Band der Woche: Denuit

Mit dunklen Synthesizern, treibenden Beats und einer ganz eigenen Verbindung von Melancholie und Hoffnung sind Denuit ein fester Bestandteil der Darkwave-Szene geworden. Das französische Duo Lis Araignée und Ivi Topp verbindet elektronische Musik mit einer starken visuellen Ästhetik und einer atmosphärischen, sehr persönlichen Klangwelt. Mit ihrem neuen Album Nothing lasts forever setzen sich Denuit mit Leben, Tod und Veränderung auseinander. Wir haben mit Lis und Ivi über die Entstehung des Albums, ihre künstlerischen Einflüsse und die Bedeutung von Musik und visueller Kunst für Denuit gesprochen.

Who is behind Denuit, and how would you describe yourselves beyond music?
We are Lis Araignée and Ivi Topp. Lis is a whimsical forest witch who loves being surrounded by nature. She takes dark photographs inspired by the chiaroscuro painting style, and her favourite thing is listening to her favourite music on repeat. Ivi is a vampire who has a special connection with the moon. He loves activities that are handmade and is very interested in astronomy. He is also a very good filmmaker.

How did you meet, and what made you decide to start the project?
We had mutual friends, and Ivi saw Lis perform with her band. He wanted to form a duo with her, so he got in touch. The connection was immediate. We fell in love. We have been together ever since.

When did music first become a part of your life? Was there a moment when you fell in love with sound?
For me, Lis, music has been a part of my life forever. I have always wanted to be a singer, and I always will. Music is my soul.
Ivi was an art student and made films and other work before turning to music. He was a DJ first, and Denuit is his first band.

What are you looking for in music? What are the boundaries that you look to explore with music?
Our approaches to music are different.
For me, Lis, making music was a necessity. I have the feeling that I can express something that needed to be said. Maybe one day my words will help someone. I feel empty without music; I need it.
For Ivi, music is a means of expression. The same goes for all the art he creates. He wants to create something beautiful and meaningful.

If you had to describe your music in terms of not music, what would you say?
It is a blue wave of ice running across a snowy landscape.

What themes are you currently drawn to in your work?
Death, love, life.

How are your music pieces created? Where does the impulse to create something come from for you?
It comes from our stomach, you know. One day, we woke up with an overwhelming urge to create something. So we did it. We have no set schedule. We follow our instincts.

How do your surroundings impact your art?
Our friends are the first to hear our music. They also help us choose the singles. Sometimes they appear in our music videos. Our best friend has taken a lot of our photos. Their opinions are very important to us.

What artistic influences, outside of music, have had a significant influence on how you approach your art?
Ivi: Cinéma is my main source of inspiration. I am a cinéphile. I love David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Paul Thomas Anderson, Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott.
Lis: Personally, I find inspiration in images. I’m a big fan of Faallaway, she’s my favourite modern photographer. I also read fantastic novels. I love Hayao Miyazaki’s work, and I read a lot of books with the same vibe as his films. My favourite director is Xavier Dolan.

Tell us a little about your new album, Nothing Lasts Forever. What did the very first spark of inspiration look like, and how did that idea grow into the finished album? How did the songs change along the way, and were there any moments that really challenged you creatively?
Funny you should use the word “spark”, because the first song we composed for the album was called “Spark”. It was very different from the other songs, so it didn’t make it onto the album. However, we shared it with our Patreon members. For this album, we wanted to create something raw that came from deep within us. We chose not to choose a musical direction, instead letting ourselves be guided by our desires. We had a real band vibe; we loved jamming together. For example, “Mother of the Void” was created and recorded at the same time, and we haven’t modified it. The songs didn’t change much, and this was the first time we had done this. The album was almost exactly like this from the outset. That’s why it feels so authentic to us. It’s our hearts speaking without filters.

How important is the visual side of Denuit to you? How does the visual aspect relate to and reflect your music?
Our videos are just as important as our music. We make all our music videos, just the two of us. It’s a way of bringing our music to life on screen and helping people understand our world better. We currently have 28 music videos on our YouTube channel, and we’re planning to make more for our new album.

How would you describe the world you are trying to create during your performances?
Our performances are like rituals where we invite people to let themselves go and have a space where they can be completely themselves.

What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to?
Our tour kicks off on 3 September and will run until 2027. We’ll be touring across Europe, Canada and Latin America. We can’t wait to get started. We’re a band that really comes into our own on stage, so we’d love for you to come and see us perform live.

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