PROFILES

Nice DJ Tristan Casara is making his mark in Europe, with his album The Wandering of the Avener hitting n°1 in the charts. We talked to the French Touch's new prodigy.

Chopin to Daft Punk
I started playing piano when I was five then trained in classical music at the Nice conservatoire. In my teens I discovered electro music and deejaying, a passion that has stayed with me. When I was at high school my parents gave me a pair of mixing decks and my adventure began; when I was 17 they let me do discos, at the Iguane Café, my first resi­dency, then the High Club. I was so determined that when I was 18 my family allowed me to leave school and devote myself full-time to my passion. My dream back then? To mix in stadiums and get thousands of people dancing! I realised very quickly that I'd have to work very hard for that, and I did. During the week I worked on my
music and at weekends I mix­ed in clubs. I was a sort of "little brother" in Nice nightlife, getting support and advice from my elders, particularly DJ Gil. G, who among other things taught me to beware of nightlife excesses, to take care of myself and to rest.

Revelation
Fade Out Lines was the key to my success, and the track that defined my style. Until then sampling wasn't on for me. I moved to Paris to try my luck but it wasn't a success; the competition was tough and I couldn't get a residency, so to earn my living I did ghost producing [composing instrumentals for other musicians and DJs to work with; Ed]. An enriching experience but frustrating; after a bit I didn't like what I was being asked to produce. I missed my family, friends and the southern sun, so I came back to Nice. I needed some perspective, and I think it's the best decision I've made in my life. That's when I came across the Phoebe Killdeer and The Short Straws song titled The Fade Out Line. It was a revelation. To make it more sensual and energetic I upped the tempo, revised the structure, accentuated the vintage feel and added a deep-house rhythm line. Fade Out Lines
was born, all in one go, and I'd found my style.

A sophisticated electro manifesto
In a few months my music matured, moving from hard-line electro into a softer phase. At last I was drawing on my music culture and classical train­ing to mix genres, eras and influences to dance rhythms. Now my art is reworking original tracks to give them a deep-house sound and a new lease of life; I focus on high-potential tracks like Sixto Rodriguez's Hate Street Dialogue and Kadebostany's Castle in the Snow. I choose ones that speak to me and I try to conserve their original soul. My goal? To write sensual pieces of music that have meaning and aren't just about getting people dancing. The Wandering of the Avener is my first album; it's in the spirit of St Germain, reconciling Moby and Berlin DJ Wankelmut, and it's intended as a sophisticated electro manifesto.

Headliner

This summer I'm playing loads of festivals includ­ing Les Solidays in June, Le Main Square in Arras

(5 July), Les Francofolies in La Rochelle (11 July)
and Les Plages Electroniques in Cannes. We've got a great décor planned and magnificent light shows. In September we'll be marking the album's release with a concert: all the musicians and singers who contributed to The Wandering of the Avener, plus videos, holograms and some pretty crazy sound effects! Right now I'm concentrating on my next project, a one-off collaboration with German producer Robin Schulz.

Par Marjorie Modi