Aloud
If you live in the 17th District of Paris, the chances are you’ll know a musical pioneer or two. The area is the epicentre for the French house family tree. Acts like Modjo, Supermen Lovers and Buffalo Bunch are always popping round to each other’s studios for a nice cup of tea; whilst labels like Crydamoure and We Rock are a mere onion’s throw away.
“Everybody knows everybody else in this city,” yawns the hirsute half of Aloud, Cyril Bodin. “I think I met [fellow Aloud cohort] Greg in about 1996. I was a friend of Romain from Modjo. He then introduced me to another Romain, Romain Seo from the Buffalo Bunch, who it turned out was Greg’s best friend. Romain, the second one, and Greg were working on a project that they need a vocalist for, so the first Romain, the one from Modjo, recommended me. It’s quite complicated.”
“Yes. And soo boring, Cyril!” chastises the band’s composer/ producer Gregory Louis, before adding helpfully, “But I used to be in a rock band with Romain called Freefall.”
After meeting, hitting it off and realising they shared not only the same friends but also a vision, the pair formed Aloud in 2000. Greg also formed his own label We Rock with Romain and within months, the remix offers came flooding in: they’d soon overhauled micro-club classics like Modjo ‘What I Mean’, IIO’s ‘Rapture’ and WFB feat Mani Hoffman ‘The Thing’.
Born and bred in the city, both boys were raised in musical families. Gregory has been studying the piano since the tender age of five. “My Grandfather loved music,” he smiles fondly. “We’ve even used one of his old synths on the album in his memory.”
“Ah, but my mother was a model and my stepfather was an artist,” declares Cyril. “They took me to my first concert when I was three and I saw Bob Dylan! There was always music on when I was growing up – anything from the Rolling Stones to Pattie Smith. And I must have started singing along to Thriller when I was about 10 years old. By the time I was 17 I was DJing in over 50 clubs throughout Paris playing hip hop. I loved going out in Paris: I love the concrete.”
“There’s also this family atmosphere between all the producers in this city,” says Greg. “Yeah, we argue, but it’s because we’re all very honest. If we think something sounds shit, we’ll say so, but equally we always share ideas, new sounds, techniques – that sort of thing. We’re always hanging out with each other.”
Thanks to contactmusic.com
