Veering more towards the rock-oriented side of music Contre Culture Info is nonetheless open to all genres, in an effort to blend cultures and bring you luminaries from all over the world. Today the spotlight is on the fascinating New York City-based electro pop artist Almamy.

Lyricist, composer, vocalist, head of the ModyWorks label and former dancer, Almamy, who was born in Senegal in 1982, is doing it all. He is currently in preparation for his much anticipated second EP slated for a May release. It follows his successful 2008 debut "The Sexy Boy EP." An accompanying short film is also in the works.

We caught up with the singer to get a little in-depth about the artistic journey that took him from his native Dakar to the Big Apple, by way of the City of Lights, what his creative process looks like, and a lot more. Here is what he had to say.

You were born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, and you started your artistic career as a dancer when you were a teenager in Paris right ?
Almamy : I went to Paris to dance professionally, first with Kim Kan, it was mostly contemporary dance and ballet. Then with Rick Odums, where I had the chance to work with dance legends such as Matt Mattox, Geraldine Armstrong or Rick Odums himself. Dancing was my whole life. I ate, breathed and slept dance. I trained and danced day in and out, for hours on end. I was insanely dedicated. It was like being an athlete or something.

Then you moved to New York to go to the Broadway Dance Center. How did it happen and what did you learn there ?
Almamy : I got a scholarship to come to New York for a year and study at the Broadway Dance Center and dance for local companies. It's not that we were really learning something new, it's more like we were improving what we already had, more like training for the Olympics and making important connections, auditioning and stuff.

You then put an end to your career in dance to devote yourself to music. Any regrets ?
Almamy : No, because making music is more personal and better suited to my personality. I'm an artist, so as a dancer I was often frustrated to have to interpret the work of someone else. Being a dancer is very much like being an actor, you interpret someones else's vision. Music is different, it's my own creation. My music is me, and I am my music. (laughs)

You founded your own record label, ModyWorks, in 2007. Was it something you wanted to do for a long time ?
Almamy : Not really. It was more like a combination of circumstances. After a discussion with the VP of a label who was going to sign me, I realized that I wasn't ready to relinquish all control and ownership. Specially in this day and age. So it was more appropriate for me to start my own label and then work with a larger record company for distribution, as it's the case with Interscope handling it now.

How do you go about starting a label ?
Almamy : A huge amount of self-belief and sweat is required. (laughs). But it's worth it cause I have total creative control and I can sign and help other artists that I like expose their music and ideas. 

You released "The Sexy Boy EP" in 2008 and you are now recording "The Love," featuring your cover of Daft Punk's "Digital Love." Can you tell us more about this project and its release?
Almamy : "The Love" is kinda like an electronic music 'rock opera' cause it's written from the perspective of a character. I decided to cover "Digital Love" because it fits the character's point of view and the general concept. It's about love in an utopian world, it's fantasy-oriented but real at the same time. Aman Ellis, who's the dopest DJ/producer ever, is co-producing the EP with me and it's thanks to his influence that I'm exploring this rock opera thing. He turned me on to Pink Floyd and all those bands from the 70's who used to make a lot of concept albums. As for the release, well "Digital Love" will be released as the first single in late March/early April, followed by the EP a month later. Then two more singles after that.

"The Love" will also be the soundtrack of a short film directed by Jeffrey Moore. What is it about ?
Almamy : The movie is a visual interpretation of the EP. I thought that it'd be more interesting to have a film for the whole EP instead of just a video for the single. I have a huge passion for movies, specially for short experimental films, so since my project really is a concept and I love Jeffrey's work I thought why not have him direct a film for it !

Do you write your own music ? How do you work, what does your creative process look like ?
Almamy : I usually write on my own, but I don't have a specific way of doing it. Sometimes I'm just humming a tune, other times it's just me fooling around on a keyboard and coming up with something worth keeping, or sometimes I have an idea for a beat and the rest follows. I can also start with just a set of lyrics then come up with melodies for it.

What can you tell us about the new music ? How is it different from your previous EP ?
Almamy : The major difference is that it's written from the perspective of a character. It's the first time that I'm doing a project with a very definite concept. My first EP was more like a collection of songs. Cohesive though put together. The other difference is that I collaborated more on the composition aspect of it and on the production, my co-producer's influence is more pronounced. Sonically I'd say that it's more informed by techno, rave and science fiction than anything I've done before.

Do you think being a dancer is a plus when it comes to creating music ?
Almamy : Absolutely. Working all day long with music, specially classical music in ballet, you learn a lot about composition, measures, rhythm... You have to have musicality when you're a dancer.

Was your passion for music born when you were a dancer or was it always there ?
Almamy : I always had a passion for music but it was not until I came to New York that I started to write music. I was spending a lot of times in clubs and that's what initially inspired me. There really is a before and an after. Before I was just writing lyrics, poems... then after I started to sing them and not just read them.

Your voice is pretty unique, it's a even androgynous. What would you say If I say that I think there's a sad quality to it as well ?
Almamy : A sad quality to it! I like that.

I also feel a sense of violence in your music, in the beats, in contrast to your singing that is vulnerable...
Almamy : I have a very aggressive nature and of course it means that deep down I'm just insecure and vulnerable. I'm a walking contradiction anyway, and you can hear that in my music. As I told you, my music is me and I am my music. (laughs).

A lot of the songs from your your first EP have been remixed. Why redo them ?
Almamy : It's not about "redoing" them. Remixes are part of the experience. Original versions don't get played in clubs anyway, remixes do.

Daft Punk is a French band. how do you explain the success of French electro music around the world ?
Almamy : The French electro scene is the most vital. For techno it's Berlin but for electro it's France. From the Ed Banger Records acts to the Institubes label, to Kavinsky, Miss Kittin, Yuksek... or even F.r.a.c.t.a.l who's on my label. The French electro scene is very rich. Frenchies Do It Better !

You're going to perform in Europe this year, and in France. How do you prepare for this ?
Almamy : It starts with a massive headache. (laugh) With my co-producer and two other musicians we re-work my songs cause I don't want to perform them the way they are on records, I mean what's the point! I wanna give something else. Then there's the visual aspect to think about and stuff. I have a headache just thinking about it...

A last word ?
Almamy : I can't wait to come to France and perform there. I hope my old friends, and enemies, will show up and be jealous. (laughs).






Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/almamy
Site officiel : http://almamy.com/