When did you start making music and what was the contributor factor that made you to do so?
I’ve always have been attracted to music, but I only started to play at the age of 14. As I was learning to play the bass, I was composing my first songs. I created really soon the band Sick Genius with my guitarist friend who plays now with me in Hangmoon. Our friendship and deep musical understanding was a great motivation to make music, as well as my admiration for bands like Metallica or Led Zeppelin.
How hard was it for you to create, record and release your first material?
My first material ever is the split album Cordyceps Bassiana with the French black metal band Night. It was quite easy to compose but recording it was harder because of our lack of experience. As for the releasing part, we didn’t prepare it well. Beginning artists often forget the importance of having a release plan (communication, release show, etc).
What is the main art form that influenced you in creating? Was it only music or did movies and other forms of art influenced your creative process?
The main art that influences me is music, but cinema, literature and painting help me to be more creative as they introduce me to new imaginaries worlds.
What are the steps that an idea takes before becoming a fully fledge song? And how does that idea affects the way you build an album from the ground up?
Ideas can be musical, like a melody, or conceptual. If it’s a melody, I like to start the song with it, and add instruments to enrich and transform it, until coming back at the end of the song to the original melody. The song Prisoner in Hangmoon’s EP Meztli was composed that way.
As for the conceptual ideas, the EP Meztli is a perfect example. It is fully built from one initial idea: telling the story of one special night I spent in the Mexican desert, and my life after it.
What do you consider the most important traits that a song and an album must have before you consider it to be completed?
Obviously, the quality sound must be as professional as possible, with beautiful visual art and musical consistency.
But beyond that, to me it’s necessary for a song to communicate strong and deep emotions.
What are the actual steps that you take when you are creating? Do you need to enter or go to a certain setting in order to get creative?
In order to get creative, I need to turn down and put away Internet and my cellphone, as they distract me. Then, I just grab my bass or my guitar and play until ideas show up. I also like working on ongoing songs in my home studio, recording and testing all my ideas. Learning to use a DAW changed my way of working; I can spend entire nights on my computer with an instrument, making progress on my songs.
Except art are there any other external or internal factors that influence you when you create, if so what are they?
My feelings and emotions are the main influence when I create. That’s why it can be really hard for me to compose when I’m apathetic or even when I feel good, because I don’t need to express anything in that cases.
As for the external factors of inspiration, travel is truly incredible. It makes me feel alive while I do it, then melancholic when coming back. Moreover, I’m truly passionate about astronomy, so a simple look at a night sky can be enough to inspire me.
What is your main motivation to create and be creative?
Transcend myself, being more than what I am.
How long does it take to go from a song to an album from scratch to the fully recorded version?
For some, it could take two or three weeks. In my case, it takes about a year or more since I want to be sure that every song is perfect to me. That takes a lot of time since I listen a lot -too much- to the demos I record before going to the studio.
Do you take multiple takes of the songs before settling on the final version or do you go with the flow and just do one take?
I like to have multiple options so I will often try to play some parts several times. But because of time pressure in the studio, one good take is usually enough.
During live shows what do you like to do more, experiment and improvise on the basis of the existing album and songs or you are more likely to recreate the recorded material as faithfully as possible?
I don’t want live shows to be perfect reproductions of the recorded material. Every show is different to me, and the emotions I feel too. Therefore, I want to be free to improvise so Hangmoon’s performances can be really unique.
What are the main ingredients that makes a live show special for you?
The crowd is the most important ingredient. We play for the people, so the interaction with it is determinant. When the public is being receptive and gets into the music, it’s truly magical. My personal mood also matters for the show to be special for me. If I feel frustrated or sad the day of the show, I will express it musically, which can make the show more powerful and emotional.
Do new ideas appear during live performances? If so how to do you proceed in order to materialize them?
Sometimes, some improvised changes that appear during a live performance will be kept and will change the songs permanently in comparison with their studio versions.
Moreover, the interaction with the crowd can be really inspiring and give me ideas for new songs.
What is the perfect time of day and weather that makes you creative?
The perfect time is night, when everything becomes quiet and nothing can distract me.
What are your future plans and what advice do you have for people that want to get into creating music?
My plan is to develop Hangmoon as much as I can. I’m already working on a second EP, although I want to take my time to make a great record, following on from Meztli but also founding new sounds, new stories to tell.
My advice for people who want to get into creating music is to be passionate, dedicated, and mainly to have something to express through their music. Music is a language, so use it wisely and make sure you have something interesting to say.
