Interview with Potochkine
Today, we have the privilege of delving into the captivating world of music of one of my favourite projects Toulonian duo POTOCHKINE, where dance EBM meets the enchanting charm of French chanson. Since their debut in 2016 with the EP ‘Libérez votre imagination’, this dynamic pair has been breaking through the darkness with their infectious melodies and captivating beats. With three studio albums under their belt, including the latest 2021 release ‘Sortilèges’, POTOCHKINE has been enthralling audiences with their unique musical fusion.
POTOCHKINE’s artistry is an exploration of raw emotions, introspective storytelling, and an infusion of diverse musical influences that result in a sound that is truly their own. Before you see them at Amphi the upcoming weekend please read about their concept of live shows, their theatre roots and more…
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Hello, thank you for agreeing to this little chat. First of all, let me congratulate you on a fantastic show in Warsaw. Could not attend myself but I heard it was absolutely stunning. How do you feel about live performances?
Potochkine: We need live performances in our lives as we need food. It’s vital. It’s a place where everything is possible and where we can express whatever we want.
RoD: Could you tell me a bit about how POTOCHKINE was formed? What is the concept behind the project?
Potochkine: We came both from theatre. We met each other in dramatic conservatories in Paris. Then, at a point, we were a bit tired of studying theatre; we wanted to create our own project. It’s how POTOCHKINE was born. Melting theatre, dance and live electronic music was really the first foundation of POTOCHKINE.
RoD: In what way playing in a duet enriches your music / art? Do you exchange ideas or inspirations while making new music?
Potochkine: The fact to not creating alone is very rewarding because nothing is fixed, everything is constantly questioned by one or the other. And then to create together, it's magnificent, the beauty of the moment, the jams where happy accidents happen. And the richness of the confrontation of our two respective universes.
RoD: When you think about your musical background, inspirations - what are the major factors that formed you as musicians?
Potochkine: Pauline has been singing every day since childhood. From college she joined different groups rather oriented punk and rock. And she also took singing lessons quite young. Hugo, at the time of the Parisian conservatories, danced everywhere and went out a lot in techno clubs. Until the day he decided to train as an autodidact in musical production.
RoD: If you were to name the changes you underwent in between making your particular releases - ‘Potochkine’, ‘Mythes’ or ‘Sortilèges’ how would you mark the transition, progress?
Potochkine: It’s three very different releases. And also marked by time. ‘Potochkine’ is our very first release with a label (Data Airlines), ‘Mythes’ is related to a time where we spend three years in a national dramatic theatre. And ‘Sortilèges’ is more personal, deeper. And for us, it’s related to the pandemic and all this very weird time… But in term of progress, yes, we feel it at every release because evolution and progress are part of life. We learn new things, concepts and techniques every day and then try to put them into our music.
RoD: What is the most important for you in music-making and in artistic expression in general?
Potochkine: Expression, catharsis, creating imaginary worlds. The most important is the fact we need music and artistic expression to live well.
RoD: Do you have any more concerts scheduled for this year?
Potochkine: Yes, we’ll be playing at Amphi Fest in Cologne on 30th July, 25th August at Ersatz Fest in Switzerland. Then, 1st September at NCN in Leipzig, 4th November Katzenclub Festival in Munich, 11th November in Siegen for Beautiful Noise Festival and 2nd December for Dark Paca in Nice.
RoD: Are you working on any new material right now? What can we expect from you in the upcoming months?
Potochkine: We have a remix for EMMON which have been released on July 14th. We are currently working on our next release, EP or album, we don’t know yet. Also, ‘Sortilèges’, our latest album, will be repress by Young & Cold records in October.
RoD: Thank you very much for your time!
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