Weazley is a promising French duo of electronic music, composed by Anas and Antoine, two young guys both passionate about music. We spoke with them about the creation of the duo, its story and also about what they are preparing in the future. Unlike Harry Potter, they are magicians of rhythms and sounds, and no curse will prevent you from listening to them.
—Who are the members of Weazley? Can you quickly present the project?
—Antoine: Weazley is a duo composed by Anas and me. We created the project in college (we were in the same one). As we had more or less the same tastes regarding the music, we decided to go for it and we created Weazley.
—Anas: At first, we just wanted to do some impro sessions. Then, we thought it would be a good idea to make our friends listen to our music. Eventually, we decided to put 2/3 of the tracks we created on Internet to have more objective insights on our creations.
—Do you have a musical training? Antoine, I remember that you used to play the clarinet, how did you pass from classical music to electronic music? And you, Anas?
—Antoine: I think I’ve been attending at least for 7 years the conservatory, in Annecy. This period was pretty difficult: homework, tests, stress of the auditions, abject instrument teacher who would make me play in the corridor, annual exams, etc. Only the orchestra was a great experience. I began to listen to electronic music in high school, I loved it, and it was not long till I wanted to produce some. I never listened to classical music but in the conservatory, it was more because I was obliged to, not because I wanted to.
—Anas: As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been playing the bass since middle school. I began playing rock music, and funk music. As Antoine, I began to listen to electronic music in high school, with Ed Banger and all the French Touch artists. When I understood that this musical genre could gather all the others and that I did not need a band of 12 musicians to give a life to the melodies I was inventing, I knew this was made for me.
—Why did you choose Weazley as your name? Anything to do with Ron Weasley?
—Antoine: We liked the name, both on a visual and on a phonetic point of vue. Plus, it was available so we did not look for more. Sorry for the Potterheads.
—Which artists inspire you?
—Antoine: The list is (very) long. I listen to a lot of genres: house, techno, drum’n’bass, funk, indie pop/rock, hip hop. I’d say Toro Y Moi, Jadhu Heart, Jai Paul, Harvey Shutherland, Submorphics, Jamie XX, Yaeji, Mall Grab.
—Anas: I get my inspiration in styles completely different from what I want to do, from the 70s Japanese funk to Spanish Rn’B and to traditional African music. I won’t impose myself limits when I’m looking for ideas, as long as the outcome is relevant with “Weazley” or “Leyman .’
—How do you compose and record your tracks?
—Antoine: Mainly with the DAW Ableton, but recently, I’m using only machines, and no more computer. I changed my setup because I would not get as inspired as before, and because my 8 years-old Mac computer did not support anymore the software and plugins I was using, haha.
—Anas: As far as I’m concerned, I’m in my bed, in pajamas, with my headset, and my computer on my duvet. I don’t really like working with instruments or machines. The less toys I have, the more I’m efficient.
—Tell me an anecdote, something that happens to you in your artist’s life.
—Antoine: One day, I had to take the plane to go to Bordeaux to play for a party, and I had to go to school on the day after. I did not sleep, I came back during the night while I was doing my homework above the clouds and I was (physically) present at school at 8am, it was crazy!!
—Anas: Something left a deep impression on me for my first show in Paris. I knew nobody, not even the planners. I was playing in the Batofar, in after work mode. I was playing my sounds alone in the corner where I was installed when a guy came and told me: “Hey Weazley! Can you please play Tropical? It’s my favorite.” I must recognize that before this, I thought that only our friends were listening to us.
—Do you give concerts/sessions, etc.?
—Antoine: Not for now. We are focused on creating titles, we want to produce a live soon.
—What do you think about platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp etc.? Do you think that they can open doors to young artists like you?
—Antoine: We mainly worked with Soundcloud but I think that Spotify is the new reference, in fact, we have to begin to work with it, haha. As for the visibility, these platforms are the best, because they reference you and put your tracks in playlists, allowing people listening even to other styles to discover you. On Bandcamp, I like the merch option which allows young indie artists to have their own online shop, quickly and easily.
—Anas: I must recognize I am a bit lost with all this. Vinyl records are the future!
—What will Weazley prepare us in the future? Do you have other projects, maybe solo projects?
—Antoine: We are working hard on the live, new EPs and why not on a first album!
—Anas: For Weazley, we do not overthink. Above all, we try to create sounds without worrying about the future. We have other side projects, like Leyman, where the goal is to follow a certain course of action. Indeed, I’m working at the moment on several tracks, but for now, it’s still a secret…
