L’Etranger is a French House Project of anonymous electronic music artist and producer. The artist talks to Lost In The Manor about his latest EP, ‘For The Floor’. Come read as we discover the simple philosophies and artistic persona of this sublime artist.
1. Please introduce us to L’Etranger? What is your philosophy or approach to the music you create and play live?
L’Étranger is the alias of my French House project. The music I make takes inspiration from the late '90s and early '00s golden era of French Touch.
2. What is the significance of your musical moniker? And how did it come to be adopted as your artist name?
L'Étranger translates to The Outsider and I chose the name as I started out as Englishman making music in a scene that was primarily French.
3. Your new EP, ‘For The Floor” is making quite a splash in the blogosphere. Tell us a little about it and what you set out to achieve with it.
My aim with ‘For The Floor’ was to create a four track EP made for the dance floor. I wanted to make a gritty, club-ready record with a slightly quicker tempo than my previous releases.
4. What do you want your listeners to take away from the EP?
I just want to make people dance and hope the listener comes away with a feeling of positivity and good vibes.
5. The names of the tracks in the EP illustrate a special intention. How do Sagittarius and Falx, Hi, and Let Go clarify the theme of the EP to your audience?
“Sagittarius" originally had a prominent synth arpeggio part so I thought space, constellations?
And “Hi” as it’s the opener of the EP and the lyrics contain the phrase “Hi”
“Falx” is a weapon and the track seems fairly aggressive so I went with that.
There’s no deeper meaning behind the track names than that really.
6. What about French-house or broadly EDM appeals to you and what makes it the perfect medium for your artistic expression?
It’s just that repetition and sense of nostalgia for me. I grew up in the ‘90s and remember “Music Sounds Better With You” and “Lady Hear Me Tonight” on the radio. I then rediscovered all the old house tunes as a teenager and it’s been my go to genre of music to listen to. It’s just fun and carefree.
7. You debuted back in 2010 with EP, Darlin’. What has changed in the last seven years since that release regarding your artistic vision, process, and passion?
Since 2010 I’ve worked on quite a few different projects and experimented in a fair few different genres; House, Jersey Club, Hip-hop, Ambient, Indie pop.
It’s all been good practice as nowadays I write and release in a lot of different styles, depending on the brief and other artists I’m collaborating with.
8. Who are some artists who played a vital role in influencing your style and why?
For the sound of L’Étranger there’s obviously Daft Punk, Ed Banger artist SebastiAn and Jackson and His Computerband had a huge influence on my 2010s sound. As for my songwriting I’ve always been a hugely inspired by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys.
9. What projects/releases do you have lined up for the near future?
I’ve been in the studio with Dreamtrak this year and am excited to share what we’ve been working on together. I’ll be releasing another single under my UKG alias Tom Fool as well as a lofi hip-hop under my Thomorrow and Memory Phoam monikers.
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