Draped in psychedelic folds and primal outbursts, the work of Hazina Francia – better known as Petit Singe – is one that merges the ancient with the hyper-modern, the actual and the virtual, passing deeply rooted folk motifs and polyrhythmic tribalisms through the prism of new potentialities with a truly future-proof attitude and wide-scope vision.
With her newest EP, ‘Akash Ganga‘, freshly out via Haunter Records and the remix EP just around the corner – featuring revamps from a cast of high-profile talents, including multi-faceted artist and Danse Noire boss Aïsha Devi, Mind Records affiliate Jesse Osborne Lanthier, UIQ experimental producer ZULI and Weightausend, we seized the occasion and went for a quick-fire chat with Hazina as she opens up on her creative process, influences and plans for the future.
Stream Aïsha Devi’s monster ‘Necromedia Mix‘ down below. A mind-bending, teeth-grinding, massively haunting revisitation from the Swiss-Nepalese priestess that goes straight for the jugular.
Interview by Baptiste Girou Photography by Riccardo Fantoni
After three years of silence and just a debut EP – ‘Tregua’ – under your belt, you’ve finally released a pair of EPs on Haunter Records in 2017. What took you so long?
Many things have changed in my life over the past three years, so it’s normal that my work changed as well. I took my time to do the things right and with calm. The recording process takes so long: between writing your tracks, finding the right title, speaking with your label, adjusting what’s wrong, cover art, printing, press office and so on… It’s a very long process.
Please tell us more about your latest EP, ‘Akash Ganga’. It really feels like your most accomplished work to date…
It’s more complete than ‘Tregua‘, but it’s still not complete at all in my opinion.
What about the title? What does it mean?
It means “Galaxy” in Hindi. I’ve always been fascinated by astronomy so I decided to take this road.
It brews quite a broad range of sonic influences – middle-eastern, tribal, techno, noise… What inspires you? Is traveling key to your vision and musical understanding?
I follow everything I’ve loved in the past. I’ve always loved tribal sounds and techno. I bring to my current project some influences from my teenage years.
What makes a good track for you?
From ‘Akash Ganga’ I love the first one ‘Hue And Cry‘. It’s so “metal” and desperate at the same time.
The remix EP is coming, featuring quite an impressive cast of producers: Aisha Devi, Jesse Osborne Lanthier, Zuli and Haunter in-house talent Weightausend. How were the remixers selected?
Yeah, personally I’m really happy to collaborate with all of them. I’ve been following Aïsha and Danse Noire for a long time, so it’s a real pleasure having her bring her take on my work. Concerning Jesse and ZULI, I confronted Daniele and Francesco – we spoke a lot about the artists who could be part of the EP. Weightausend is a friend of mine, first of all, he also arranged all the mix. I’m really happy he’s part of this.
Your tracks have a strong immersive quality to them, in addition to following really explosive buildups. Do you follow your instinct when making a track, or is it more of a minutely thought-out process?
My approach is rule-free. I usually start in an instinctive way. I write a draft. Then, with more calm, I start upsetting my thoughts. I often finish a track that sounds totally different from the initial draft. But I think that’s normal.
What’s a regular day with Petit Singe? Do you have a particular routine?
Until recently I worked in a communication agency in Milan. So I worked a lot every day. Nowadays I’m really busy with the promo, interviews, shootings, radio shows… etc. Now I have to prepare my next live show, so I’m always in front of my computer.
What is your setup comprised of? Any essential piece of equipment?
It’s still really simple. I use my laptop and sometimes I add some USB controllers that help with samples and filters during my sets.
What’s the last record store you visited and what did you bag there?
I went to Serendeepity in Milan, give a shout-out to Daniele who’s working there and pick up some copies of ‘Akash Ganga‘.
What will you be up to this summer?
I’m actually working on my new live and preparing a video that will be out at the end of the summer. No holidays on my horizon, even though I’d really need some. I’d like to go to Greece or Morocco, but I have to work a lot and I hope I have some cool new music opportunities.
Akash Ganga Remixes is scheduled for release 26th May 2017, order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. Akash Ganga (Aisha Devi Necromedia Mix)
2. OXO (Weightausend Fast Mix)
3. OXO (Zuli Astrogangsta Mix)
4. 27.09.87 (Jesse Osborne-Lanthier Alteration Mix)
Discover more about Petit Singe and Haunter Records on Inverted Audio.
Petit SingeHaunter Records26 May 2017ElectronicExperimentalTechnoTribal