In The Studio With
BRAXE + FALCON
Cousins Alain Braxe and Stéphane Quême have joined forces for a new EP. Danny Turner learns how modular synths inspired them
© Mathias Fennetaux
Although related, pioneering French house producers Alain Braxe and Stéphane Quême (aka DJ Falcon) had no knowledge of each other’s production careers despite releasing their debut records on the same label. Inevitably, their careers crossed paths and the duo began working on demos in 2014 before being convinced by label manager Peter Berard to release an EP for Domino’s new electronic dance imprint Smugglers Way. Sessions reconvened in Paris and at Braxe’s Toulouse studio, with the duo excited that their use of modular gear was eliciting a similar naivety to when they first started making music. A sublimely melancholy EP with vocal contributions from songwriter Sunni Colón and Animal Collective co-founder Panda Bear, Braxe + Falcon’s collaboration has been so productive that they already plan to record an album together.
You’re cousins, so did you knew each other well growing up and share similar interests in music?
Alain Braxe: “No. When we were kids we met maybe ten times at family parties but didn’t discover each other until much later at clubs and backstage.” Stéphane Quême: “I didn’t even know Alain had released his first record and it was a surprise to me. It’s funny because we both ended up releasing our first records on the same label, Roulé, but once we found out that we were both making electronic music we got much closer.”
It seems as though a lot of French house/disco artists are quite closely connected – there’s an air of cooperation rather than competition…
SQ: “I wouldn’t use the word cooperation, but there’s no competition. At the beginning of the 2000s there was a big explosion of French artists, which was quite cool and unexpected. That period gave the scene a lot of good memories that we were all happy to share together.”
The scene also seems to have a longevity that other genres crave…
AB: “I think that’s because it’s still linked to disco and even new French producers have that strong heritage. It’s funny because at one point the definition ‘French Touch’ appeared. We never really felt comfortable with that, but it’s true that there’s been a French sound for 25-30 years and it’s interesting to see how it keeps evolving. Do you have the feeling that it’s coming back strongly in the UK?”