THYLACINE
A lot of artists have sought to document the touring life in their music but French electronic producer William Rezé aka Thylacine has taken things a step further.
Having purchased an allaluminium Airstream 1972 trailer and transformed it into a recording studio, he then shipped said vehicle to Buenos Aires via freight-liner and embarked on a South American recording journey. The result is his second album, Roads Vol.1, out now.
Like his previous album ( Transiberian, recorded aboard the Moscow to Vladivostok train), Roads
Vol. 1 is inspired by the cramped confines of life in transit and what he learned along the way, but is also imbued with the rich sounds of his environs, be it the South American charango or cameos from local artists (like Argentinian artist Juana Molina).
The Frenchman tells us more about his adventure, the constraints of building a studio in limited surroundings and what he’d fill his space with if space wasn’t a premium, here…
When did you start making music, and what were your first steps towards making it a career?
“I started music when I was six years old, I learned saxophone, firstly with classical music and later with jazz. I then played in some bands as a saxophonist or bass player but I started to compose my own tracks (and discovered electronic music at the same time) a lot later while I was in art school.
“I always wanted to compose and work on every part of a track, so electronic music has been the perfect solution for me.
“I remember that [US producer/ DJ] Emancipator’s music helped me getting started; his music seemed so simple yet enjoyable, just layers of little melodies, and I think it was also a good mix between the acoustic culture and the poor electronic skills I had at that time.
“I started with an MPC500, firstly to make beats and play saxophone on, but I quickly wanted more and switched to a laptop with a little MIDI keyboard and Logic Pro running.”
Tell us about your studio/setup
“My music studio is quite unusual. More than a year ago I bought an old Airstream trailer from the US, which I totally renewed over the course of four full months of hard work and changed it into a fully professional music studio.
“The thing is, I love making music while traveling, and I was too afraid to build a music studio on a place that I could be bored of. So I had this weird solution of building a music studio that can follow me.
“I worked with an acoustic designer to have a perfect acoustic inside, adapted to this uncommon room, and surprisingly the shape and materials of the trailer were a very good environment for a music studio.
“I also covered the roof with solar panels and brought two big batteries inside to make it totally off the grid and autonomous everywhere.
“Recently I put this mobile studio onto a ship to Buenos Aires, whereupon I started a three-month musical journey across Argentina, and composed an album there, right in the middle of deserts, mountains or little villages.”
What DAW (or DAWs) do you use, and why did you choose it?
“I started with Logic Pro which fits with the classical music education that I have, but now I also tend to work with Ableton, mostly on remix, where the warp makes it easier.”
What one piece of gear in your studio could you not do without, and why?
“As I was mostly composing out of a studio before I built my own, I got used to using less. The only thing I would always need is obviously a MIDI keyboard, but that’s it. And I guess I really like to use different gear so I’m not repeating myself.”
What’s been the latest addition to your studio collection?
“I recently bought a Moog Mother 32; I use it for my live setup, mostly for its noise generator and filters, but I’m looking forward to going deeper and trying it in the studio too.”
What dream bit of gear would you love to have in your studio?
“It would definitely be the old Space Echo RE-201.”
When approaching a new track or project, where do you start?
“I don’t really have a routine, and I try not to have one, in order to help me discover new ways of creating. But I love when a voice or a sound I recorded is the starting point, and then I build around it. Because it can sometimes push me to new paths as the BPM or harmonics does not really come from me.
“Also, I think it’s important for me to be able to compose quickly in different places so that I can capture that special moment, and then later take the time in studio with gear to work and finish it.”
What are you currently working on?
“I’m mostly touring at the moment but I hope to be able to travel again soon with my mobile studio!”