What is the story behind lesmodules etranges? How did you all meet?

Azia (singer) : We’re French, and we’re from Nantes (west of France). I guess you can say, we’re part of the “post-punk/alternative rock” scene.

Jenn and I are a couple since 2007 and we started the band the same year with only the two of us. Jenn played all the instruments (beat box, guitars, bass, synth) and I did the song line and the lyrics.

We had to find a bass player when we started to play live, which took quite some time and that’s why we played our first gigs with a recorded bass (following the example of Cocteau Twins, a very influential band for us).

Our current bass player Jrm is in the band since October 2009. We’ve had two former bass player, now playing in the bands Berlin Wall Lovers (Johnny) and In Loving Memory (Evran).

What are your musical backgrounds?

Azia : This is actually my first experience in a band since I’m only 21 and it’s so exciting. It’s the same for Jrm. Jenn is a bit older and played in several punk rock and old-school noise/industrial bands since the end of the 90’s, but nothing quite as ambitious as Les Modules Etranges.

At the beginning, we wanted the band to follow a certain tradition of old-school “goth/post-punk” music like most of the bands on 4AD in the 80’s (Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Modern English, X-Mal Deutschland, and more…) and our first album “Dawn” (2009) is really “new wave” in that way.

But we’ve been really influenced by the no wave/punk/noise rock (Swans, Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch, The Ex, …) lately and our music has been transformed. Our second album “Another Vision” (2010) is quite more noisy and rough and reveals our new sound, less traditional, more sincere.

What is the current music scene like in Paris?

Azia : Paris is unfortunately too self-centered. We love to play for the Parisian audience but the conditions we play in are often quite bad (small inadequate clubs, not enough or no pay (not even the money to reimburse the cost of gas/hotel/etc…) ).

But there are a lot a great bands in our scene, not only in Paris but in the whole France.

We prefer to play in the provinces, even if the audience is smaller, the atmosphere is often really “rock’n’roll” and people are so passionate!

We love your record Gloomy Sunday, what is the story behind that song?

Azia : Actually it’s a cover. The original song is Hungarian and from 1933, but it got famous by Billie Holiday in 1941. The song is quite sad and has this reputation of being a “suicide song”. The legend says that people have listened to it and then committed suicide.

It’s been covered a lot. We’ve been mostly influenced by Gitane Demone’s cover. The song is usually played on piano in a very minimalistic way and we wanted to do something quite different. Heavy guitars seemed perfect!

Jenn (guitar) : There’s also a cover made by Lydia Lunch.

How do you prepare for a live show?

Azia : Well, first of all, we rehearse once a week so that we are always read to play a “last-minute” gig. We spend quite some time on working one set, but we try to integrate new songs as often as we can. We love it. We are workaholics.

We try to make each concert special. We’re really into it. We dress up, make-up, just like a theater play. When we can, we show films on stage while we play. I try to communicate as much I can with the audience. Make them part of the show. They are the reason why we play after all!

What are you currently working on?

Azia : We are currently composing new songs for our third album, hopefully ready by spring or latest autumn 2011. The next album will include more electronics but the punk spirit will be the rule.

You can already hear the first extract on our myspace “Mental Pop-Up” which is already available on a double-cd compilation “Impatiences Nocturnes” by S.A.D.E.

Jenn: I’m currently working on my two other projects In Loving memory (an italian-french band) and Berlin Wall Lovers, I’m also running a small free weblabel “Toadstool Mycena Records”.

Who do you think is the greatest band of all time?

Azia : Only one??!!! It’s too hard!!! Well one of my favorites is Cocteau Twins (I even have a tattoo of one of their LP’s). But let’s not forget The Cure, Sonic Youth, Swans, Ministry, David Bowie and a hundred more!

Jenn : Cranes. No, it’s Punish Yourself.

What is your FAULT?

Azia : I say what I think and do what I want! Fuck yeah!

Jenn: “Amoureux de l’amour”.

Hear More http://www.lesmodulesetranges.fr/