Read the original article on durevie.paris.

Herr Krank releases his new EP “Broken Piano”, shaking up jazz with techno beats
Luo Gouverneur09/06/2023
To coincide with the release of his new EP “Broken Piano” on Helios Records, we asked Herr Krank, live performer and master producer of acid sounds, a few questions.
Over the past few years, the producer from Le Havre has become one of the princes of the new French house generation. With a passion for acid sounds, Herr Krank has rapidly carved out a unique style for himself, thanks to his organic, authentic music. Renowned for his million-view tracks such as ‘Acid Jazz’ and ‘Le Monstre Du Lockdown’, the spearhead of the Chevry stable answers our questions about his new project, a perfect fusion of gentleness and violence, jazz and techno.

In what context did you produce this EP (state of mind, origin of the project, main theme…)?
I started producing 2 of the tracks on this EP in 2017 (“Gros Kick Part I” and “Gros Kick Part II”), with the crazy idea of bringing together the rhythmic elements of Berlin techno, which has long inspired me, and the melodic codes of house and jazz. The result is a sound that’s fast-paced, highly percussive and completely upbeat, with a good vibe.

What machines did you work with? Are there any samples?
It’s not very glamorous, but I do absolutely everything on the computer most of the time. With experience, I’ve learned to reproduce the melodies I used to make on the synthesizer with the mouse, which is very practical because I can now compose a sound from A to Z on the train, the bus, the RER and even on my new 3-storey yacht in Saint Barthélemy. I didn’t sample any tracks in this ep, I mainly use VST (Virtual Synthesizers) such as Kontakt, Korg M1, Phoscyon…

How are you feeling on the creative front at the moment?
I’ve been producing fast and well for a few months, so I’m very satisfied at the moment, although it can change from week to week. Generally speaking, when inspiration strikes I feel like I’m growing wings, but when it disappears I feel like I’m at rock bottom and I lose all self-confidence, and sometimes I even think about changing profession.

In your production process, how do you start your tracks? Do you have a compositional routine?
I like to start by finding a nice chord progression, which usually inspires me for the rest of the track. Once I’ve got that down, I start with the drums, then the bass, then the first piano or synth melody. When I’ve got all that, I can start to make some semblance of a structure. Then I realize that everything I’ve just done is absolutely mediocre, so I start a new project, and so on.

Did you play the new songs in your set? If so, how did the audience react?
Of course, I love to test them out live, and in fact, I use the audience as a release tester. When it works, I take the liberty of releasing the tracks in question, and if the audience doesn’t react as expected, then I either rework them or abandon them.

Do you have any other releases/projects planned for this year?
Plenty, too many in fact. An EP with Déborah Aime La Bagarre and some quality remixers by the end of June, some surprise edits for July and August, and I’ve also got three EPs ready that I’m going to spread out between September and January.

The EP is available on all digital platforms and on Bandcamp.