On the occasion of the MaMa Festival 2016, we had the chance to meet Buvette (Cédric Streuli, offstage). Meeting with a very nice "little Swiss"!
How would Cédric present Buvette?
Buvette is a musical project that brings together several musical genres. The project is constantly in motion according to the geographical positions and material possibilities of its author (smile). Through encounters and travels, Buvette is built and evolves. The situation has recently changed by my move to Paris. I recorded the album Elasticity with a group of musicians I met here. They also accompany me on stage. To go back, I made music while traveling a lot, taking my equipment in a suitcase. I went all over the world to do concerts and recordings.
Has being in Paris now changed your perception of your way of creating?
Yes of course, I find myself again in the middle of material constraints, agendas and availability of others. But that's what I want to do right now is present my music live with a band. That's what defines the atmosphere and the language of this new album, being in a band and playing with real instruments. I moved away from my previous ways of proceeding with my drum machines by going into a collective effort.
And how do you define your music?
There are plenty of genres. We go through influences dub, pop rock, 70s, afro beat. We are on a big musical melting pot.
Where does your stage name Buvette come from?
It's an old story. I worked in a bar in Switzerland, in an assembly village where I grew up. At that time, I was a drummer in several bands and I worked in the bar the rest of the time. I just wanted to make music for myself. That's where I started with a sampler and some synths. All the lyrics of my songs were about the bar. My stage name came like this and hasn't changed for 8 years.
You are part of a new generation of French and French-speaking singers (The Avener, Christine and the Queens…). If I tell you about French Touch 2.0, do you think you will be part of it?
I do not know… I don't position myself in a musical movement defined enough to name what I do. I don't know if I belong to this "wave". Maybe… After, in terms of culture and generation, we sail in the same direction I think. While this is an idea I'm attached to, I don't define it or think about it.
What were your main musical influences?
It all started with the music my father played to me until I was a teenager. There was a lot of 70s rock with tapes brought back from his travels. I heard as much Frank Zappa as Jimmy Hendrix and Led Zeppelin as Jacques Brel, with music from India with Ravi Shankar. After that, I bought records myself. The first single I bought I think was Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio. And then, I've always been curious listening to both reggae and techno. I attach great importance to listening to as many things as possible, and have been for about fifteen years now. That's what feeds me. I couldn't settle for just one musical color.
Your voice reminds me a lot of Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz).
I think on the track Room Without a View, we hear similarities yes. I sing quite loudly and in a key that could be his. After yes, I really like Damon Albarn, I like Blur and I liked Gorillaz too. The side projects he has been involved in are interesting, and the broad spectrum he integrates into his music makes him a captivating artist. After that it's not my absolute model, although I don't really have one.
How do you feel this evolution between having a band on stage, compared to your beginnings where you were alone and you samplaized?
It's the logical continuation of my project and it's also the music I want to make now. I want to be consistent with the spirit of the Elasticity album. I wanted to break that samples/drum machine angle, and take my music elsewhere. I hope my group will grow too. Maybe in 5 years I'll be solo again, maybe we'll be 8 on stage or I'll make music for ballets (laughs). It's constantly moving, and I don't want Buvette to be something framed with an agenda.
And for the future, what do you have planned?
In November and December I will do some solo dates and from January we start the tour until spring.
Finally, a musical retrospective of the year:
Which album accompanied you in 2016?
At. Long. Last. A$AP by A$AP Rocky (editor's note: released in 2015). A pure hip-hop record very well produced that goes in all directions, very psychedelic and rich in its panel.
A song for the year 2016?
Ancora Tu by Lucio Battisti (editor's note: song released in 1976). I listened to it a lot this year!
An artist for 2016?
Goat (band), a Swedish hard rock band
