Around for quite a while, Claude Monnet was to be one of the most sollicited DJ's from France, way before the arrival of the one time called French touch. Like many people Stateside or in UK, he would also work for some record shop (the defunct Champs-Disques in Paris) before setting up his own company, soon after joined by Martin Solveig with who he has launched Mixture label. As an executive producer, he has put out Croatian pair Eddy & Dus debut LP on his own prior releasing his own music under various guises for a couple of years. He then decided that it was time for him to put his hands into a full album with Paris-based Brazilian singer Monica Nogueira. World has changed indeed but for both of them, the time is now…

Right, how did you meet guys ?

(CM) I was having a gig at St Trpoez Papagayo at the time and someone I knew came to me talkin' about Monica and suggesting that it might be worth to try to work together. It was during summer 2K1. Then, back to work, Monica would come and see me and I've linked her to Eddy & Dus with who she ended up collaborating on their album. We then decided to jump on Monica's project which took us almost a year and a half, working with people from different backgrounds. We've got amongst others Mr O on board, a guy hailing from Lyon with an intersting electro perspective and Martin Solveig who's acted as co-producer on the cover version of Serge Gainsbourg's 'Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais'.

(MN) I'm hailing from Goiânia, the main city of the State Of Goias. It's something like a 2 ½ hour flight from Brasilia in the center of Brazil. I first went to Rio as a member of a contemporary dance troop then I would meet a producer who offered me to come to U.S. and do a big dance show. We've toured Stateside and had some project to come to France which led me to land in Paris about 15 years ago where I've felt in love with the environment. Knowing Paris was amongst my dreams since I was a child and I started studying stylism. I mean, singing, dancing, fashion were amongst the things I'd been thinking of as an artist. Plus you've got to understand that Paris and France stand like a must for most of us in Brazil. I wanted to have that mix of approaches while doing music, so I've launched a series of gigs with a concept called Hot Rio Brazil, telling myself that there was something to be done in order to reach the attention of some producer.

(CM) Gotta say that Monica's been there long before that Brazilectro thing and she's one of the rare Brazilian person who'd booked Brazilian artists linked to the electronic scene in her home countr, like Mau Mau and the likes. I mean, loads of things are happening right now over there.

(MN) Sure. Just have a look at the things in Manhaus (a city in the middle of Amazonia) that they've got for 3 years now. A festival called Ecosystem which brings from 40 to 50 DJ's in the right middle of the jungle with the support of the Government. Not to mention Mixmonde who're doing electronic fes both in Rio and San Paulo. Even the Rock In Rio Festival which has been around for even longer starts having some electronic acts. The only problem I should say is that too many people keep on considering Brazilian music as in the obligation to be traditional which was kinda hard for me for some time.

That's about the same regarding nu jazz as compared to jazz and, more widely, when keeping on talking about electronic music. Some people would tell us : well, you've got a site dedicated to electronic music ! Just wanna say : Bullshit, it's simply dedicated to contemporary groove ! Would you tell yourself ; Say, I'm jumping on my electronic car, although we all know that it's full of electronic equipment ???

(CM) You're damned right, although, I guess music has to keep on being labellized for marketing reasons amongst others.

So what about the concept of this album finally ?

(CM) I would say 50-50, half way electronic, half way organic. To be a bit more precise, some parts of the LP would have solely electronic touches, in the drum programming but no more. And when I'm talking about drum p, this has nothing to do with the percussions which have been done live. Monica and myself have equally shared the duties on the conception of this album. I mean, sometimes she would come up with the lyrics, sometimes I would suggest an idea. For instance, "Ken Goes Brazil" which is the story of a guy called Ken coming for the first time to Brazil. I then asked Monica to tell him how she sees her country so that I was sure it to be realistic, as compared to other stuff around.

 (MN) I remember a while ago when I felt shocked while having a listen to a French cover version of Antonio Carlos Jobim 'Aguas do Março" : the lyrics didn't have any proper signification.

This album is far ahead of what I ever thought of. It's like (another) dream fulfilled and I feel a lot of emotion. On top of it, Claude has let me do my own thing. He said to me : Well, it's your album, so tell us all about what you want to express which, to me, was a real sign of respect. He has just acted as a purveyor of potential ideas to be developped when he had the feeling that I was in the middle of nowhere, in the uncapacity of going further on.

A song like "Infancia Magica" has a title that speaks for itself. It's the story of my childhood with my dad who was teaching us acoustic guitar on Sundays. That's how my brothers have got into it, while we were having BBQ's and drinks. I mean, we didn't have the financial resources to go to music schools, so we've learnt this with our hearts. These are strong moments that would stay on our memories when reminding those days. In other words, that's the history of life. On top of it, everyone home has been surprised and touched while discovering the album which I'm very happy with.

What's the follow up to the current "Eu Vou Levar" ?

(CM) 'Bahia Groove' which is going to be delivered with remixes from Pasta Boys and S.U.M.O. Back to the album again and just to let you know that I've understood a bit (although not speaking Portuguese), there are light songs, sad ones, serious others which is the main characteristic of what to be found on Brazilian songs. There's always that saudade side of the things in them. Could be told some sad story on some joyous musical environment and vice versa. Monica wanted to speak honestly about her country and gotta say that there are not so many Brazilian singers acting like this apart from people like Djavan or Carlinhos Brown for instance.

I understand that it's the second album that you're releasing as a producer…

(CM) True, although it's the very first which I've got committed on musically speaking. 

And you have other pseudonyms…

That's not the point. Don't wanna put everything on the same basket, as I've never wanted our labels (Ssoh Music and Mixture) to be a bit of everything. Lookin' on one or another has to lead you with an idea of what to expect.

You're not as known as your partner (Martin Solveig), nor DJ Gregory…

(CM) The reason is quite simple I guess, me having more of a CEO/A&R position running the label for some 10 years. I've spent a lot of energy developping a structure to help Martin to become who he is nowadays. I've really started putting my fingers on the production for 2 ½ years, this meaning that the new generation of clubbers hasn't heard about me. This said, I was really more well known from the late 80's to the mid-90's coz' I was having a lot of club gigs at the time. I mean, you didn't have to have a new 12" to be booked back in the days, but the things have changed so I've started getting into production.

When did you start spinning ?

(CM) Waow man ! I'm now 38 and I started at the age of 15…

(MN) When I arrived in Paris,  I didn't know that Claude was a resident DJ at Les Bains-Douches, but when I started hearing about him, he was trully considered as a kind of Buddah.

(CM) True, I can say that I was amongst the most well known DJ's from France at the time… I remember back in the days, I started spinning to pay my fags. I was studying hostellery and once I'd finished, when I realized what I was supposed to earn within a month as compared to one night as a DJ, my choice became clear. The funny thing is that many people over there have followed the same cursus, like Laurent Garnier and Charles Schillings for instance.

Funny to see how things like music and food can be related at the end of the day…

(CM) D'you know how we use to call the kitchen range at the restaurant ? The piano ! So I ended up saying that going from the piabo to the decks isn't a that big distance… The difference between a good cook or a good musician and some bad one being the taste. Some of them have and some others don't.

CLAUDE MONNET presents MONICA NOGUEIRA Le monde change LP / "Eu Vou Levar" – Mixes 12" (Ssoh Music)