Text and Interview: Alec Coiro
Photos and Video Courtesy of Team Ghost
You might know Team Ghost from founder Nicolas Fromageau’s work with M83 (which he also helped found). You might know Team Ghost if you’re an aficionado of extra epic synth music. Or, maybe you know them from back when Team Ghost was just an email address (see interview). Their latest single, “The Riser” was recently released on Brooklyn Vegan and upon hearing it, we needed to know more about the album it was on. Apparently, the forthcoming, self-titled follow up to Rituals was conceived as a kind of dystopic sonic narrative describing the world’s descent into madness. As such, it will become an ever more perfect soundtrack to your life with each passing day.
I understand that you conceived of the album as a work of fiction. Can you tell us a little more about that, particularly in terms of how it affected creative process as you worked on the album.
Well, that’s quite true. We didn’t exactly want to make a concept album, but as we started working on these songs, we realized they all had something in common. As a matter of fact, we felt like we wanted to make an intense and quite different album, trying new things…
We took a lot of time on all the electronic stuff, to try and create a “unique” sound. Like the music we used to make before this album, but focused in a more specific direction, maybe more modern in a way.
The main feeling in this record is that we’re all losing control over reality, watching the world change very fast, and not especially in a good way…
“The Riser” achieves a pretty epic scale. How did you engineer such a huge sound with your collection of synths?
There are not many synths in this song, and that helps to get a huge sound. Also, we had in mind the idea to compete with the sound of modern hip hop. We love Run The Jewels albums, or Yeezus from Kanye West for instance… Their sound is massive, raw and deep. We thought that we had to take these influences on the new album, because it’s also a part of us.
For listeners who might only be familiar with “The Riser” from its Brooklyn Vegan premiere, how do the rest of the songs on the compare to “The Riser”?
“The Riser” defined the rest of the album. We worked on many other new songs before but when we finished it, we looked at each other and realised “this is the starting point”. The rest of the album is quite in the same mood, sometimes more ambient, sometimes with aggressive guitars, depends on the tracks. But if you like “The Riser”, pretty sure you’ll enjoy the whole album!
Do you have a video planned for “The Riser” or any of the other songs?
Not yet, but would be great. We’re working on it.
Where did the name “Team Ghost” originate?
It was an email address. Then it became the title of a song. Then it became a band.
