IP : What are your musical tastes and backgrounds ?
Tommy (Keyboards/samples, semi-long hair) : I`m a guitar player. I`ve played since I was a kid. I was listening to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, generally rock music. Even Black Sabbath! But you know, you evolve! Peter: I was a "melodic guy" when I was a kid. The Beatles, the Melodic 70s, like Supertramp, Queen, ELO, but besides the 80s with Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Joe Jackson, all that kind of BRRRRILLIANT pop.
I`m not sure why I did that sound, but_ (laughs)Tommy : I was actually into metal, but also at the same time I listened to the new romantic bands like Ultravox or Duran Duran and so I evolved to all kinds of new wave music and also techno and electronic stuff (like Kraftewerk for example).
IP : How would you draw your debut record?
Korpi : "Eclectic" is likely the news that comes to mind, but that`s such a boring word! For us, it was very important to be capable to challenge ourselves, by mixing a lot of influences to finally come up with something new. I don`t know if we totally succeeded but at least we tested our very best, by mixing influences from Georgio Moroder to The Sweet. We tried to, or more precisely we forced ourselves to get up with something new.
Peter: We also tested to order a story instead of trying to take twelve pop singles.Our album is a journey, a small planet you can come visit.
IP: I noticed some things about some of the tracks, tell me if I`m wrong but to me the bass note in Fokker is very evocative of Donna Summer`s I Feel Love, while When the Music Died has similarities with Madonna`s Cyberragga (a rare b-side from the Music era). Now say me do you own a matter for pop divas?
Henrik : Oh really? We don`t acknowledge that Madonna song.
Korpi: I suppose we can definitely say that Mary was NOT an influence, at least for The Amplifetes. As for Donna Summer, hell yeah! You know, the first maxi-single ever done was I Feel Love. It`s EPIC!
Henrik: Our work on the one was probably more Georgio Moroder (the song`s producer) than Donna herself.
IP: Some of you have collaborated with that sort of artists (Madonna, Kelis). How exactly? Henrik: It`s me, I was running with [Swedish production team] Bloodshy & Avant. [B&A have produced some of last decade`s best pop songs including Britney`s Toxic and Madonna`s Get Together. They too form pop duo Miike Snow]. I`ve been running with them for ten years, as a musician, a co-writer, a co-everything in fact! So I`ve been mired in little pieces here there and everywhere. I also co-wrote songs for the Miike Snow project.
IP: Speaking of Swedish artists, it seems like the pop scene there is very hard at the moment, with people like Robyn, Lykke Li, both powerful female singers. What`s the pot with you Swedish people?? What do you eat to create such great music? Peter: I reckon we get that very open situation, where women can really get a bit and are very welcome on the scene, which I find is not ever the subject in other countries.
Korpi: Plus there`s no language barrier really, so it makes our music much easier to export. Singing in English is rather comfortable for us, so I believe that probably explains some of the success.
IP: That being said, I can`t say that you go like British or American bands for example. You appear to cause rather a singular sound. How is that?
Korpi : Something prominent about Swedish artists is we try to blame the right stuff from both the US and UK and so take our own melodic trick. We try to make certain that every melody, every lyric really hits the spot. We try not to get trapped lyrically, where it`s not make enough. So I intend making certain to be as clearly as possible lyric-wise and melody-wise is a very typical Swedish thing I think, and it comes down to the fashion scene or architecture : Swedish people are really open and minimal.
Peter: I reckon we experience some form of melancholia to our inheritance from music we try to integrated to our own sound. That melancholia comes from Swedish folk music. You know, coming from a country where it`s pitch dark at 3 o`clock in the afternoon and very cold during winter makes it almost mandatory to continue inside, in a studio and play.
Korpi: Yeah, I believe it`s very hard to write shiny, sunny pop hits sitting surrounded with c in January. So yeah, our nationality probably has an influence on the case of music we write.
Peter: Same thing goes for France: how do so many electro acts (Daft Punk, Justice, Air_) come from your country?
IP: That`s probably because we have much of drugs.
Peter: Could it be that?
IP: You read is coming out here in France at a sentence when things are hard for newcomers.How do you look around the flow province of the music industry, and the new concepts that are being developed, like pay-what-you-want music or Creative Commons, the fact that you don`t necessarily make much of money from marketing your music, the extra money-making possibilities_?
Korpi: I suppose this is the most exciting time we`ve lived in a really long time! It barely breaks the system down. You know, we`ve been running on the whole "big labels" scene for quite some time now. It was a big, old machinery stuck with recording contracts that hadn`t been updated for the final 50 years. For us, the unit system exploding (kind of) is only very sexy, exciting, and OK! We responded to a question earlier, about the fact that our music seems to be quite popular with advertisement...
IP: Speaking of that, I heard that Somebody New was leaving to be exploited in a big campaign_ Korpi: Yeah, it`s for a big cosmetic company [Garnier`s Fructis shampoo]. Another call of ours [It`s My Spirit] was exploited in a Roberto Cavalli ad earlier. For us it`s simply another way of thinking. Ten or 15 days ago, that would have been selling yourself to the monster and really fucking cheesy, but now it`s exactly how the game works. It`s a new way of marketing and bringing our music to a lot of people, and I believe you only get to adjust to that. We`re all aware that albums sell a 100 times less than they used to ten days ago, but in the meantime it makes us desire to get on present and do even more! In short, for us, all that is extremely exciting. IP: What is a perfect pop song ?Korpi: OOH trick question! I suppose the core element has to be the surprise. It has to surprise you. And jolt you, either by lyrical content or melody wise. SHOCK and SURPRISE. Peter : It has to look real simple and obvious but completely new at the same time.
IP : Now, quick and stupid questions! - Which artists are you acting on your iPod at the moment?
Peter: Interpol, the latest album. Groove Armada`s last album too. If you wish this form of 80s vibe, you`re gonna love it.
Korpi : Fourtet, his final album is mindblowing.
Henrik: Gui Boratto. I fair can`t get his music out of my head. We`d love to hold him remix one of our tracks. We dread it might be a bit expensive, but we`ll see.
- One song, one album, one artist?
Peter: Sign 'o' the Multiplication by Prince - Time by ELO - Bowie
Korpi: Ballroom Blitz by Sweet - London Calling by The Clash - The Clash
Tommy : A position to a Killing by Duran Duran - Breaking Law by Judas Priest - Judas Priest
Henrik: Toxic! No I can`t do that even though I co-wrote it! - (It`s a bit boring but I`ll say ) Dark Face Of Thee Moon by Pink Floyd - Stevie Wonder Well thank you The Amplifetes. You are pretty awesome.
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