INTERVIEW WITH MASOMENOS
MENOS graphic designer + DJ · producer + sound engineer
spontaneous · lighthearted · psychedelic · no limits
8 albums · 16 EPs · Hotel Costes presents…
They set up a temporary studio inside Hôtel Costes. Temporary became permanent. Three years on: eight albums, sixteen EPs — and Ricardo Villalobos has already claimed one as the album of his dreams.
avant-garde electronica
"The album of my dreams." — Ricardo Villalobos
A productive partnership between Joan Costes — graphic designer and DJ — and Adrien de Maublanc — producer and sound engineer. Their audio-visual system: spontaneous, lighthearted, psychedelic, no limits. Their studio: inside Hôtel Costes, where temporary became permanent.
More than three years ago, Masomenos set up their studio in the construction of an extension of Hôtel Costes. What was supposed to be only temporary became slowly a real settlement — inspiring a new organic and downtempo sound as they dived into modular analog set-up.
Over the years, invited to keep the studio there, they named the place Studio HC and decided to release all music produced or mixed there on a label: "Hotel Costes presents…" — an original evolution for a brand famous for its chill-out vibe.
The result of two years of work with a collective of bands and live musicians across modern classical, electronic jazz, and avant-garde electronica: eight full-length albums and sixteen EPs. Glacial is one — Ricardo Villalobos has said it is "the album of my dreams."
Adrien de Maublanc — producer, sound engineer
MINUIT
A collaborative project between pianist Julien Quentin, bass player Yonatan Levi, and electronic musicians Cesar Merveille & Adrien de Maublanc. Four experts harmoniously combining their music to create a new entity.
From the very first recording session, a set of rules was made — the first being to work from 12pm to 12am only. This gave birth to the name MidiMinuit. The result: an elegant and minimalistic constellation where space is given to let the music breathe.
All tracks were improvised, catching the essence and fragility of the original jams. Three days. Twelve hours per day. No rehearsals. Every piece improvised, recorded, and moved on. Cesar was refining his process with modular synthesis — bringing those world-class musicians together had the potential to create something very unique.
"This collaboration is the result of a crossed friendship and musical touring over the years with all of us being based mainly in Berlin and also Paris, and also meeting on the road. My apartment in Berlin has been a regular meeting point for all musicians and artists in town and passing by. The loft space in Kreuzberg with the B-Steinway grand piano and the Studer analog console have patiently been waiting to reunite — and that's what MidiMinuit is about."
"It was so incredible to see the passion of a musician still playing with the enthusiasm of a newcomer and the precision and mastery of his background."
Greatest inspirations or influences?
We love experimenting with different medias, so we have many sources of inspiration.
MusicAlso watched a documentary on Travis Scott that was extremely inspiring — both the documentary and the artist's work.
Visual ArtHenrik Vibskov as a multi-platform artist with a very interesting path. Studio Olafur Eliasson — always pushing the boundaries of experience, illusion, and science, inviting us to reflect on our shared adventure of being human on this planet. All our work on light refers to James Turrell and Carlos Cruz-Diez.
How did MidiMinuit happen?
It all happened in Berlin as we — Julien Quentin, Adrien de Maublanc, Cesar Merveille, Yonathan Levi and Moritz Capellmann — decided to experiment with a new electro-acoustic sound. We bordered ourselves into this 12 to 12 time frame that inspired the MidiMinuit name.
Cesar was working separately with Julien, Yonatan and Adrien on different projects. As he was refining his process with modular synthesis, it became clear that bringing those world-class musicians together had the potential to create something very unique.
How were the collaborations selected?
The collaboration just happened, as life. Meeting musicians who introduced us to other musicians.
For A_Delta, we met David at a party in Port de l'Arsenal and had a great talk about his musical life and study. We invited him to the studio and recorded the Port de l'Arsenal album over a few weeks.
One of the most interesting things that happened during these recordings?
Oh, each session has its spirit! The one with Adrien and Julien was very emotional.
Before the summer, Kirk Lightsey — an 80-year-old pianist — came for an improvised session as we were finishing the Packashume album with Yoni. It was so incredible to see the passion of a musician still playing with the enthusiasm of a newcomer and the precision and mastery of his background.
The production looks out of this world — tell us more.
For MidiMinuit, we have a bunch of modular and synths for Cesar and Adrien, a bass for Yoni, and a piano for Julien. Moritz Capellmann is definitely a part of the band!
He is always there with us — mastering the sound setup, patching, checking, creating the best environment for recording, and allowing guest musicians to jump into the jam very easily. He is contributing enormously to the sound of Studio HC.
What is the role the Hôtel Costes studio plays?
More than three years ago, we set up our studio in the construction of an extension of Hôtel Costes. What was supposed to be only temporary became slowly a real settlement that witnessed the transformation of the hotel.
Julien Quentin, Yonatan Levi, Cesar Merveille, Adrien de Maublanc. 3 days · 36h · 0 rehearsals · all improvised.
"The album of my dreams." — Ricardo Villalobos
Julien Quentin · Adrien (alto) · Laetitia (violin) · Adrien de Maublanc
Julien and Adrien. A very emotional week. Born from that time.
Met David at a party. Invited to the studio. Recorded over a few weeks.
An improvised session with 80-year-old pianist Kirk Lightsey — one of the most incredible moments in the studio.
Eight full-length albums and sixteen EPs dropping regularly over the next few years.
An original evolution for a brand famous for its chill-out vibe since the beginning.
For MidiMinuit: modular and synths for Cesar and Adrien, a bass for Yoni, a piano for Julien. And a fifth member who is indispensable.
Moritz Capellmann is always there — mastering the sound setup, patching, checking, creating the best environment for recording, and allowing guest musicians to jump into the jam very easily. He is contributing enormously to the sound of Studio HC.
- Modular synthesis — Cesar Merveille + Adrien de Maublanc
- B-Steinway grand piano — Julien Quentin · Kreuzberg loft, Berlin
- Studer analogue console — Kreuzberg loft, Berlin
- Double bass — Yonatan Levi
- Sound environment — Moritz Capellmann · patching, mastering, checking
- Guest musicians — jump into the jam via Moritz's setup
"Moritz is definitely a part of the band." He is always there — mastering the sound setup, patching, checking, and creating the best environment for recording. He contributes enormously to the sound of Studio HC.
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"Space is given to let the music breathe. All the tracks were improvised, catching the essence and the fragility of the original jams."
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