Catching Up With...Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts + His fabric Promo Mix

It’s no secret that Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts has evolved into a road tested, audience approved groove machine. His steadily increasing repertoire, which he’s imminently about to add to with the release of his third artist album in October titled ‘Twice Around the Sun’‘on Circus Company, seems to have an incredibly passionate following who cant seem to resist his live theatrics. The new album sees Guillaume team up once more with his number one ensemble 'The Side Effects' - the live group he’s been touring with over the last two years - and to give you a grasp on the new album sound, Guillaume tells us, "there is a lot of saxophone, piano, organ and guitars and great lyrics/vocals from Dave Aju and JAW but it’s somehow all wrapped up in a more futuristic, more synthetic, more techno envelope." As to what direction the Berlin-based artisan will take us on next Saturday when he returns to our Room One stage is anyone's guess, but until then you can read more about his live set up, the new album and Berlin bands below. He’s also got our office disco ball spinning out of control this early on a Monday with this dazzling disco promo mix… Download: Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts – fabric Promo Mix Hey Guillaume. Good to have you back. Can you tell us how the past year has been for you since you last played here? It’s always good to be back at fabric. Last year just went flying by. A lot of touring and a brand new album - two things that are quite time consuming. I just love spending time in the studio. That is always the highlight of my week. Just making music and pushing further what I can do. How have you developed you live show since last year? I think (I hope) that the live set I play is always in mutation. I like to play some new stuff all the time, play remixes I did of my own track just for the live, new bits and pieces of improvisation, etc. I am working on some new stuff at the moment that will tie the new album to the live set. The live patch I use is almost 20 gb of sound. I guess I'll just keep adding music to it until I'm too old to play in clubs. I love this method because I can always go back in time and play some stuff I used to play and change it. That being said, I am currently checking out the possibility of adding some new toys to my setup! What is it about performing live that you enjoy the most? I guess because I play live all the time the biggest danger would be to get bored with myself. I try to avoid this by maintaining the improvisation level as high as I can. This means changing the structure, adding new music, extending the improvisation bits, playing percussions and synths in real time, etc. I think I get the greatest satisfaction when I feel that something is locking between me and the people on the dance floor. When people follow the flow of the music you know? When you can go deep and come out of it, up and down and left and more left and they follow. How is your life in Berlin? What do you enjoy most about what the music scene has to offer? Berlin is an amazing city. Of course it's changing by the minute for the worst and for the best. It's a city where you can relax or go on a severe 4 day bender. There is a strange balance between those extremes that suits me very well. As I said before, I love to spend time in the studio. That is, for me, one of my greatest pleasure in life. Berlin allows a lot of time to work on your projects without being caught in the city's grinder. I'm a father and between touring, studio and fatherhood I don't get so much time to go out lately. But Berlin music scene has a lot to offer. Every imaginable band is showing up in Berlin at one moment of the other. I keep missing Fat Freddy's Drop every time they are coming - it's been 3 times in 3 years! That's without mentioning the infinite number of parties in clubs all around the city. Can you tell us what to expect from your third artist album 'Twice Around the Sun.’ How does it uses the live aesthetic? Hopefully it will surprise some. I kept working with the same guys who played on the last album. As a matter of fact they became my band with whom I've been touring in the past two years (The Side Effects) but the sound is different I think. Maybe darker and in a good way. In any case there is a lot of saxophone, piano and organ, guitars, and great lyrics and vocals from Dave Aju and JAW but somehow all wrapped up in a more futuristic, more synthetic, more techno envelope. I think I always suck so much when I talk about my own shit. How did you want to make it different from you two previous albums? I don’t think I wanted to make it sound different but without being too esoteric, I’m a different person than I was two years ago so the music has to be different. I just started thinking the other day that the newer album is somehow always closer to the album I did just before that… it’s like if I’m trying to catch up with my ideas. Maybe because I work really instinctively it just takes a lot of time for me to polish those ideas. Can you tell us about the mix you've kindly put together for us? So in the past few weeks I made 3 podcasts for the release of the album. And I thought for a while which would go where. I finally went for the disco one for you guys. They are all tracks that I really love and that inspired me in the past and still will in the future. For those who don’t speak French, that vocal part just before 6th Borough, comes from a record that belonged to my dad about moose calling techniques. He’s a hunter. It’s the sound of the male searching a lady moose. Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts – fabric Promo Mix Tracklisting: Duke Pearson - The Phantom Billie Cole - Extra Carefully Lola - Wax the Van Venus Gang - Love to Fly 6th Borough Project - If the feeling's Right? Gladys Knight - It's a better than Good Time (Walter Gibbons Mix) Womack & Womack - Conscious of my Conscience (Del Monte & Marco Piccolo Unconscious mix) Terry Callier - Dancing Girl (edited) The Mole - Dreamer (edited - Sorry Colin) Man Friday - Love heartache (Tom Moulton's mix) Exodus - Together Forever Garry's Gang - Do it at the disco Koosh - Real Dub Catch Guillaume in Room One a week on Saturday.