by admin | Oct 8, 2022 | Monologue |
In July this year, I talked with Bertrand Lamargelle, a talented writer who has always been appreciative of both my current music and my previous project, A Terrible Splendour. We discussed my recent album, Discretion Guaranteed. The interview was conducted in French and appeared on the Culture 31 website here.As I am a French-to-English translator by profession, it only seemed right that I should provide a translation into English for any anglophone readers out there! So here it is. “Marcel Wave is the solo project of MM Lyle, an English artist who came to the fore as half of A Terrible Splendour, purveyors of the kind of ice-cold yet danceable synthwave that emerged and reached its zenith in the 1980s, with Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Orchestral Manœuvres in the Dark, Fad Gadget, Bronski Beat, Visage, Yazoo, Heaven 17, the Human League… The trend was the same in France with bands like Taxi Girl, Kas Product, Martin Dupont, Guerre Froide… A Terrible Splendour (Left: MM Lyle, Right: Martin Block. Photograph by Viola Cserkuti) ‘While A Terrible Splendour blended their synthetic pop with cabaret elements, Marcel Wave moved away from the strictly new wave/gothic style and towards a more melodic, dancefloor-oriented sound. Over the years however, Marcel Wave’s music has become more thoughtful, atmospheric and cinematographic, sometimes reminiscent of Tangerine Dream or Wendy Carlos. MM Lyle acknowledges this: “Perhaps it’s because I’m listening to more instrumental, ambient and vaporwave music these days, although I still love pop and new wave. I try to create exotic and varied soundscapes and ambiences.” “Down at the mall, rewind your mind / This could be...
