NINCA LEECE – 15 QUESTIONS TO

1. Where are you from and where do you actually live right now?

I am originally from Rennes, in Bretagne (North-west of France).
I left when I was 20 to move to Amsterdam to study. I studied there for 5 years voice and music production at the Rotterdam Conservatory. I moved 3 years ago to berlin, first to study film music for one year.
That was the best decision I made in years. I was waiting for a long time to leave the Netherlands and I was trying hard to move to Berlin. I was obsessed with Berlin for a few years already, and would visit friends there on a very often basis.

2. For those who don’t know you, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a dreamer/fighter/singer/songwriter/producer, passionately and fiercefully fulfilling my mission on earth and delivering the music goods the best I can.

3. Tell me about your musical development: what is the music you grew up with and what are the first records that really struck you?

My parents would play a lot of Serge Gainsbourg, Nina Simone, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Joe Dassin, Charles Aznavour, disco and 80s music – a lot of French chanson as well such as Alain Souchon among others.
One of the first songs I recorded on my little ghettoblaster when I was something like seven was ‘Essa moça ta differente’ from Chico Buarque and ‘Everybody’s got to learn sometime’ from The Korgis. Still 2 of my all time favourite songs…That’s also how my strong love for Brazilian music began.
My love affair with music started actually when I was 6, and it was with a piano.

I studied then classical piano, until I was twenty-something, so it had a quite lasting effect on me.
I actually ended up the conservatory when I was 15 and joined a band to play the bass and sing etheral melodies inspired by Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. We were all at the time listening with my friends to such indie noise bands and also to some electronic bands like New Order, 808 State etc.
First records that changed my life for good: ‘Isn’t Anything’, ‘Loveless’- MBV, ‘Technique’ - New Order, ‘The queen is dead’ - The Smiths  / ‘Intégrale des oeuvres pour piano’ - Debussy / ‘Ma mère l’oie’ – Ravel / ‘Green mind’ - Dinosaur Jr / ‘Everybody’s got to learn sometime’ - The Korgis  / ‘I’m not in love’ - 10CC.

4. How did you get into electronic music?

My boyfriend at the time was already making some for a while and he inspired me to buy a Korg M1 when I turned 18.
I bought it from an American musician, it was a weird story. I touched a SH-101 for the first time back then as well, and that’s how my irreversible love for tweeking knobs and weird sounds started up and never stopped.

5. Could you describe your current studio setup and what are you making music with?

I work with a proper weighted keys keyboard, a nord G2 modular, Laptop, mackie 12-02 mixer, Neumann tl-103 (it works amazing with my voice, I hesitated for weeks and decided to treat myself after singing my ass off 6 nights a week for 3 months in a bar-club in Beijing summer 2007), xylophone, different percussions and noise makers (toys or casio vl-tone or crackle box..).

I do quite some field-recordings, noises that I process and incorporate in my music. I also record often guitars, especially with lots of effects pedals. I love working with layers.
I used to work with cubase for years (I started with it 13 years ago) and I just recently switched to logic. I’m very happy about it. I use ableton live for my concerts but I can’t stand the stereotyped sound people end up with when they mainly make music with.

6. What have you been working on at the moment?

We’ve locked ourselves with my boyfriend Bruno Pronsato last winter and just finished an ep for our new project ‘Public Lover’. It’s beautiful and resolutely low-fi. Which is definitely a breath of fresh air in this over-digitalised and anybody-can-do-it era. Album is on its way.
I’m back to practising my voice every day. i’m starting to get back to shape with training it 1h a day.
I also slowly started to work on my 2nd album. I don’t want to spend so many years on it like i did for my debut one. Its exciting and less scary than i thought so far. I just follow my heart.

7. What are you promoting and what gigs do you have coming up?

I recently promoted my album which was released beginning of this year and I am currenly promoting my latest ep ‘Feed me rainbows’ who was released last month on ‘thesongsays’.
I will play in the Schirn Kunshalle on the 1st of June. It’s an amazing art space…We play as Public Lover on the 12th of June in Washington and on the 13th in New York.
It’s the first time I will play in the States so I’m quite thrilled. And in Japan in august…which is one of my long time dreams. We also play at the Fresh festival in Galicia on 2nd of July.
And Watergate in Berlin later that month. I also play in July at the Van Gogh Museum. I love working with museums. At the Van Gogh, I work out a performance around a theme. This time it’s Shakespeare. So inspiring!

8. Are you dj-ing or do you play live music?

I play live music (laptop/analog machines/keyboards and sing). It’s more exciting for me to come up on stage and do my own thing from beginning to the end.
I think I’m quite blessed to be able to sing and play keyboard and incorporate that into a live electronic set. I’ve been working since january on my new techno live-set, played already few times and it’s going nice.

9. Your highlight and lowlight of 2009?

Meeting my boyfriend in january 2009, we were playing together at a party in Bari. I have to say it was like a meeting of titans! I was very impressed by his live-set and felt immediately very inspired by him and we ended up jamming together. First premise of Public Lover.

My lowlight: Not releasing my album yet. Not going on a sunny holiday. (I need it once a year to fill up my batteries). And of course, if I can add more lowlights, all those earth disasters lately which should remind all of us that we should try to learn better how to live in harmony with mother earth…

10. What was your favourite track in 2009 and what is you favourite track this year so far?

Grizzly bear: Cheerleader. Or Ready, able. No, Cheerleader. Tough question!
This year: Hmm..That’s a very difficult one…there are already so many gorgeous tracks out im addicted to!
Probably Atlas sound: Walkabout. I feel like I can conquer the word when I listen to it. One of the most uplifting tracks I’ve heard recently.

11. What do you like to do in your spare time away from the music?

Walking with my headphones, watching movies, meeting my friends, getting drunk with them, reading poetry, cooking while having a nice glass of wine and adoring my boyfriend.

12. What are one thing that Ninca Leece is and three things she is not?

A fountain of emotions.
Three things she is not: bored / coward / arrogant (I hate that especially in the music business filled with assholes).

13. What are you most proud of?

My debut album. Though there are so many things I would have already done differently. But it was important to release this collection of tracks and get done with it to move on to the next musical chapter in my life.

14. What would you like to forget?

The recent death of my close italian girlfriend and how fast time is passing by.

15. Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?

As close as possible to the stars.
Happily living and getting older with my man and my kid(s), making music without pressure nor politics, singing a couple of hours every day, playing piano, writing more film music, all this close to nature, in a sunny place. Doesn’t have to be in Europe.
And if it was close to the sea (where I’m from originally), even better.

Author: Antonio Di Gioia Published: 05 June 2010