A7ie

It's the middle of August, and with the Narcissick EP recently available, we thought it would be a great time to secure a rare interview with French Dark Electro act A7IE. We set Nick the enviable task of interviewing Gyom, and dissecting the
intricate mind of one of the more psychological acts out there...


Hello Gyom. We hope you're well. I'll start this interview by going back to basics. For those who aren't familiar to you yet, describe the project, what the name A7IE (Pronounced Aseptie) means, and the ideas behind the project.
- "Hello Nick. I started to make electronic music in around 2002-2005 with a lot of untitled tracks, from rythmic industrial to ambient and instrumental. At this time I was running a little music label called "La Chambre Froide", a starter label for bands like Tamtrum or Obszon Geschopf. I also entertained some parties which were the first 100% dark electro parties in France. The first released songs appeared on the compilations "In This Cold Terrific Room 1 & 2" by the label under "Noislave" (my nickname) and "Aseptie". Evacuating the sickness inside of me was the main concept, the "7" has always floated inside my head and it's naturally integrated into the project name (7 = sept in french)."

Back at the beginning of your career, a track entitled 'Show Me' was circulated around the internet. There was a long gap between this and your first full album, 'Distress'. What happened in the years in between?
- "I started to focus on 'Distress' when Tamtrum left the label for Alfa Matrix and Obszon Geschopf flew off on its own wings. "Show me" was supposed to be released at some point,but the direction of this track didn't fit with the others that made up the 'Distress' album."

As someone who despises incorrect information, I'm still very sick of seeing two "False" albums of yours on the internet, entitled 'No Final' and 'Evilization'. For the first time publically, could you explain what these albums are, and why they have surfaced?
- "I always tried to make a "real" band with A7ie, with a keyboarder, drummer and some people who will collaborate with me. I composed some demo tracks but they, unfortunately were diffused onto the internet. Most of these songs are not complete or without any vocals, and are of low quality. I don't really care if these stolen files have surfaced on the web, but I would have preferred to present these songs in a better shape."

On the subject of albums, 'The Shattering' was originally to be entitled 'Words of Violence'. This album was sadly lost forever due to a computer malfunction, and delayed by two years. 'The Shattering' has a track titled "Words of Violence" - was this a deliberate tribute to the work that you lost? How much of it was salvaged in any form?
- "Hmm.. I praise the one who gets the chance I never had. Bad luck is a big part of my life. I changed the name of the album because most of the lyrics were different from the original ones, due to the computer crash, and they were not so violent. "Words of violence" from 'The shattering' is a revisited version of "No Final", which was important for me to deliver a clean version with a real onus on song construction but also on sounds, mixing and mastering."

Arguably, your most famous track is "The Cage", which explores the psyche of the mind - a theme you are most well known for. On a related note, you released the infamous "I, Liar" on "The Shattering", which many people debate as a rip off of Suicide Commando's "Hellraiser". I see this as a "mindfuck" style track - the title alone makes it clear. What was the idea behind this and "The Cage"?
- ""Fuck you and dance, suckers" is the idea behind "I, Liar" and is dedicated to all the A7ie haters since the beginning, spitting on A7ie with arrogance and jealousy. It's nonsense to debate about it being a rip off of "Hellraiser", I just USED the main melody of it, and it was deliberate. About "The Cage", one of my most personal tracks, I think we are all slaves, trapped in our own cage. As we must write our own story, it means we also have the key."

More astute fans will be aware of a cover of "Because the Night" - a famous track that seems to be revered by Electronic Acts. This was released on a rare compilation CD. Will you ever re-release it?
- I always liked to make remixes songs or covers. This one was the first i decided to diffuse, but i don't think to use it officially somewhere."

Your latest release, 'Narcissick', enters the domain of vanity and self-absorbance. Why did you move in this direction? It seems to be a hit with fans.
- "A7ie is essentially my own history and i always tried to not talk about politics, wars or religions. I personally evolved in my personal life and "Narcissick" EP (which is not a real album) was the opportunity to break the image of A7ie and to offer something different, and why not something more positive?"

The liner notes credit a new member of A7IE, 'Charlene'. Tell us about her, her role and how you found her. Also in the liner notes, theres a link to a free download of an exclusive song. If you're allowed to, perhaps you could share the story behind that.
- "Charline joined A7ie as a live Keyboard player in 2007. She was the best support i had on stage, but she unfortunately left in the beginning of the year.
This exclusive song you talk about is our Cover song of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", initially planned to be the main song of 'Narcissick' because of its theme. There were a lot of big walls in the way to obtain the legal permission - we never obtained this, and we decided , with the label , to delete this song on the final release."

Your label, Advoxya, is famous for the promotion and quality of the bands it signs. Can we assume that you will be releasing more through Advoxya?
- "Something with the new shape of A7ie is under work and from now, i don't see any label exept Advoxya to release it. Advoxya fits very well with my A7ie overview."

Illegal downloading and filesharing has caused many bands to stop recording. A7ie is a much loved band that doesn't seem to get reviewed or interviewed often. Many people are fighting back, and if figures are to be believed, sales are still taking place. Have you any thoughts on the subject you wish to share?
- "To stay in the underground was one of my wishes for A7ie and i'll keep this way. That's maybe why A7ie preserves real fans."

Finally, the French scene is thriving, and you often remix and are remixed by French acts. You also work with acts like the Bolivian group Adeonesis, and Swedish duo Project Rotten. How do you choose which acts to remix, when such a large number of artists are seeking remixers to boost their career?
- "The first step is that i must like the original song, the second one is to be paid a minimum of ?1,000,000 ."

Finally, I extend a big thank you for committing to such a detailed and revealing interview. In usual fashion, we invite you to end this interview in your own words.
- "I'm honored to be promoted by your zine and I thank you, and all A7ie fans for the interest and support since all these years. The end is near, but keep it evil, stay sick people!"