was your main idea for the project and how do you combine all that? 

Matthieu – I’m a graphic designer, so that’s why (laughs). After years and years working for other people or for French bands, making art covers, artworks and some video clips, it was amusing to do that kind of stuff for myself and for the songs. I really like when the universe has a good image and visuals, that's why I always do some kind of lyrics-video and some more abstract with visual things. 

Fragrance is your solo project, right? I’m asking that because today you brought a keyboardist to play live with you. 

Matthieu – I'm doing everything by myself, but I haven't plan to do live shows. I had some propositions last year, and I has "no no no, it is just to make my stuff and I don’t want to do live shows". I had done several live shows with visual projects, and in that case, it was just studio things, a bedroom project. So I declined some propositions and then I've got this proposition with Fade In and it sounded a bit colorful. 

Émilie – And Hante., a friend of him, she was playing too so it was a more familiar thing 😉 

Matthieu – And we loved the bands that played last year at MONITOR. 

You felt like it was the place where you belong? 

Matthieu – I don't know if I belong there. But I discovered so many cool things by listening to Unidade 304. So at the start, I could have declined this but because I'm friend with L'An2000 and also Hante., and I told her "I’ve been invited by a festival in Portugal, what do I have to do?". She said she had been invited to the same festival and I was like "ok, let's do it!". Then I asked Émilie to play with me because I didn't want to be alone on stage so I could share the experience with someone else. 

You don’t have a label, right? 

Matthieu – No, I don't. 

Do you want to release your future work through a label? 

Matthieu – I have my first album quite finished. We played here five tracks from it, but there are also some parts to finish. I have some opportunity with a label, so I’m waiting to see what happens. 

Do you have an expected release date for the album? 

Matthieu – I don't know at all. It will depend on these opportunities so, the sooner the better. Maybe it will be out at the end of the year. Meanwhile, I will release some other songs during the year because I'm too frustrated, my EP is already one year old and I really want to continue to have some videos and some songs. 

Once you are a designer, you are also doing all your videos, artworks, the graphical parts. How's the process? 

Matthieu – It's really hard to work for myself and also as a graphic designer for the others. It's harder to find the visuals when it's just between me and I. 

We are almost finished. What was the last record you have listened too and the last concert you’ve seen? 

Matthieu – The last concert was in Paris and I went to see Lebanon Hanover, She Past Away and Selofan. It was a really cool night because I haven't seen either of the three. My favorite show was She Past Away, they were so cool! And the record, well, these days I have a crush on this Russian band called Galatée, it’s so cool, you absolutely have to listen to that. They are Russian, they don't speak French at all, but for some reason, they are writing all their lyrics in French, great sort of strange poetry in particular for French people. They are not really known in France but when I heard them I listen over and over. Their last EP it's called Sans Titre. 

Émilie – They are really great, like Motorama! It's incredible. 

To finish, is there anything else you want to share with the readers of this interview? 

Matthieu – We are really glad to be here and it will be an unforgettable memory because it was our first show and we will never forget that. It happened on Portugal and my best friend is from Portugal, so thank you Portugal, thank you Carlos, thanks to you, and yeah it’s that.

Thank You!

Interview by: Sónia Felizardo e Rui Gameiro
Photos by: Virgílio Santos

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