Creativity is often said to be sparked, but it’s not every day that you hear about an actual electrocution inspiring an album. However, on VOLT, LAAKE’s forthcoming release, it was indeed a violent electric shock caused by a faulty light fixture that ignited the musician’s imagination. This event transformed what was initially intended to be a solo piano album into an eerie and thrilling journey. Fueled by a compelling force from within, VOLT is a mesmerizing tale that invites listeners on a hypnotic adventure.

WWD: Hello LAAKE, Welcome to When We Dip. Could you tell us a bit about your upcoming album ‘VOLT’ – what inspired it and what was the creative process?

This album was originally intended to be an acoustic solo piano album, and I’ve had this idea in my head for years. During the recording of the first piece of the album, barefoot, I suffered an electrocution, or rather an electrification, the first one being fatal, by touching with my arm a luminous sconce of doubtful confection. Expelled backwards by the shock, persuaded to live my last moments, I noticed several minutes later the multiple burns appearing on my body, bewildered. A visit to the hospital followed and a psychological trauma that would last more than a year; I was unable to touch a switch or screw in a light bulb. Basically, I’m not a big fan of concepts, I work on instinct, and I like to think about concept ideas, especially around images, after I’ve created a piece, not before. For this album, the concept had already been written because of the electrocution, so I decided to make it a strength. It was now unthinkable for me to make an album without electricity. I decided to make it the main theme because I felt that the idea of electricity fitted my music perfectly. I’m also a hyperactive kind of person, and I think that comes across on the album.

WWD: How would you define your own music?

My music is a mix between orchestral music and electronic music. But I don’t like to pigeonhole myself in any particular way. I come from a rock music background, and I’m just as sensitive to jazz as I am to metal or rap music. I love playing with repetition; it’s a music where melody is omnipresent but I attach even greater importance to the rhythmic aspect. The piano is a percussive instrument, and it’s this aspect that interests me most.

WWD: Can you tell us more about the setup of this album – what were the instruments you used for creating its sound? Who are the featured musicians and where did you record the album?

A very large part of the album was composed and recorded at home, in my home studio. In this album, I played piano of course, synthesizers, bass, percussions, violin, cello, trumpet, lead vocals and backing vocals. I then went into the studio to re-record some pianos with a grand piano. I also recorded with a string quartet, a brass quartet, a drummer and a clarinetist.

This album was recorded with 10 musicians from classical, jazz, and contemporary music backgrounds in 3 different studios between Paris and Brussels (Studio Ferber, Studio Saint-Germain and ICP Studio). We recorded piano, strings, brass, and drums/percussion separately. This was quite a stressful stage for me, as I’m used to recording everything at home. The advantage is that I already knew all the musicians who took part in this album, because they’re also my live musicians, who are very professional and friendly.

WWD: You manage to expertly balance the electronic and analogue in your tracks. Please could you tell us how you view the relationship between the two?

I don’t see electronic and analogue as two separate elements, but rather as complementary. Synthesizers are instruments with a real soul, just like classical instruments. I put these two elements at the service of the music. I can use machines as organic elements and strings as machines. What I’m really trying to do in my music is blur the boundaries between electronic and analogue.

WWD: What are your most significant musical influences?

At the moment, I don’t listen to much music in the style I do. I like repetitive music and psychedelic music, whether rock or electronic. I also have a real affinity with rap music and jazz. If I had to name groups that have influenced my project, I’d say Radiohead, Jon Hopkins, Brandt Brauer Frick, and King Crimson.

WWD: Do you have any other projects or events in the pipeline that you would like to share?

My album will be released on October 6, and we’ll be celebrating its release at the Trianon, a legendary Paris venue, on November 28. Otherwise, I’ve been wanting to do an acoustic piano album for years, perhaps it will take the form of an EP, as I’m not generally a fan of long solo piano albums. I’m also going to start working on the follow-up to VOLT, and for the moment I’m imagining a more electronic album with more synths and fewer orchestral elements, something more frontal.