Claeysen

Sep 15th, 2011 by Swanski.

Whenever I feel like it, A.S. Swanski gives you a personal electronica music tip. This time it’s Claeysen. It’s the artist name of a Parisian citizen, Florence Ranalter, who sings, plays and produces her own songs. And these songs are…. well, what should I say…. dramatic, obsessive, disturbing, theatrical and almost dangerously erotic.

Frankly, I don’t know much about Florence Ranalter. Her Facebook page mentions George Orwell, Marcel Pagnol and Molière as literary favorites. Among the musicians she apparently listens to are names like Madonna, Björk, Jay-Z, Depeche Mode, Serge Gainsbourg and Mylène Farmer. Films she likes are among others Pulp Fiction, The Mothman Prophecies and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She is interested in existentialism, painting, dance, nature and family. She could almost be you.

But her music is something you and I can’t make. She’s an exceptional singer and gifted producer and deserves a place in the limelight. In the few years she has been producing electronica music under the Claeysen banner, she has released over 20 tracks that can be listened to on her ReverbNation page. My personal favorite is Secret Lover (Red Angel) but most of her other stuff is equally exciting.

It’s usually pretty dark music with loud, pumping beats, noisy synth lines with lots of reverb and vocals that sound operettic, angry, desperate … and all this often in one and the same song. There’s a lot of sex in her music, but rarely of the romantic type. Lustful is a better word. Watch her Kiss Me, I’m Bored video and you see what I mean.

Claeysen’s restless and disoriented music seems to be designed to drive a few demons out, preferably within a 5-minute time frame. It’s the opposite of easy listening and rarely suitable for dance floors, yet electronica music as I like it best. Claeysen is simply an incredible talent. Get the word out! - A. S. SWANSKI

"StarWing Indie Show is currently in the production phase. Hopefully the premiere broadcast will air in late March or early April... so stay tuned! The first show will feature these twelve great indie artists. The music is terrific and represents several different genres, the artists come from all over the world. Now visual as well as auditory, it is sure to please your senses...

...Claeysen hails from Paris, France. A singer-songwriter of Electro Pop, Trip-Hop, and Trance music.Her universe is sensual, transcendental, melancholic and mysterious, with a dark touch. She releases herself by sharing experiences, beliefs, frustrations, fears, and wishes. She calls it "emotherapy"! She expresses her feelings multilingual in English, in French, as well as in German." - STARWING E-ZINE

Radio show broadcasted on RADIO CARDIFF 98.7FM and GTFM 107.9FM (UK), february 2011.

Presenter introduced me under my real name, Florence Ranalter, as one of the featured Facebook Musicians of the Month. He said: "...I like her stuff!..." - THE LOOSE GOOSE RADIO SHOW

Interview settled in february 2011, plus promotion on Twitter

"I'm Claeysen, a songwriter & singer of Electro Pop/ Trip-Hop/ Trance music. My musical universe is sensual, melancholic, mysterious, with a dark touch. It is definitely transcendental and I release myself by sharing experiences, believes, frustrations, and also my fears & wishes concerning Life and our society. I like to call it "emotherapy"!
Electro music gives me the great chance to express my feelings through many ways: spoken word, dance, hip-hop, emotronic, psychedelic, lyric, gospel, experimental...
I have been writing songs since I was 9, composing music since 2007, and singing since I'm 5-years-old. I sing classical lyric songs (4 years of lessons and performance (teacher mezzo-soprano Nona Javakhidze)), gospel music (lessons with Gospel Dream, Paris), and I use all my different tastes in order to experiment with new sounds and enrich my own style."

1). If you had to choose, in what country and at what time would you want to live?
I would go back to the 70's, in the USA. Among the people who decided to celebrate love, and reject war and mass consumption with pacifism. It's actually the motor of my writing. I wish we could feel the same innocence, idealism and connection to the world, nowadays, and I try to exorcize all my frustrations about our time through my songs. If we were in the 70's, I would go to Woodstock to dance and scream like crazy!

2). What is your favorite month and why?
July! I'm fond of the long sunny days, the heat, the picnics on the Pont des Arts, sitting on this crowded and noisy parisian bridge, late in the night… In spite of my apparent complexity, I deeply appreciate the simple joys.

3). At what time of the day do you usually prefer to write your music?
Actually, I don't decide when I write. It's like an unconscious impulsion that controls me, anytime, anyplace. Usually, it happens during the night, late or early the next day. For me, the dark has always been suitable for uninhibited imagination. But, it comes when it has to come and I never obey time or space.

4).What is your favorite instrument and why?
As far as I'm concerned, the most beautiful, evasive and impressive musical instrument is the body. Indeed, my lyric singing lessons drove me to shape mine this way. The voice is such a precious thing, because of all the shades in the emotion and because it never sounds the same from one minute to the other. Physically, it releases outstanding energies and feelings you would never experienced otherwise. It's an unfailing source of happiness and "harmony" for me, my body, my mind and my soul.

5). What is your favorite drink?
Masala chai! It's a real addiction."


ArenaCast promotion linked to this interview:
"Psychedelic and sensual trip hop by pretty Claeysen from Paris! Her voice hypnotizing and her songs are dark touched." Via Twitter - ARENACAST

The weekly podcast that broadcasts ten of the hottest current tracks on R&R World, february 2011.

Presenter said:
"... chilled out... electro dance music with a very trip-hop feel to it... very cool vocals..." - ARENACAST PODCAST