TRIO INNOPORTUN - interview

After the release of their second album "Ultimatum", the band Trio Inopportun called on us for the design of a double vinyl. To learn more about the group's latest news, we invite you to discover our new interview!

Hello, Trio Inopportun! Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Can you introduce your group to our readers?
Despite the term Trio, we are four! Sébastien Caviggia on drums, Roger Coste on guitar, Gregory Jonquet on violin and keyboards, Sylvain Pastor on bass.

What are your main influences?
King Crimson, Magma, Pink Floyd, Genesis from the Peter Gabriel era, Phil Glass, Arvo Part...

You unveiled your album "Ultimatum" in 2020. Can you tell us a few words about this opus? How long did you work on it?
This album is our second album. It's a double album containing four rather long tracks (between 10 and 20 minutes each), instrumental, except for one of them which is sung. The creation process lasted four years, so quite long, between composing the tracks and the final process, especially since the track "Ultimatum" has existed and been played on stage for over ten years. The album was recorded and mixed at the Cri de la Tarente studio in La Ciotat, a studio that belongs to our drummer Sébastien Caviggia and hosts many bands, sometimes in residence in an idyllic setting (overlooking the paradise bay of Mugel), ideal for finding inspiration. Given that we are rather meticulous, we spent a lot of time on arrangements, sounds, and playing intentions, to have a result as faithful as possible to what we wanted.

How does your usual writing process go?
Roger Coste, the guitarist, often brings the framework of the song, the initial idea, riffs, and some themes, mostly written. Then there's a collaborative work with the bassist to expand, and the created bass line often generates other ideas and directions. Next, there's the rhythmic arrangement phase (worked on between bassist Sylvain Pastor and drummer Sébastien Caviggia) and simultaneously, a harmonic and melodic work done by violinist/keyboardist Gregory Jonquet and guitarist Roger Coste. Nevertheless, each group member doesn't hesitate to intervene in all areas. Then the song (or its parts) is played, and its structure inspires us with new ideas, enhancements, and evolutions. It's as if the song becomes independent of us and now guides us towards its final, accomplished form. It's always a great moment when we put the finishing touches on a composition. We have the infinite luck of getting along wonderfully both humanly and artistically. If a note or a passage displeases one of us, we remove it. Everything is done unanimously, always in service of the song and not the musicians.

Can we talk about the artwork of your album? What does it represent?
It's a photo taken in the United States by a talented photographer friend, Christophe Cubadda. It's the house that served as the setting for David Lynch's film "Lost Highway", a director we're fans of. Christophe then did some editing. We fell in love with this image (which he had incorporated into the video clip of one of our tracks, a video that we sometimes projected on stage during live performances) and we chose it for the album. The album could even have been called "Dick Laurent is dead", a cult phrase from this film!

You called on us for the design of a double vinyl. Can you talk about your experience with Distrolution Merch?
The experience was perfect in every way. We are very satisfied with the final result and the responsiveness of our very friendly contact person, who was able to answer all our questions and meet our expectations. The result is very professional. Creating a vinyl is not simple and requires solid support (especially for the conformity of masters with regard to vinyl requirements, liaison with SACEM/SDRM, etc.) Distrolution Merch was by our side. We highly recommend using their services.

To conclude this interview, tell us about your future projects!
Play, play, play! The best is to follow our news on Facebook or on the website! Our album is available for listening on most platforms: Trio Inopportun, "Ultimatum").