I Stumble, I Walk, the third album by the French artist December, is a masterclass in irregularity, both in sound design and rhythmic thrust. The record’s hyper-tactile textures recall the glory days of IDM without feeling like an on-the-nose homage. It’s at once frosty and scintillating. Recently, we had an email exchange with the artist, whose real name is Tomas Lefebvre. We talked drum programming, his relationship with the great label Drowned By Locals, and why it is important to both stumble and walk. Plus a lot more. Read the piece and listen to the record below.

The first song on your new album is called “Cringe Fest.” Why the title? What is your relationship with the concept of cringe?

December: It's mostly a joke with no big meaning behind it to be honest. But it does reveal something important. I constantly do lists of words. I collect words I like to let them sink in and wait to see which ones click with my brain and with the music I'm recording. Track titles are very important for me. Not in their literal meaning but in their inspiration force. They evoke things musically to me. They're sometimes even the first element of a track, they guide me towards some kind of atmosphere or intention, a feeling. I like them to be mysterious and ambiguous, open to many interpretations, a little odd or off. 

Like the music or the films I like, I don't like things that are explicit or going in a clear direction. I like ambivalence, hybrid art that casts a doubt in terms of how we perceive and interpret it, a little discomfort. So this title comes from the fact that I think "cringe" is a strange and interesting word. It also adds some kind of non-seriousness, it's an unexpected word with such music. And I like these kind of side steps. It creates tension. And the fact that you're asking this question, the first one of this Q&A, proves it in a way.

What have you taken or discarded from your first two records and applied to the creation of this new one?

That's an interesting angle. It's true that sometimes I think back about past records and I wonder what I'd do differently today. Like music would be some permanent revision, creation as a constant update of new forms for pretty much the same intentions. Like ideas would stay pretty permanent but only forms would change with our evolution. I don't know if it's what you meant but it makes me think about this. It's interesting. I don't really make music having a clear idea of what I want to do genre-wise, it's more some kind of feeling that I'm attracted to. And as I said previously I'm mostly attracted to ambiguity, to subtle discomfort, mixing things that don't necessarily would go together but in a discreet way. I don't like demonstrative, flashy, maximalist or conceptual music. 

Melancholy, mystery, hybridity in styles, repetition. Here are some of my pretty much permanent lasting obsessions. And this time I found myself unintentionally reconnecting with one of my first musical shocks and filiation: sad, melancholy-driven IDM. The combination of machinesque, robotic, rather metallic, cold and slightly complex beats with deep melancholic synth atmospheres. Not even melodies, more sad background atmospheres. Yes. Plus a very crucial idea that has always been one of my central obsessions in music: repetition. In a nutshell: how to combine minimalism, futuristism, sadness and repetition.

 

Why is it important to stumble as well as to stride?

Because I love accidents in music, I enjoy making music because it's a laboratory for trying out things, failing, discovering, doubting, starting again. It's an open field of tests and experiments. But not in a serious, scientific or academic way. In a simple, game-like, human, humble way. A playground to confront myself with random desires and ideas and seeing where they lead me. It's so rare in life to be able to do that and it's so formative. And most of the time the weirdest, most crooked bits of sound are the more interesting. 

How did you link up with Drowned By Locals? How do you feel like you fit in on that label?

Hmm we were both following each other's work for quite some time, I always admired their radical yet very diverse releases. It's very rare to be able to have such a strong taste and aesthetics, maintaining coherence and personality, while having such a vast spectrum of sound and genres. I admire them very much for that and was always eager to discover every one of their releases, waiting for them, always being surprised by them. It's such a rare feeling in the music field.

Also so much work, so many releases and all of them presented in such high quality ways. So many discoveries of new acts and artists with constant impeccable style. This label is a rare gem. It's very inspiring as a musician. They were following and supporting my music for a while and at some point I think I just DMed them on Instagram and simply declared my admiration and respect. They did the same in return and just said to each other it would be great to work together at some point. So when I had a coherent batch of tracks I sent it to them and we discussed the possibility of an album.

What is your relationship with drum programming? How do you build your drums on a “typical” December track?

Let's say I like simple repetitive beats with a sense of crookedness. Simplicity without being obvious or too generic. I like it to be both simple and a bit off. It's once again a question of mixed identity and hybridity, of balance. It's a very important factor for me.

How do you know when a track is intense enough? 

I'm not sure intensity is a goal of mine when I make music. I mean, it depends how you define it. My biggest ambition is singularity. Personality. Making music that really sounds "like me.” But in an elegant way, not like an arrogant ego-driven distinction, more of a subtle expression of one's unique style and obsessions. The biggest compliment for me as a musician is people telling you that the new record sounds a lot like me while being surprising and showing evolution. Of course I like music to be intense in the sense of being original and leaving a mark on the audience's mind and ears. But it doesn't require to be "intense" in my opinion. I think subtle weirdness, originality, this slight discomfort I previously mentioned is a more interesting goal for me.

Could you tell us a bit about the music scene in Paris right now? Anything you are excited about? Do you feel like you are a part of any communities within the city?

Yes, I think Paris is finally in great shape for "experimental" music (I'm sorry I hate this word but I never know what to replace it with). For club music it's never been a great city venue-wise, it's too gentrified, too policed, too expensive to open and run a truly special rave-oriented venue. But for DIY, inventive, small-scale, weird music shows I feel it's some golden era of concerts and music shows in Paris. Obviously it's tiny audiences, very small budgets, temporary spots and ephemeral spots most of the time, but there's interesting shows several times every week all year. I can hardly keep up with it.

Collectives like White Garden, Deardogs, Gravats, Petya Sasser Rike Foundation, Citylinks, Sacho, Dyssociety, Untitled Project 137510, Pussy Nightmare, Scorpion Metal, Mesma ; places like Instants Chavirés, DOC, La Station, Atelier Non Étoile, Bagnoler, Olympic Café, Chair de Poule, Pointe Lafayette etc. are constantly offering exciting line-ups and interesting shows. And so many wonderful DIY micro music festivals in the French countryside during summer, it's actually quite insane. I organize one myself. A very tiny thing, but it's very dear to my heart. It's called "Plein Bruit.” I run it with my best friend Ashley, it's a weekend of ambient and noise live sets from friends only in the 12th Century church of my mother's village in the center of France, in an area called Plateau de Millevaches.

All of this is very inspiring for me. And most of the people running these events are way kinder, open and collaborative than ten or fifteen years ago. So yes I'd say there's a great community in Paris and in France at the moment.

Where are you going next?

I'm working on a new alias dedicated to music for films and bizarre ambient soundscapes called Tomas Foster Domps. I will actually create a record label with friends soon to release this music and a lot of other special projects from friends around me. I will share more about this soon. I'm also starting a one-year radio show residency on the great Tbilissi based Mutant Radio soon. The show will be called "Plateau.” Two hours of music every two months with a guest every time. The first episode will be out soon.