Kendra: When I think of punk I think of it here in America with Warped Tour and that whole scene, and overseas, my head definitely goes towards that London scene, so where do you feel French punk fits into the grand scheme of things?  

Topsy Turvy’s: Actually…nowhere? I think that a big part of the French punk scene has turned towards America since the ‘90s, because of all the radio songs, video clips, and movies we’ve seen when we were kids. Maybe we failed to create more or different because it seemed to be better somewhere else, our childhood was mostly influenced by the USA culture, so we just try to be down there. 

There is (was?) a French punk scene, singing in French, who proposed something new, like others who don’t sing in English but they rarely seemed to be related to the US or UK scene, punk rock music is not really popular here now (was more in ‘80s/’90s). 

Kendra: Y’all have done your part with keeping French punk out there with half a dozen releases to your name over the years. With each new record, do you sit down together as a band and go over the thematics and whatnot or do you just go in and treat it like a blank canvas?  

Topsy Turvy’s: We don’t really try to do something coherent (except in 2012 where all the EP is about a story). Most of the time, we write songs about what we have in mind. We are two writers in the band, the music is done before the lyrics, then we choose the one who inspires us the most. However, we keep a global theme visible on our artwork as a background story from the beginning of the band to the end. 

Kendra: Going back to your French roots, what local venue would you say your 2023 release, ‘It Can’t Be Easy,’ fits in with most when you think about the aesthetics and overall feel of the record?  

Topsy Turvy’s: Definitely not the Confort Moderne, the big venue there, which was a great underground place before but is now subsidized, elitist, at the antipodes of our way of thinking. Impossible to organize DIY shows in this place despite multiple attempts and requests. There are not many local venues actually…so maybe, a secret place, safe and welcoming to everybody is the best, we just have to find it, or create it! 

Kendra: For me writing comes easiest late at night (or when I’m at my day job avoiding said day job). What about you? When you look back at songs like “No Surrender” and “You Don’t Know” did you come up with them at specific times that you feel you tend to be your most creative?  

Topsy Turvy’s: Sincerely, I’m sorry but I don’t remember my mood and the environment when I wrote these songs, but I’m a bit like you in general, it’s easiest late at night most of the time! Oh, I have a lot of ideas under the shower too, but often I forget them!

Kendra: Perhaps it’s on tour because since kicking things off in 2008, you’ve hit the stage in over two dozen countries. As we continue to get back into the swing of normalcy around the world, what are some countries or cities you have on your personal bucket list to play?  

Topsy Turvy’s: Because of the environment and after all the tours we made, we think that it’s time for us to really pay attention to the impact we have. Actually, we are looking for places where we can go with a van so it’s mostly about Europe, but there is always a new country and new people to meet so we will be touring again and again, even if we have to do it by bike! 

Kendra: Being that it’s a new year, have you set any sort of music resolutions for yourself? 

Topsy Turvy’s: After recording this album at home, we find that quite easy to do so we wish to create more and release songs more frequently now!   

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘It Can’t Be Easy,’ out on January 13th, what lies ahead for you? 
Topsy Turvy’s: Touring again, as we’ve done before, better and more we hope!

The post You Will Know Topsy Turvy’s appeared first on ZO Magazine.

She had spent her 20’s studying business and eventually working a typical job. Sooner than later she realized it wasn’t a perfect match. When she thought about her next step, her travels through Asia continued to come back to mind. So when she “had to leave” she packed her bags and headed to Japan.

It wasn’t the last stop, but it was the one that geared her life in a whole new direction, one that included bringing our beloved pets to life in beautiful digital portraits. We talked about art, the moves, and more!

Kendra: In between then and now you lived and worked around the world, but it seems as if your time in Japan got you back on track with art. What about that place, and all the other places you called home briefly, inspired you to create more?

Marion de Lauzun: After spending years being afraid of going to live in Japan. When I arrived, I realized that it was actually not so difficult. It was more painful when I was in Paris and incapable to make the decision to leave. So I realized it was possible for me to make big decisions for my life like changing my career path.

Also, the exhilarating thing about my year living in Japan was that I arrived with absolutely no plan. Being in a completely new environment, in a country that is so different from France gave me a new perspective on things and this his how I started to create again.

Kendra: You’ve mentioned you were self-taught. So has it always been animals that have inspired your hand?

Marion de Lauzun: No, I tried a lot of things, like typographic designs, comics, photography, pottery, etc. I’m studying Japanese calligraphy at the moment, so it’s very eclectic.

Kendra: When someone orders a pet portrait from you, you offer unlimited revisions – has that ever been a regretful decision?

Marion de Lauzun: Absolutely not! If someone purchases a portrait of their pet, it’s something that is very personal and has a lot of meaning for them. I feel blessed to be able to create something so personal and of course, I want to make sure that people will like the portrait!

Art is very subjective, especially if it’s a portrait of your pet that you see every day. And if you want to hang it in your home, you want it to match the furniture, etc. So it’s essential to take suggestions and comments from my customers. Since I create everything digitally, I can make changes very quickly so it’s not a problem.

Kendra: As we look ahead, where’s the business heading and are you packing up again anytime soon for a new adventure?

Marion de Lauzun: I have too many ideas and not enough time. For my business, I’m planning to create funny illustrations of dogs and cats to sell on my website. I also would like to start new projects like creating small video games or writing short novels. But it takes time! Also, I’m planning to maybe travel a few months next year. But for now, I’m focusing on the Christmas season that is going to be super busy like always.

The post Marion de Lauzun: Art Travels appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: When you say you started in 2012, does that mean you started the business or that is when you first picked up photography? Because if that is when you started taking pictures, I am amazed. Your work is beautiful.

Christophe Brionnaud: Before 2012, I knew absolutely nothing about photography. I bought my first DSLR that year. Then for the next four-five years I focused on technique and learning and understanding parameters. I wanted to totally master the creation of a photograph in the most difficult conditions. So I learned by myself by documenting myself, following other photographers to understand the different techniques, and then evolve in my own style.

Kendra: Do you often travel for your photography or do you like to stay local to France as much as you can?

Christophe Brionnaud: At the moment, I am not traveling outside my country to practice photography. If the opportunity presented itself I would not hesitate. Our planet offers us so many beautiful things to photograph!

Kendra: Although the images of wildlife that we rarely see up close are amazing, I must admit that your image of the two snails was my favorite. They are some of my favorite creatures. What made you fall for that one in particular?

Christophe Brionnaud: This photo is very important to me too. It allowed me to win second prize in a photo contest organized in my region with more than 40 photographers. The big winners will remain these two little snails. They offered me this magnificent show that I was able to immortalize!

Kendra: Something I love about your pictures is the lighting. They almost look like paintings. How did you develop that overall style because I feel like I could spot your pictures anywhere now.

Christophe Brionnaud: I like to mix ambient light with added light (flashes, reflectors) which allows me to create beautiful atmospheres. With time I have completely excluded automatic modes. I only work in manual mode, flash included, to be able to keep total control of the image to obtain the desired result. I don’t let my camera create the JPG file itself. So I work in RAW format and I develop the JPG file myself in post-processing to bring my personal touch. With photography being an art, I think there are no rules, it is only the result that counts.

Kendra: France doesn’t just offer nature but great architecture. Besides the usual suspects like the Eiffel Tower, what are some not so well known buildings that you feel deserve more love and attention around France?

Christophe Brionnaud: France offers us very beautiful villages like Collonges la rouge as well as magnificent castles like the castle of Versailles, the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel and many others, cathedrals like Notre-Dame de Paris, bridges like the Pont du Gard, viaducts, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Nîmes arenas and much more. There are really many beautiful buildings to see in France.

Kendra: What are you doing with your photography in the coming months? Working on anything we should keep an eye out for?

Christophe Brionnaud: I will continue to try to create beautiful photos for the pleasure of the eyes; then offer them for sale. I already do so on different media, paper prints, aluminum, plexiglass, limited editions, calendars. My photos will be visible on my website, Facebook, Instagram, and on the different platforms that exhibit and sell my work.

The post Christophe Brionnaud: Image Parfaite appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: Born in the ’80s, you’re someone that grew up in a great time for pop culture. Would you say anything you grew up with could be counted as timeless art?

Léo Caillard: Our society is working on a daily timescale. Nothing last more than 24 hours now (like the stories on Instagram ) it started after the Second World War and it’s getting faster. Most of the Contemporary Art is also part of this model; Street Art, Pop Art made on plastic material etc.)

I don’t think anything I grew up with will be timeless art. That’s why I like to work on classical raw materials such as Bronze and marble. And maybe open a “Neo-Classicism” new style of art movement. Actually, we see plenty of very well known Artists going back on heavy raw materials such as Hirst, Xu Zhen, Koons etc. Most of them indeed.

Kendra: You’re also in this category of artists that came up in the digital age. Like with any generation of artists, what negatives and positives come with the digital era?

Léo Caillard: It’s definitely some amazing creative tools (3D, photography, virtual reality, augmented reality) It’s very helpful for the creation. However, as I said previously, it tends to set us out of the reality, without any duration on creation. That’s why it’s important to work back on real material after digital research on software.

Hipsters in Stone

Kendra: “Hipster in Stone.” We got to talk about this. Wonderful, timely concept. When you had the idea, what was the message you were trying to convey and do you feel it was delivered?

Léo Caillard: “The clothing makes the man.” The idea is to describe how we are part of social habits to define who we are. The way we change our relation to the statue because of the clothing was an interesting and humoristic way to make us think about our “Narcisse” ego personality.

Kendra: Is there a hipster trend that you wanted to do but didn’t get a chance to that we could see in the future?

Léo Caillard: Yes, many of them. But I might have some more important and new ideas to create before going back on the “Hipsters in Stone” series. The world is changing very quickly and art must be more engaged with political and ecological issues now. Part of that was that you like to play with time.

Neon Discobolus

Kendra: With that, if you had the chance to go back or forward in time to sit with one of the greats – which would you choose. And yes, going into the future would be a total surprise.

Léo Caillard: If I go in the past, I mean…so many of them…hard to choose. Praxiteles sculptor, Pythagoras mathematician, Socrate philosopher, Michelangelo sculptor when he did the Pieta, Hegel Philosopher, Einstein scientist when he made the “general relativity” space and time. All my inspiration indeed.

If I go in the future, I would love to jump forward in 2200 see if we are still there and what will remain from our destructive consumer society. And of course, meet some new artist from that time. I am sure art will be part of this new world based on sharing positive relations.

Kendra: What can people look forward to from you in 2019?

Léo Caillard: Hyper-realistic polychrome sculptures and “light” sculptures will be the main focus of my new Art creations in 2019.

The post Léo Caillard Set In Stone appeared first on ZO Magazine.

It’s the first week of August and that seems about the best time to take a trip to France to meet up with a fantastic DJ duo CLAAP! and SANTANA. Friends for about a decade now, they just released a new EP in June and are hard at work on the follow up already. We talked about their Dune EP, where it fits in the grand scheme of Paris and a handful of other things.

Kendra: Growing up, was music always in the picture?

CLAAP!: Yes, my dad has always been a huge music enthusiast, he used to play a lot of vinyl for me even before I was born, when my mum was pregnant. Then, as a kid, I would listen to his collection, from classical music to jazz, to pop, to French singers, etc. I also took piano lessons from an early age, then moved on to percussion classes at the Conservatory of Music. Meanwhile, I played in all kinds of orchestras, marching bands, rock bands, jazz bands – on the drums, timpani, marimba, vibraphone, etc. I had an amazing teacher who was fond of ethnic percussions, so I also learned some of these – djembe, tablas, darbuka.

SANTANA: I played the violin from 7 till 13 years old but I sucked at it haha!

Kendra: Was DJing the first thing you got into or were you interested in being in a band or only a producer?

CLAAP!: DJing actually was the last thing I got into. I had been in many bands before and I also started to produce some music before DJing. Then, during my engineering school, I met a friend from Lille who was really into the club culture and introduced me to it. We went to Belgium and partied in the most iconic clubs during the golden age of house music and techno. That’s when I starting DJing – at student parties on our campus. I would play some now classic stuff such as Green Velvet, Laurent Garnier, Carl Craig, Foremost Poets, Inner City…

Kendra: Sticking with the whole DJ thing for a second more. What is one stereotype about DJs that you are tired of people claiming to be true?

CLAAP!: I think all stereotypes about DJs are mostly true, haha! As the Dewaele brothers say, there are too many DJs.

SANTANA: I don’t really know any stereotypes about DJs. But please enlighten me, I’m sure I can find some about me too! I do know a bunch of stereotypes claimed by DJs about people and those, believe me, are definitely true (subjectiveness aside).

Kendra: How did you two come to be such great partners in crime?

SANTANA: We’ve built a very special bond over the years (10 actually) being friends at first and then working together. A lot of things we do together come very naturally. We can be our true selves around each other. It’s soothing and allows us to focus on music, on creation. I think that’s the reason why we feel like we’re a good team.

Kendra: If you had to compare your latest release, Dune, to a place in Paris that only locals know about which would it be and why?

CLAAP!: Dune, despite the title, is more about a vibe than a specific place. It’s about sharing great times with the people you love, no matter where you are. That being said, there is a special place in Paris that carries this vibe and where we like hanging with friends. It’s called Marcello, rue Mabillon, and it’s a very cool place designed with love, with a cozy terrasse, delicious drinks, healthy and tasty Italian food, and a great vibe. But Hush! It’s a secret.

CLAAP! & SANTANA’s favorite place n France: Cap Ferret, the place which inspired the whole “Dune EP”, with the “Dune du Pilat” in the background.

Kendra: Lastly, what else is going on with you in the coming months?

SANTANA: We’re finishing our 1st album. It’s a process, it takes time (and sometimes too much talk) but it’s a fantastic experience. Our live show is almost ready too. We’ve been working with an amazing theater director who’s also (among so many things) a comedian, musician, and singer and who helped us create a very mysterious visual show and pretty entertaining. We’re very proud of the direction our project is leading to. And we’re planning on a new mini US tour in fall w/ the traditional NY crew (aka 2MR) and few shows in LA (our adoptive land).

The post CLAAP! & SANTANA: Paire Fabuleuse appeared first on ZO Magazine.