Music
The mysterious Italian music-makers on finding inspiration in Paris and missing their Naples home.
Herr Styler’s two enigmatic members, Gennaro and Fabrizio, got to know each other playing in bands in Naples before striking out on their own and locking themselves in a studio in their newly adopted Paris. Two EPs and remixes for the likes of Kitsuné and Gomma followed, but 2014 will see them finally stepping into the limelight. There’s a full-length album planned for later in the year and they’re currently plugging brand-new EP, Happiness Was A Light Sleeper. Meet the hotly-tipped Italians right here...
Why swap Naples for Paris?
Fabrizio:The desire to leave led us straight onto a train to Paris and I think it was the right choice. Here art is taken seriously and we’re on a label that supports us.
Gennaro: I fell in love with Paris in 2011. I've been here for five years now, with ups and downs of course. There’s a different relationship here to new music, not as idyllic as some might think – there is a lot of crap music, like everywhere… But there’s a desire to do good things here and I think the melancholy of Paris has influenced us a lot.
Do you miss Naples?
G: What Neapolitan would say no? We even have a track called Pienzm [which means 'Think of me'].
F: Naples is sorely missed. It’s our home. Family, pizza, youth unemployment at 50 per cent, friends – we love it.
Happiness Was A Light Sleeper is the first single to be taken from your forthcoming album – can you tell us about your work?
G: Happiness Was A Light Sleeper divides into three parts: Necklace Forest, We Are The Ones and Pienzm. An eight-minute trip, our first manifesto of pop and a sort of collage of memories and images of Naples. For the first two pieces we shot a short film directed by photographer Edouard Plongeon [see the player above], who’s worked with Connan Mockasin, MGMT, Devendra Banhart, Phoenix...
F: Happiness… is the result of our work on the album. We always wanted to make an album that would sound consistent and beyond just atmospheric. We didn’t want an album with ten unconnected tracks, an album should be like a speech. We listen to a lot of different things and we’ve tried to include them in the way we make music. Happiness Was a Light Sleeper is just a taster.
You don’t rush your music, do you?
G: The priority is not speed but the work itself. It’s true that we worked for an almost biblical amount of time on this EP, but we believe that the music’s effectiveness depends on what’s put in.
F: We take to heart any work we do and we like to play with different sounds: gospel with oriental orchestras, you name it. These are challenges that lead us in search of new things, extending and developing the work still further. It helps us to grow.
Tell us about the label you’re now signed to…
G: La Belle Records is perfect. It’s only two years old, DIY and has an unbridled ambition – last year one of the releases by FKCLUB, was selected for the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto V. It makes us proud to be on the same label as In Flagranti, Justin Robertson, Rodion and Clap Rules.
