At the opposite extreme from the glitter and samples of dance music, the little pop songs hoisted into the charts by market forces, the drummer of the mythical group MAGMA pursues a career as writer, composer, drummer, pianist and singer. We met in the tranquillity of his studio in Epinay.
GdL: You created the Seventh Records label in November 86, to finally reissue your early albums, and to continue your musical output without the constraints imposed by the major record companies. What were those restrictions?
CV: "The constraints were on time, the length of the pieces was not suitable for the radio station format."
GdL: But also for your creative freedom?
CV: "Yes, for sure (laughs). But that is a long story..."
GdL: Being an artist who has proved his independence, how could you compose for the movies?
CV: "With Jean Yanne, it all happened very fast. But there was only one piece ('Tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde il est gentil') in the film. For 'Tristan et Yseult', it came about in a different way. In fact, the producer was given the tapes for the film soundtrack without consulting me. Then, he invited me to a screening. I did not like the results and I proposed to him that we would redo the music. The new recording came out on an album, but the soundtrack of the film stayed as it was. In fact, I have never really worked for the cinema, but I would like to do so."
GdL: You state that you have dedicated your life to your music. How do you work and what are the respective parts of inspiration and of work?
CV: "For me, music is everything. A colour, a flower, a stick of bread, to me, all the objects in the world reveal a musical form. But I could work on a theme for fifteen years before I find the exact expression. My musicians are free to propose their own solutions. Sometimes I experiment without achieving satisfaction... but sometimes the alchemy achieves a formidable result. There are no rules."
GdL: Your principal source of inspiration is the music of John Coltrane, to whom you have dedicated an album. You often mention Elvin Jones, Kenny Clarke, Chet Baker, Wagner and Stravinsky. Are there any others?
CV: "I listened to Sebastian Bach a lot when I was very young. I also quite like Frank Sinatra."
GdL: And of the current acts, Rap or Acid-jazz, is there no one who gets your attention?
CV: "No. Sometimes my ears prick up, but that's not often. In any case, listening to Coltrane is always a source of new discoveries. Each of his albums was a giant step, a real extension of the limits."
GdL: In 73, Magma worked throughout Europe and in the States (at the Newport jazz festival), you were actually in the charts with 'Üdü Wüdü'. Why has your career not developed internationally as one would have expected?
CV: "That is a good question, but I don't know the answer. It is not easy to keep a following, you have to keep a certain presence, do many concerts..."
GdL: What are your future projects?
CV: "After the Bataclan, in the autumn of 94 there will be an event at Reims with a symphony orchestra. I also envisage recording a disc for children, containing versions of traditional songs like 'A la claire fontaine' or 'Do l'enfant do'. I will change some of the words or some details to make it react for the children. This will be conceived like a songbook. And then we also plan to record a new Magma album. In some ways it will be a continuation of 'Merci'. Its title, 'Magma Aeterna', came to me in a dream. This is a record on which, for the first time, we will use many electronic instruments. A duel with the machine."