Morphing effortlessly between rhythmic dance floor psychedelia, 90s rave atmospherics and drum fueled house eccentrics, Hivern Discs signee Lion’s Drums provides the latest installment in our mix series, as he traverses musical confinements across an highly eclectic transmission.
We welcome Marseille-based DJ and producer Lion’s Drums into the series. As one of the monikers of Harold Boué, Lion’s Drums quickly gained momentum following the release of a very solid debut EP on Hivern Discs. Having previously worked under his Abstraxion alias – under which he released a not too shabby pair of albums – the new project champions a somewhat different approach. Taking cues from his hometown Marseille, and influenced by elements of Mediterranean, African and Northern European cultures, his heavily percussive sound is simultaneously urgent and luminous.
With the project’s debut album scheduled for release via Cocktail d’Amore, next to having a string of quality outings in the pipeline for his co-run Biologic Records, Harold cooks up number 30 in our mix series and answers a few questions.
Welcome Harold, good having you here! What have you been up to and where do we find your good self today?
Thanks for the invitation! I’m currently in Paris while making my way back to Marseille.
You recently made your live debut at Panorama Bar. Tell us a little about that experience and how it went down. Must have been quite a special one..
Yes, I played there as Abstraxion. Probably my best live experience so far – surrounded by friends and I felt so much energy and love around me! I’ve built this new live show around my GRP A4 modular, and the EP that I released this year on Jennifer Cardini’s label Dischi Autunno. I used this synth a lot recently, and will bring it on the road with me next year!
Introducing the Lion’s Drums project in 2018 with an EP on Hivern Discs, tell us about why that shift came about, what part John Talabot played in starting the new venture and how your approach might differ from your earlier work as Abstraxion.
It was a special time of my life with the birth of my son a few months before. Uri (John Talabot) advised me to start a new project, specially as this EP was very different from what I released in the past. It started after a hot summer afternoon studio session with Fantastic Man. I kept experimenting alone around that new vibe to create the full EP and shared the result with the Hivern Discs team after. Both projects are different; one is full of warm percussions (Lion’s Drums) and the other cold and dark (Abstraxion)
I read that you’ve a Lion’s Drums debut album coming out on Cocktail d’Amore. Tell us a bit more about the process of making that album. What have been some of the sources for inspiration and what do you hope to achieve with your first LP as Lion’s Drums?
Indeed, I’m still not sure when it will be released via Cocktail d’Amore next year, but it’s a collaborative LP with artists that all have a strong connection to percussions and shared unreleased recordings with me made in the 80/90’s. I’ll be able to tell more about it next year!
You’ve been co-running Biologic Records for over a decade, alongside Brussels-based buddy DC Salas. With Cooper Saver recently gracing the catalog, how’s 2020 shaping up for the label? And tell us a bit about how you manage the curation side between the both of you – what are you looking for music and artist-wise?
I talk almost every day with Diego (DC Salas) and 2020 will be a busy year for us. We’re back, starting in February with new releases/music from Panorama Channel & Pletnev, Malcolm, Glitter & Marc Melia, Matisa… they all sound really good and are artists we want to support in the future.
What can you tell us about this mix you’ve recorded for us? Any special tracks in there you would like to highlight, where is it recorded, inspiration, atmosphere, etc.
I’ve recorded this set in my recording studio in Marseille. I’m really happy of this one. Track from Deena Abdelwahed’s EP that will be released next year, music by Tornado Wallace from Cocktail d’Amore 10th birthday compilation, and many other exciting stuff that will come out next year.
What do these last weeks of 2019 have in store for you? And what else is coming up?
I’m going to Vietnam to play two gigs later this week. And next year I will release 2 EPs and a LP. Another exciting thing will be the creation of our very own music festival in a dream location! This is happening with my partners in crime from Laboratoire des Possibles and will take place at the end of August in the south of France – a beautiful small village where I’ve spent a part of my childhood. This is taking a lot of my time, but it’s fun!