FAULT: What was the creative process of your new record?

Jean: This album took three years to be completed, I wrote more than twenty five songs before I decided this is IT. I started recordings in Nice at the Studio de la Vittorine, which was a fantastic motion pictures studio.

I went on to record more tracks in Paris at Vogue Studios. I was not happy with the results, so I decided to come back to London, where I met with Dave Pemberton who’s a founder member of the Strong Room in Old Street. Dave is the boffin, who helped to take these songs in the different dimension I was looking for. We spent 2 days at the Strong Room and I moved to his estate in Essex.  Let’s not forget that Dave Pemberton has over the years contributed to sell millions of records from The Prodigy, Orbital, Kylie & Dannii Minogue, Roachford and more. At his place,when we work,we don’t talk much , one look is enough.

FAULT: What was the story behind it?

Jean: The story behind all this is: If you’re gonna put a record out, make it good because it will follow you all your life.

FAULT: Do you write from personal experiences?

Jean: Yes! I have a cinematic kind of writing but the trig points always come from characters encountered in the Real World, or from emotional shocks that have moved me so much that I have to get them out of my system.

FAULT: You have worked on a great number of musical projects, what has been your most enjoyable to date?

Jean: Just now I am very much into this album,although my writing process never stops and I have already designed many new songs for the next album.

FAULT: Do you think your music is supposed to convey a message?

Jean: There are always different levels, degrees of reading with my material, there’s lies beyond appearances and just pure fun.

FAULT: You’re based in London, are you inspired by your city?

Jean: It’s a long story, I first discovered the U.K in 1975,when I came to college in Somerset and Hertfordshire age 13. In 1978 I got into the eye of a high velocity cyclon for four years to achieve The  Vintage  Extraballe albums, signed to Elektra and Columbia,I worked with Robin Millar,Anton Matthews, Norman Mighles, Steve Churchyard ,Steve Lillywhite, Basing Street Studios became my H.Q’s. I gained a cult status and and a Midem award in 1980 in France. 3 albums and numerous singles that I value a lot. But I was a prisoner of french language quotas. Hopefully, Patsy Wikelman picked up my demos at Warner Chapell’s in Paris and requested my presence in London.She asked me, “What do you need ?” I said “A Great Drummer!” She offered me my best partner, Fuzz Townshend  the former drummer with P.W.E.I and Bentley Rythm Ace. We created two projects, whixh were Weird Space that got signed by EMI Music in Paris and Highway Interfaith an electro rock act that was a sheer display of abuse and irreverence towards Machine Heads.  EMI Music France blew it in the USA, they went numb facing a worldwide joint venture offered by Blackbird/Elektra in Nyc. Hugo Burnham in L.A and Frank Ferguson in London thrashed the Paris office.  What I really like in the U.K is that collective spirit and all the great writers. Blake, Byron, Coleridge, the Pop Art of the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood, the Cinema Giants, Stanley Kubrick, Joseph Losey, Ridley Scott, Unmatched actors, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, and my hood, Highgate.

FAULT: What is your FAULT?

Jean: To Have forgotten the Divine in my teen age wild years.

We’re in the Heart* Record cover: copyright Artwork: Max Mala, copyright photo:Ami Barwell.

Websites: www.castlestrangerecords.com

www.reverbnation.com/extraballe