After a second album titled “Rouge Nuit” and in anticipation of his third, set to release in the spring, Pascal Mono shares an urgent song that addresses a sensitive topic: the Arab Spring.
And as usual, whenever “Mono” releases news, Nice Premium goes to meet him! Hereโs what the singer-songwriter tells us about this new single, freshly available on all digital platforms.
NP: Hello Pascal, your brand new track is called “Encre Arabique”. Tell us… What does ink represent for an author?
Pascal Mono: The written word. Itโs the substance of memory.
NP: And the “Arabique” ink, what is it then?
PM: A memory of “Arabia”. They say that ink flows, sometimes itโs blood tooโฆ I wanted to talk here about the blood of the revolutionaries, of course.
NP: We knew you were touched by the world, its humanity, “its anger and its colors” (“Sur mon Cลur”/Album “Intact”), “Ramallah, Jerusalem” (“Voyager”/Album “Rouge Nuit”)… Where did the urge to write about the Arab Spring come from?
PM: I donโt know, it seemed obviousโฆ A highway area at night, I stopped, and the pen rolled on the paper, a little half-hourโฆ These revolutions come from the streets, from the youth, a youth searching for its identity, fighting for its future in an increasingly tense world. I wanted to put words to it, then a melody on a few chords as alwaysโฆ Surely these revolutions speak to us about ourselves too. Youโre not unaware that our republic emerged from the French Revolution. That’s it, their fight is universal, itโs very simple.
NP: Between hope and revolts, your songs often walk a fine line. Is that also your way of living, of thinking, of moving forward?
PM: Surely, Iโm often between anger and the hope of peaceโฆ When I try to think, to digest all this information 24/7, I secretly get indignant, then I try to restore what can still be beautiful in this so chaotic Historyโฆ
NP: Can you reveal some secrets about this new track? Where was it recorded? With what instruments?
PM: Recorded at Studio Pigalle, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, with Stephan Blaรซss overseeing (Editor’s Note: Brian Eno, Fela Kuti, Ghettoblasterโฆ)
NP: Anything else?
PM: I had recorded a demo where I played a very simple melody, a few notes on the piano โ which is quite unusual for me โ and it already gave a rather special color to the track. Then I had fun on a midi keyboard, with low/infra-low frequencies evoking very muted explosion sounds. We kept that and added percussions, bass drums, and toms played by hand, a double bass for the first time on my tracks. We also used guitars I had recorded at home and put them through an old Vox AC30 amp. Everything is “vintage” at Studio Pigalle, they even have a “Steinway & Sons” piano, a marvelโฆ
NP: On your site, we can read that your new compositions will be more open to the world. Itโs also the first time the cover (of the single) is not your image. Can you tell us about this little girl who illustrates “Encre Arabique”?
PM: This little girl who dances like a shadow puppet in a theater of ruins symbolizes life that continues through the world’s chaosโฆ Even in the most atrocious wars, amidst the rubble, children playโฆ I thought the graphic designerโs image was perfect because it offers several levels of interpretation.
NP: The music video has just been released as well: images in the studio, why this choice?
PM: To highlight the song, especially the text. I didnโt want to illustrate it with images of the revolutions because those images are still sufficiently present in the collective unconscious. This studio choice also allows for more perspective, I thinkโฆ
NP: As with your second album “Rouge Nuit”, this single “Encre Arabique” is released on the independent label “No Direction Home”. Can you tell us about your relationship with the label?
PM: More than a “label”, a family. NDH gives me complete freedom. They expect their artists to touch their truth and be authentic above all. Thatโs what I like about them, a certain mindset, people who brought Mano Negra and NTM to success, which is a bonus, and I feel honored that they have expressed wanting to work with me again; we have re-signed for an additional album.
NP: Your next album indeedโฆ It should be released in spring 2013. The previous one was titled “Rouge Nuit”, what color for this third baby?
PM: Blue groove, orange, warm, very warmโฆ
NP: Ho ho!.. Thank you, Mono!
