LE BAIN: You grew up in the Swedish countryside. What kind of influence did your childhood and its environment have on your musical path?
LA FLEUR: I don't know if it had a direct input on my musical path growing up in the Swedish countryside. But maybe that I felt a need to dig for and find new music; the search for that next track that would make me feel something special has always been a thrill for me. I am also trying to get out and be with nature as often as I can. It’s a place for recharging and recovering and a bit like a reset for me.
What’s your favorite music to meditate to?
I meditate in silence, or with a few different apps, either guided meditation for deep rest which I use a lot on flights and on the road. If it's sounds only, then I really like an app called Endel. It’s something you can sync with your Apple watch and it adapts to your heart rate. Depending on what time of day it is, it will play various sounds that fit and helps get you into a nice flow.
La Fleur by Patrice Brylla
You created your own label in 2010, Power Plant, which is about music, art, and fashion. What is the motivator behind the label?
I wanted to start a platform and a breeding ground for some of my creative outlets and passions to come together and where music would always be the core and the driving part. My penchant for visual art is represented in each of the releases so far by having some of my favorite illustrators work on the covers, a picture that also would connect with the music on the record. The fashion outlet came from me wanting to do something that I would like to wear (also when I’m playing) and to make something different than the usual merchandise.
Power Plant makes sense with your artist name La Fleur. Was it also a reference to Frankie Knuckles’ second club in Chicago?
No, it wasn’t, but that would definitely be a cool link. Power Plant name came from the connection to my name as La Fleur, meaning the flower, a plant, the association of the logo with a pinwheel moving, a power plant, a powerhouse, all these sorts of these things connecting to plant and power
You’ve been remixed by legendary Detroit producers Kenny Larkin and Carl Craig. Tell us about your musical and spiritual connection with Detroit.
Needless to say, there was and still IS a lot of good music coming out from Detroit. Playing Movement Festival in Detroit was very special and to experience a bit more of this mythical city and to play with some of the legends from there was a very special experience.
La Fleur's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix
Why did you pick a French name?
La Fleur is my real name, it's an old family name from my mother’s side. It’s actually a slave name from North Africa from the 1750’s.
Being a Swedish artist living in Berlin, what kind of sensibility does it bring to your game?
Definitely the Berlin scene has affected me, especially moving from Stockholm and a small scene where dance music was an exception, to Berlin where it was the norm and with a big strong scene and club culture to support it. My move to Berlin was because I wanted inspiration, to seek change and challenge and to try and make a living out of music. The Berlin sound definitely had an impact on me within the first years, when I got a bit more deeper and darker and more minimal, but I think now I found my place in both house and techno; it can be dark or light as long as it's good music.
On Saturday, October 6th,
Le Bain presents La Fleur
10pm | The Standard, High Line
