and you thought you knew.. Catherine Duc
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"My earliest and main influences were ambient-groove artists like Deep Forest and Enigma. When these artists released their first songs, they became very popular on the commercial charts although their sound was very different from the usual pop songs. I was fascinated at how they mixed world music with modern rhythms and synthesizers and this inspired me a lot with my music."
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There was a little package of stardust that descended to earth at around the time when Catherine Duc was 7 years old. Nobody really noticed the tiny specs of shimmering material as they landed to form a protective coating across Catherine's fingertips but, since that moment, Catherine Duc has been destined to write and compose some of the most beautiful and enchanting musical themes ever to emerge from many of the world's headphones and speakers. Her most recent release, 'Visions and Dreams', is a magnificent contemporary classical soundtrack album worthy of global praise and appreciation. As part of that appreciation process, we thought it was about time that we invited Catherine to board her virtual Qantas flight from Melbourne to Edmonton, where she could be gently persuaded to answer the inevitable questions...
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The Interview - November 04 2006 |
| Welcome to IOM Catherine... can we begin with you telling us a bit about your background? |
Thanks very much for the opportunity to be interviewed with IOM :)
My music is a blend of ambient, electronica, world and classical music. I started learning keyboards when I was 7 and classical piano when I was 12. In my final year of high school, I took computer music classes and became interested in composing and recording my own songs. My first song ‘Incan Melody’ won first prize in an original song competition at my school that year. The feedback I received encouraged me to continue writing music.
I then took music production and live recording classes at the Concert Hall in Melbourne, Australia, and also completed a Film Music Composition diploma with a music school in London.
My latest album ‘Visions and Dreams’ was released in 2005. |
| What would you say have been your main musical influences? |
My earliest and main influences are ambient-groove artists like Deep Forest and Enigma. When these artists released their first songs, they became very popular on the commercial charts although their sound was very different from the usual pop songs. I was fascinated at how they mixed world music with modern rhythms and synthesizers and this inspired me a lot with my music.
During my Film Music Composition course, I became interested in film soundtracks and the composer that has most influenced me in this style is James Horner. |
| What could you tell us about “high points” in your musical career? |
These include winning an original song competition in school with my first composition and also winning the electronic category in a national song competition organized by Philips.
Completing an album is also a high point because there is so much work and organization that goes into it. I’m also encouraged when I read reviews from the media and listeners who enjoy my music and tell me it inspires and relaxes them. |
| How about low points and how you managed to get over them? |
At one of my previous jobs (day job), I was so busy at work that I neglected my music. I was bringing work home to do after the workday and on the weekends, and I felt frustrated because I couldn’t find the time to sit down and work on my music. I felt more encouraged when I re-read emails that other artists and listeners had sent me about my music. It was then a matter of prioritizing what was important to me and taking action about the situation. I quit that job to work in another industry and felt much more balanced after that.
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| If you could turn the clocks back, is there anything you would have done differently? |
Instead of studying Business/IT at university, I would have liked to study orchestration. Also I would have liked to learn the violin (as well as the piano) when I was a child. |
| Who did you work with on your most recent projects? |
On my last album ‘Visions and Dreams’, it was just a sole project with engineering assistance by a Toby Learmont, a mastering engineer at Sony Australia.
I’m currently working with a world music singer named Natalia Christiana. I was introduced to her by David Pendragon, an Australian producer.
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| If you could pick a favourite track from your recent work what would it be? |
My favourite track from my latest album ‘Visions and Dreams’ is ‘In The Light of Day’. This also seems to be one of the favourite tracks of many listeners. It’s the only orchestral song on the album and I plan to include this style more on my next album. I really enjoy the sound of an orchestra – there are so many different timbres and instrument combinations. |
| What musical instruments/equipment do you normally use? |
My main equipment is a Roland Fantom synthesizer/workstation and a computer running Sonar Producer Edition. I also use Shure microphones for live recording and have over 100Gb of source material in my sound library, which I control from my synthesizer through samplers and the sequencer. |
| Do you have a favourite instrument either as a player or appreciator? |
As a player, my favourite instrument is a synthesizer as I can access thousands of different sounds, both acoustic and electronic. As a listener, I love the sound of the violin and harp. I’m really enjoying the work of the violinist Hilary Hahn at the moment. |
| Can you remember your first stage and/or studio experience? |
The first time I went into a studio was at high school – this was set up with direct to computer recording. I was fascinated with all the different sounds the synthesizers could produce. The first studio in which I recorded a live acoustic group was at one of the studios above the Melbourne Concert Hall. The facilities are excellent and I love being in the control room :) Usually, I work out of my home studio.
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| What five albums would you want to find if you were stranded on a desert island with enough food, water, a copy of IOM, a fantastic audio system, and any one musical instrument of your choice? |
Enigma - The Screen Behind The Mirror
Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowd
Titanic - James Horner
The Chronicles of Narnia - Harry Gregson Williams
The latest Cafe del Mar compilation
and My Roland Fantom synthesizer/workstation plus a power generator :) |
| Do you have a favourite album cover of all time? |
| Deep Forest’s Boheme CD fits the mood of their music perfectly. There’s a picture of a forest shrouded in mist with autumn leaves super imposed in the foreground. The Deep Forest logo is on the leaves (a tree symbol similar to a peace symbol). |
| and what, may we ask, are the five albums you listened to most recently? |
The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King – Howard Shore, The Best of Debussy, Light + Shade – Mike Oldfield, The Chronicles of Narnia – Harry Gregson Williams, Memoirs of a Geisha – John Williams
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| What five movies did you watch most recently? |
Ghosts of The Abyss (Titanic documentary by James Cameron originally made for IMAX)
Vangelis – Mythodea (concert)
Orchestra: Lower Strings, Brass and Percussion (documentary)
Agatha Christie’s Murder on The Orient Express
Pirates of The Caribbean |
| Which artist would you most like to meet or borrow a bag of sugar from as a next door neighbour? |
| It would be very cool if Michael Cretu (creator of Enigma) was my next door neighbour. I’ve seen pictures of his amazing Ibiza studio in a music magazine. Besides borrowing the bag of sugar, I wouldn’t mind some studio time :) |
| If you could have been responsible for writing the best song or piece of music ever written, what would it be? |
| I would have liked to write one of the compositions on the Titanic soundtrack called ‘Southampton’. I think this is the most recognized composition from the film after ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and is very uplifting and inspiring. James Horner captured the moods from romantic to dramatic very well. I find that this soundtrack is very memorable with strong melodies. |
| If you could have three wishes, what would they be? |
I would love to compose music for a living and be able to support myself from that. Another one of my dreams is to work on a score for a major feature film under the guidance of a veteran film composer. My third wish would be to have 100 more wishes – is that possible? :) |
| On to the more intimate side of Catherine.. what did you dream about last night AND you can't say 'I do not remember'... |
I honestly don’t remember! :) I’ll tell you one of my dreams that I have occasionally instead – I’m dreaming that I hear new music and can’t recognize what it is. Sometimes the music is orchestral, sometimes it may be ambient pop. Unfortunately, I can never seem to remember the piece of music when I wake up in the morning. I think I might have to put a notebook or tape recorder by my bed from now on :) |
| And, if we were to “shadow” you on a typical day, what might we see you doing? |
On weekdays, I’m at work at a financial company for most of the day so I’ll describe a typical weekend day instead. I wake up at my usual time at 7am because I’ve got too much on to sleep in :)
I’m studying for my 4th diploma in Advanced Financial Planning (other degrees are in Business/IT, Film Music Composition and Financial Planning) so I get the studying out of the way first thing in the morning. I then prepare promotional packages for the print media and radio stations who have requested information about my album. I also update my website, answer interview questions (like I’m doing now) and then work on my orchestration studies.
After lunch, I’m on the internet responding to emails from the media and listeners. Then I exercise by either going for a walk or doing a gym or pilates session. I’ll then go out for dinner and when I get back, I’ll compose music. For some reason, I’m more inspired to compose music after twilight, so I have a limited gap of time in which I can write music. |
| What did you do, the day before yesterday? |
| Woke up at 5am, went to a breakfast investment seminar before going into the office for my ‘9 to 5 job’ in a financial company. After work and dinner, I worked on my orchestration studies then logged onto MySpace and email to answer messages. I get several hundred messages on MySpace each week, so I really have to try and stay on top of the email otherwise it builds up fast. I scheduled all my tasks for the next day and went to sleep around midnight. As you can see, I try to get as much as I can out of the day :) |
| If you had to move to another country for a year to record an album, but you only had a few suitcases and an hour to pack… what would you take? |
| Apart from the basic necessities, I’d take my music software programs, a microphone, an external hard drive with my sound library and MP3 collection and my orchestration books. The computer and synthesizer would be too heavy to bring so I guess I’d rent the equipment when I reached my destination. |
| What bugs you most? |
| People who are rude. |
| What makes your day really shine? |
| When I’m at a beautiful location such as the sea or mountains and get inspiration to compose new music. |
| I hate to end it all like this Catherine, but.. finally, what are your plans for 2007? |
I’ve recently started work on a new album (most likely it won’t be released until after 2007). It will build on the styles in my last album ‘Visions and Dreams’. I’ll also be collaborating with several talented musicians and vocalists, so stay tuned for it!
And thanks very much for the interview – I enjoyed it :) |
| Catherine Duc.. thanks for dropping by... the delightful Sandra will see you to the car and take you to the airport! |
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Catherine Duc was interviewed by Colin Lynch - November 04 2006
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© 2006 R Cat Communications - All Rights Reserved
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