Interview with Le Code

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

• I would say in the first place that it was my parents who brought me to music. They are not musicians, but there has always been music at home: my parents listened to 80's pop as well as classical music or 60's and 70's standards. I grew up with my father's vinyl collection.

  I always wanted to go further than just listening to music, to find out what was behind the sounds and the process of creation and instinctively I went towards creating music so that I could in turn create things.

  I think that if I didn't make music, I would have a more "classical" life with children. But creating is something that is part of me, so I think I should have found something similar to express myself.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• The problem is that I think about music all the time :) And I try to produce some whenever I have a free moment.

  But I must admit that it is essential for me to take breaks, if only to recharge the batteries of creativity, which cannot be solicited all the time.

  I have a passion for cinema, and I watch a lot of films. I guess this influences my creativity in an unconscious way because certain images or stories can mark me and change the way I create pieces. 

  Beyond that, I'm lucky enough to live in a mountainous area, and I like to walk in the wilderness, which is where I feel real motivation in my creative process.

How long have you been making music?

• For a very long time. I started with small Bontempi-type synthesizers with which I created small pieces very childish, but which seemed to me absolute hits.

  When I grew up, I realized that creating music required elaborate tools and I waited until I was earning my first wages to invest in modest software at the beginning and to build my home studio as the years went by.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• I am based in France, more specifically in Haute-Savoie, between Megève and Geneva.

  As I said before, it is a mountainous region with very beautiful and wild places: you only have to drive for 1 or 2 hours to get lost in beautiful forests or on plateaus overlooking the valley. I never get tired of it, even if I also love the sea and the harbor atmosphere. It is certainly by the ocean that I would like to settle down for my retirement.

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

• Before I got into ambient, I had many bands, where I sang and played synths.

  I had a band called Proyas that did well in the early 2010s locally: we did a huge show in front of 4 or 5000 people, and it was a terrifying and memorable experience. I realized how lucky I was to have been able to get on a huge stage and it gave me a solid experience in live performance.

  However, I think I would rather be in the studio making new music than on stage.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• That's a tough question because I've played mostly in local venues.

  When I had some bands, I wanted to take them to Paris, or at least to big French cities like Lyon or Grenoble, but I never had this opportunity : the life of bands is made of ups and downs, and to move forward, you have to know how to go alone sometimes.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• The first band that came to my mind was Depeche Mode, so much this band influenced me and built me musically. Someone like Peter Gabriel or the duo Air would also be part of it, no doubt.

  All these artists helped me to become musically what I am today (and there would be more, of course).

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• This is an interesting question because it's something I've been asking myself recently. I have a friend who I make music with, and he was complaining about not being able to get his solo project off the ground, and he was telling me that I had found my sound and my way. So I tried to help him get motivated and offer to help him with some of the things he might be struggling with.

  If today, I had to give advice to someone who would like to start in ambient music, it would be to listen to a lot of artists and to find the right balance between what is being done and his own sound: you must not limit yourself and enjoy yourself but you must remain accessible. 

  And despite everything, hardware is important: whether it's software or hardware synths, you shouldn't skimp on certain investments to get closer to the sound you hear in the productions you like. It may sound a bit hard to hear, but I realized all this by investing in good tools. 

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why? 

• I try to give each track an impulse that will make it more or less unique. I see too many artists who release a lot of tracks, but they all sound the same: same sounds, same chord types, etc. I admit I try not to reproduce the same patterns every time.

  I don't have a particular track to give, but my album "Urban Serenade" represented for me a musical achievement: I like a lot the tracks that compose it and the sounds that I used all seemed relevant to me. it makes a nice unity that I like to put forward now.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• I don't play live, but I can see the songs that did best on Spotify for example, as well as the feedback I got.

  I have to say that my album "Into The Wild" has been very popular on Spotify's editorial playlists, but also by the public. I wanted to make an album dedicated to nature and each track had its own natural atmosphere. I had very positive feedback from some of my followers, and this album remains one of my most successful.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

• I often start from a chord on my keyboard, I have 3 main sources to create pads, and I always start from one of them.

  The piece then follows its course: I don't plan too much about what is going to happen, because I know that if I have a too precise idea in my head, I won't be able to put it in shape according to my wish. I have effects that help me to create textures, even generations of notes, and so I manage to create my pieces.

  I try to renew myself regularly so that I don't get bored as well as the people who follow me.

Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music? if so please tell me about them.

• Honestly, no. I'm more interested in conveying feelings than ideas. I've always had a problem with artists who are too politically involved and want to put messages in their music at all costs.

  I think ambient music is more about feelings, and it's about getting across those personal states. Relaxation, meditation, and well-being in everyday life, are my messages certainly a little bit common, but I don't want to do more on that level.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about? 

• I'm releasing on April 7th a new EP called "Haunted Waves" composed of 4 tracks, two of them in duet with a guitarist friend. I was talking about making his music evolve towards other things and create new things, this EP is clearly in this state of mind: the guitar is an instrument that I play very badly, and being accompanied by a friend on two tracks helped me to find a new musical direction.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• I want to continue composing music, that was my goal for 2023, and it's working well right now. I also wanted to get to know some artists a little bit better and do more duets, again I'm collaborating with a lot of artists this year.

  So I'm going to release more singles, ep's and albums throughout the year, while trying to release tracks on different labels. 

  I'm thinking about how to renew myself on my YouTube channel, so I'm giving priority to the production of music.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• I am on Instagram (@lecodemusic) which is my main social network. I also post my updates on Facebook and Twitter and to discover my music, nothing better than music platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, etc.