TEN SONGS: PRINZESSIN
In the second of our Ten Songs series, from 80s Acid House and Synth Pop, to 90s Grunge and Electroclash, Nicolas Fournial of Prinzessin, takes us on a journey through the music that has excited, inspired and influenced him over the last two decades.
1
DEPECHE MODE
To Have and to Hold
Like many others, DM is the reason I fell in love with synthpop. It was hard to pick just one song by them. This one always gave me goose bumps.
2
ZSA ZSA LABOUM
Something Scary
The Acid House scene, mostly coming from Belgium, didn't last very long. But some songs like this one have been haunting me since I was a kid in the late 80s. And even if I don't think I could find a use for a TB-303, I still get some musical ideas from those tracks.
3
HOLE
Violet
When I was a romantic and closeted gay teenager, I mostly listened to The Cure and DM. I really wasn't fond of the Grunge scene of that era. Then a friend made me a copy of the ‘Live Through This’ album and I remember the precise moment I pressed play on my Walkman on the way home from high school and heard her starting to sing, "And the sky was made of amethysts...". At the time, female rage was speaking to me more than any screaming male. I still listen to this album very often.
4
CHRISTIAN DEATH
Spiritual Cramp
I've always been obsessed with this band, in its many line-ups. Well, I was raised a Catholic.
5
FAD GADGET
Back to Nature
Frank Tovey is the one that taught me that synthpop could be weird too.
6
INDOCHINE
Memoria
At the beginning of the 80s, Indochine was the French equivalent of the New Romantic British bands and weren't taken seriously. People were then laughing at me for still listening to their records in the 90s. Now, they're the most famous rock band here and play in stadiums. I guess persistence is all.
7
THE HUMAN LEAGUE
Seconds
As far as the kind of synth sounds I use are concerned, you could say that this song is a big influence.
8
ADULT.
Skinlike (Equation Mix)
It was the mid 00s, synthpop was back with the Electroclash movement and I started to want to make my own music. I'm also especially fond of this band because I love Nicola Kuperus’ visual work.
9
CRYSTAL CASTLES
Alice Practice
I bought the first synth Elektron ever produced, the SidStation, when it was released. I have a soft spot for old computer sounds. I never managed to get anything I was happy with, using it. I eventually sold it and a couple of years after, this single was released. It was such a shock! I still listen to this track from time to time because it's so intense and I got over the fact that I completely failed at doing interesting things with those kinds of sounds.
10
COIL
Tainted Love
I'm a huge fan of both Coil and Soft Cell, but I could only pick 10 songs.
