IGORRR: Interview with Gautier Serre

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I interviewed Gautier Serre, founder of projects Igorrr and Whourkr. He comments on music, mp3 and other interesting things.

GROUNDCAST Thank you, Mr. Gautier, for this interview. We were very honored with the opportunity. To get started the interview I would like to ask about your project, Igorrr. From where did the name?

GAUTIER SERRE The name come from a Gerbil I had when I was young, when she died, I was using her name on my first personal tracks. I added the 3 “r” and I kept it.

GROUNDCAST Let us know a little about your trajectory on music. How did you get this way?

GAUTIER SERRE I started to produce music when I was really young, first with an old Yamaha Synthesizer, and after with a playstation game called “Music”, I was making hundreds and hundreds tracks. Afterwards, I was playing in a couple of bands, mainly Death Metal ones, but also some experimental and electronic projects. In 2005 I decided to make music more seriously. By “serious” I mean more detailed with a good sound. Then I made my first demo under the name Igorrr called “Poisson Soluble”. In parallel I started a new project called WHOURKR. I am continuing this way so far.

GROUNDCAST One thing that is evident is the blend of genres completely apart as grindcore and IDM / Breakcore. From where did this idea?

GAUTIER SERRE I don’t know from where this idea is coming, I’m just making the thing I want to hear, I think there is no concept or something, I’m making the music I feel. I love Baroque Music, I love Metal and I love Breakcore, I’m just expressing everything at the same time.

GROUNDCAST France is a great exponent of experimental metal, with bands like Carnival in Coal, for example (which I am a big fan). What I notice in bands such are the influences on the bizarre music. What influences you to write (not only in Igorrr, but in others as well)?

GAUTIER SERRE The bands I’m listening to are very different, without any order my best bands or artists are Domenico Scarlatti, Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, Portishead and some good electronic musicians as Venetian Snares and more.

GROUNDCAST The art of its booklets is a fascinating thing, with well gruesome and surrealist elements. Who is the artist?

GAUTIER SERRE The artist is a good friend, his name is Antoine Martinet, and his artist name is “Mioshe”, you can find him right here: http://www.mioshe.fr/

GROUNDCAST To compose the music of Igorrr, what equipment do you use? Also tends to produce some samplers or place that is already ready?

GAUTIER SERRE I’m composing in several ways, I’m using some samples, but mainly I am recording the real instruments, like piano, voices, electric and folk guitars, bass and some drums. About the equipment, you can have a precise list here: http://www.improvetonestudios.com/ but mainly I’m using Cubase with some strong and noisy machines.

GROUNDCAST Generally metal fans do not usually react well to mix with electronic music, since it seems something more “artificial”, they said. What do you think about it?

GAUTIER SERRE You are right, metal heads are not so much open specially for the electronic music. I feel pity for this, I like Metal as much as Electronic Music, it’s just 2 really different perspectives of music. There are really amazing things on both sides, the primitive energy of the Metal and the mathematic precision of the Electronic Music, both are very different and worth the attention.

GROUNDCAST You’re also the founder of the band Whourkr, more focused on death metal, which has very large differences with respect to Igorrr, using the same elements. For you, what’s the difference between working with Igorrr and with the Whourkr?

GAUTIER SERRE Working with Igorrr and WHOURKR are 2 different feelings, WHOURKR is more a physical, maybe more primitive and wild, with Igorrr, I’m spending an horrible amount of hours to make it sounds perfect for me, it’s more precise and detailed stuff. The other thing is that I’m the only one to make decisions in Igorrr project, but with WHOURKR we are 2, me and Mulk, by the way, we are going to release our 3rd album in May, “4247 Snare Drums” on the label Ad Noiseam, it’s gonna be great!!

GROUNDCAST How has been the presentations’ routine with your projects?

GAUTIER SERRE It’s going well, actually I’m really “touring” since Nostril was released at the end of 2010. That’s nice to see that anywhere you go, you can meet someone who understands your music, I really appreciate that. It’s like having feedback from someone totally unknown living on the other side of the planet, but you know that you have something in common.

GROUNDCAST Which bands would you like to play along in the near future?

GAUTIER SERRE I’d love to play with Michael Jackson, Vladimir Bozar ‘n’ ze Sheraf Orkestär, and Johnny Halliday.

GROUNDCAST Who is the audience or Igorrr’s fan? What kind of people like your music?

GAUTIER SERRE Actually there is no particular kind of people, but if there is a common point, is that there are all open minded and a bit crazy.

GROUNDCAST You recently participated in the project Öxxö Xööx. Tell us a little about it.

GAUTIER SERRE Öxxö Xööx is a project of a good friend, Laurent Lunoir, he is the main voice on my Igorrr albums. Actually he is also the person with who I created WHOURKR some years ago, so by the way he is the singer on the Naät album. We are working a lot together, I’m a part of Öxxö Xööx as he is a part of my albums with his voice.

GROUNDCAST What represents Öxxö Xööx in your career?

GAUTIER SERRE He is someone with who I was working a lot and made a lot of things.

GROUNDCAST Do you know any Brazilian band? What?

GAUTIER SERRE I know Sepultura, Soulfly, and all the Max Cavalera’s projects, but unfortunately, these are the only ones I know.

GROUNDCAST You also took part in the remixes’ album of Morbid Angel, with track Remixou Morbidou. How did the invitation to work? Explain us about this remix.

GAUTIER SERRE The remix was really cool to make, the label “Season of Mist” contacted me and asked if I would be interested in making a remix of Morbid Angel. Morbid Angel is one of my favorite Death Metal bands, so I accepted to make it with pleasure. I had fun making something new with it.

GROUNDCAST And how was the reaction of fans to remix?

GAUTIER SERRE The Illud Divinum Insanus album was not well received by the Morbid Angel Fans, so you can imagine their reaction about the Remixes album! Surprisingly, the Remixou Morbidou is very well received, more by the “electronic” scene than the “metal” scene, but still, the feedback is really good !

GROUNDCAST Nowadays is easier to know new bands because the mp3 sharing, but many artists/labels don’t like it, saying it is like stealing. What is your opinion about the mp3 illegal distribution?

GAUTIER SERRE It’s a really hard question, the mp3 and the “easy sharing” way to spread music is a revolution, I see it like something really good, but now, because of that, people stop buying music. They continue to pay the internet connection to get access to the free music, and some sites like it was with “Megaupload” but still, the artists doesn’t get any cent. It’s really unfair. The good thing is, anyone can produce music, so you can discover a lot of amazing things which would not appear if they would need a label or something. The bad thing is, you don’t have to pay for that, so if you want to use your life to make the best music you can, then it will be hard for you.

GROUNDCAST Thank you for the interview, we were very thankful. This is your space to let a message for the readers of Groundcast.

GAUTIER SERRE A space only for me? That’s nice thank you, so here I can write anything and you will publish it? Even I’m writing the Polish recipe of the cookies? The best thing would be now to write something smart in Brazilian, but I don’t know a word.


Editor, dono e podcaster. Escreve por amor à música estranha e contra o conservadorismo no meio underground.