French composer Remi Buriez, aka M.A.D.E.S, has returned to the forefront of the Synthwave musical scene.
M.A.D.E.S newest album, Arrival, is now available on Jet Set Trash Records. It has eleven original tracks and morphs between Darksynth, Outrun and classic melodic Synthwave.
Power, suspense, speed, atmosphere and imagination are some of the words that come to mind immediately when thinking of “Arrival”. The LP is a worthy follow up album to his debut “Motor”. It also proves that Synthwave is still alive and kicking, and has artists who produce excellent albums. If you don’t where to find these artists, checking out JST Records is a good place to start.
M.A.D.E.S, which is an acronym for “Make a different electronic sound” is based out of Lille, France. However, as most electronic musicians spread across the globe, Buriez has built a dedicated following online. He plays both guitar and piano at a high level and continually works on digital music workstations to improve his programming.
This the second complete interview with Buriez. Here is the original interview from his album, Motor.
Slickster – Remi, it’s good to hear from you again, and thanks for the new music. Arrival shows that you have been busy and developed quite a lot in your musical skills since the release of Motor. In what ways do you feel that developed most in your music, outlook on life, and programming?
M.A.D.E.S – It took me a long time to compose this new album because I wanted to develop my music more. I wanted to explore other horizons while keeping my own signature.
Slickster – The last time we spoke you said that, “in my opinion, music creation requires a lot of “FOOD”. Did you eat a lot of food when you wrote the music for Arrival?
M.A.D.E.S – Personally, I have lost weight since 2018! Seriously, life has to nourish me so that I can write and imagine music. 2019 (and 2020) were full of different emotions. I tried to put that in my music, even if the album was mostly composed in 2019.
Slickster – Of the seven tracks on Arrival do you have a favorite track?
M.A.D.E.S – My favorite is “2077” even if I’m attached to “Hope“ in a different way.
Slickster – Track #6 on Arrival, “Jungle War”, stands out as a favorite of mine. Was this inspired Predator, the video game Contra, The Vietnam War…? What was your inspiration for this track?
M.A.D.E.S – For this title I wanted to recreate this 80s movies atmosphere. Predator is a very good reference and I really like these exotic vibes. This type of project allows you to include sounds and instruments that add that extra special touch to the mood of the song.
Slickster – Ok, same question, but for Track #2, “1984”. Were you inspired by George Orwell’s novel of doom and despair or Van Halen’s classic rock album?
M.A.D.E.S – 1984 is symbolic because George Orwell’s novel is a pillar of science fiction literature. This type of story leads the reader to reflect and imagine what our future might be like.
I’m a big fan of Van Halen! I must tell you that I have been a guitarist since I was 14. So… yeah I’m a big fan of Van Halen’s band \m/.
Slickster – You are based out of France. When you released your last album France was suffering from the effects of the Yellow Vest riots. At the time of this interview, there is more civil unrest in France. Largely this is coming from a recent law that forbids people from collecting video footage of law enforcement officers. How would you describe the current state of social-political affairs in your native country?
M.A.D.E.S – France has always been a country ahead of its time, but also a country which has great difficulties with reforms. Why? French people are “revolutionaries”. They don’t hesitate to go out on the streets when they don’t agree. The situation is tense because we are going through a very serious health crisis, which is increasing the pressure on society. It’s an explosive cocktail and I don’t know where all this will take us.
Slickster – Do you feel that the music you composed for Arrival is a reflection of the turmoil that has been widespread in the year 2020? Perhaps, in way it colored the tones and timbres of the album in a way that you may not recognize?
M.A.D.E.S – A large part of the album was composed in 2019 so it was not affected by the events of this year. 2020 has been a very difficult year for a lot of people and I think my next work will inevitably be marked by these events. You should expect something darker for my next release.
Slickster – In our previous interview, you shared your love of movie soundtracks with us. Which film scores are you currently listening to? Do you have a favorite film composer that you frequently come back to?
M.A.D.E.S – I am currently listening the soundtrack from Green Book.
Hans Zimmer is a great source of inspiration like other composers such as: John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, James Horner, Howard shore… and many others.
Slickster – France is known for beautiful women, great wine and bread. Why do none of these stalwarts of French culture make it into your art? Especially the hot babes of the 80’s?
M.A.D.E.S – You just give me a great idea. Maybe the next art of my future album will show a pretty nice woman holding a big baguette in her hands (A cyberpunk Baguette of course! Haha).
Slickster – Where do predict the state of Synthwave will head to in the next five years?
M.A.D.E.S – This genre will have to evolve in order to last over time. This style is quite new in the musical world and is still quite underground even if we can see sometimes the influences of 80s (TV, advertising, marketing…). In my opinion, Synthwave will gain popularity and major sound innovations will come. It’s really exciting.
Slickster – Thanks again for sharing your new album, Arrival, with us and taking the time to do another interview. What message would you like to share or talk about that we didn’t get the chance to bring up during the questions?
M.A.D.E.S – I want to announce that I am already working on my next album and expect something very powerful and dark…
Thank you Slickster Magazine!
M.A.D.E.S:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/official-mades
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madesofficial
Bancdamp: https://m-a-d-e-s.bandcamp.com
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotify-mades
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_Mades_
JST Records:
Website: www.jstrecords.com
Bandcamp: https://jstrecords.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/user/jstrecords
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jet-set-trash
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JetSetTrashRecords
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/JetSetTrashRecords
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSTrecords
Stream/Purchase:
Bandcamp: https://m-a-d-e-s.bandcamp.com/album/arrival-lp
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36lCfvD