French Horn Rebellion

The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion is released 6 December

French Horn Rebellion is brothers, David and Robert Perlick-Molinari. Their debut, The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion is a mix of cool electronic pop. The indie-dance feel is reminiscent of Bloc Party, while the 1980s arcade-game-like samples keep it original, building upon today’s electronic trends. We caught up with both David and Robert to chat about their learning curve, influences and the cinematic storytelling that culminated in their first album.

Can you tell us about the band and where you started out?
RPM: We grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but currently reside in Brooklyn. David grew up playing the bassoon and I picked the French horn. One summer, I did an internship at a post-production company; the entire time I worked there, not one live musician was called in for a session. There was one composer/engineer / instrumentalist making all the music on a computer. Disillusioned with new technology, I wrote French Horn Rebellion, which is about a French horn player who isn’t needed anymore. and that’s how this current project started.

Where does your inspiration come from?
RPM: Inspiration comes from everywhere. It really is a mysterious thing. Every track we do has a separate origin; Brasilia Girl was made while we were on tour in Brazil. The architecture is so formulaic, but somehow primal and almost magical. I thought a pentatonic scale using ancient Casio tones with carefully constructed and digitised jungle beats would express that wondrous place in musical form.

What roles do you both play within the band?
RPM: Onstage, I’m the normal-dressed, loud and crazy character. David is eccentric, quiet and stoic. In the studio, I start with a lot of the basic ideas and concepts, record rough demos, and send them to David. He then takes it, and applies his own stamp of creativity. From there, we’ll send the music back and forth, working separately until the very end when we come together.

What are the themes and stories within this album?
DPM: It’s about human development, man vs. nature and man vs. himself, but never being completely satisfied. It’s also about being frustrated, alone and different, but coming to grips with who you are. The album is the story of being independent.

Downloading singles instead of entire albums has become the norm, how will this affect your album, which works as a whole?
DPM: I think most people won’t like the album at first because it intentionally doesn’t play to the expectations of what albums have become. It actually plays to a far more powerful device, which is storytelling. If you give it a chance you might just be transported to distant and wonderful lands.

How has your sound changed whilst creating this album?
DPM: Each experience has shaped the way the album turned out. We wanted to make something that was meaningful. We call it Infinite because the search is constantly evolving. What we’ve learned is that the struggle is important and exciting; it’s all part of the human condition. Our sound has become more complex. We’re experimenting with more production techniques, and more storytelling devices. Honesty feels good, and that’s how we came about constructing this album.

Date published: 1 December 2010