Seb Brun & Simon Henocq about Collaboration at the Cusp of Control and Chaos
Drummer Seb Brun and sound artist Simon Henocq found themselves in a trance-like session they refer to as “feeding the monster.” A wild array of cables and pedals created unpredictable fedback loops – and maximally powerful physio-electronic music overwhelming both body and brain.
Most collaborations start with the simple wish by two or more musicians to play with each other. What was the initial spark to extract yourself from Parquet for a while to perform as a duo?
SB: Simon and I have been sharing our know-how for several years. He joined Parquet after the recording, and that’s really when we started working together on the album’s post-production.
At first, we had asked for help from a few people whose work we admired, but their feedback didn’t align with what we were looking for. That’s when we realized that we ourselves had a very clear artistic direction and the skills to pursue it.
From there, we developed a shared language and devised specific signal processing and routing techniques … I think I was even dreaming about them at night. These techniques now feed into our respective solo projects, our duo work, and Parquet.
Simon was working on his solo project, and if I remember correctly, I asked him if I could come and “make a bit of noise” with him. When we listened back to the recordings, it was obvious: we had to make something out of it.
SH: Lately, I’ve personally been gravitating toward more intimate collaborations. They allow for a closeness and complicity in the work that feels right for me at the moment.
With Seb, we’ve been collaborating for quite some time, especially since working together on Parquet’s album. We share practices, knowledge, and desires. We’ve had countless discussions about sound, music production, collective organization, labels … We often work around the same questions or techniques—like feedback for instance.
When the idea came up to exchange around the specific issues at stake in my solo guitar project, we felt it was worth taking the time to sit down in the studio with our instruments, almost like continuing the conversation through music.
The music came naturally. We spent two days in the studio for what was supposed to be just a meeting, and we walked out with an album.
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