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Soysoy's history
Opening the windows
Before forming Soysoy, Cécile
and Franck were respectively singer-guitarist
and drummer with White Lie, a rock band whose music combined
power and spine-chilling moods. They made quite a name for themselves
on the belgian rock scene, but sadly they split up at the end of
1999. A more ambitious project saw the day as Cécile and
Franck decided to explore different sides of their musical personalities,
and to escape the boundaries of rock..
The two fellows already had a firm musical background, having been part of many projects in various styles (see biographies).
Being both very found of incantatory-type traditional music, of pagan music, baroque music and off-beat artists such as Kate Bush, Stina Nordenstam or Blonde Redhead, they granted themselves the time to explore their voices and instruments under a more open sky. Franck eventually switched back from drums to bass guitar (instrument he had already played for quite some time and with several bands).
Able babble
The new unbound creative approach to composition, and the emphasis put on inner emotions both musically and lyrics-wise, brought surprising results right from the start.
A special alchemy began to emerge from the dialogue between Cécile's guitar and Franck's 5-string bass when exchanging carefully crafted arpeggios. A melodic and mysterious texture, still present today in some recent songs such as 'Home', pathed the way towards what would become Soysoy's trademark during its existence as a duo (most relevant examples being Pinchbeck mind & Outward bound).
At the same time, another type of alchemy saw the day, that of both musicians singing together.
Free from rock's clichés, Cécile's voice found a cocoon in which she would transform into a sensitive and delicate instrument, still as powerful, but in turns ethereal or incantatory. This distinctive way of singing soon had her compared to Lisa Gerrard (gosh! Can one dream of a more flattering vocal comparison?).
Franck also seized the opportunity to develop a vocal style which he adored, derived from singing techniques from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. It turned out that it matched, unexpectedly and perfectly, Cécile's new vocal style.
Undoubtedly, something was happening...
They decided to make their project official and Soysoy was born.
They chose the word 'soy' because they liked its exotic sound, which
reflected their project's eclectic spirit, free of boundaries. This
choice has no other 'hidden' meaning whatsoever (for the record ;)).
A hot cold start
At an early age, when Soysoy was still looking for their identity, they gave a few live performances, accompanied by electronic drums, for an intimate circle of friends (youth club 'Le Gué', among others). They received a warm welcome.
Although reluctant to appear on a proper stage because of their lack of experience together, Franck and Cécile agreed to play as a support act to Marka. Later they played at 'Les Fêtes de la musique', with artists such as Daniel Hélin, Mud Flow and Leiluna.
Even though they were still lookin for a direction and they did not feel they had the hang of things, their limited repertoire earned them very positive reactions from the audience. So they began to search for a drummer in order to add more consistency to the project.
It turns out that this was not to be the best option...
Drumsticks'n stones
After auditioning 10 different drummers, Soysoy felt like they were wasting their time. Their love of songwriting, arranging, exploring and moving forward was stronger, so they decided to postpone the search for the perfect treasure.
Cécile and Franck put all their efforts into the recording of a demo, coping as well as they could with the lack of drums by using an electronic drumkit, like when they started to play live. 'After all, it's only a demo'..
One track leads to another
Soysoy turned out so enthusiastic with their recordings that it opened new paths. What was to be just a demo became, little by little, a real album project... Cécile and Franck allowed themselves enough time to make what was going to become neither an album nor a demo, too short for the former and too accomplished for the latter: Six teaspoons of eiran cari'.
'The Six Teaspoons...' mini-LP was finished in 2002. Its success was truly unexpected since the band's ambition was only to give an idea of their evolving musical world.
A jammed engine
(or Drumsticks'n stones, the return)
After some rest and the creation of a basic website, in the course of the springtime of 2002, Cécile and Franck resumed their search for a drummer. The numerous auditions and trials proved to be exhausting and the end result disapointing. Wrong direction... and lost time: for almost a year, between the Summer of 2002 and the Autumn of 2003, Soysoy only played live once, with excellent drummer Sylvain Godenne. Unfortunately, because of his unavailability, Sylvain was not to remain a member of the band.
Oh, darn it!!
Tired of these 'misfortunes in drummerland', Cécile and Franck decided to give up the 'guitar-bass-drums' formula. Soysoy opted for electronic drums, but this time not just as a 'crutch' but as a fully-fledged instrument. Nevermind! If Soysoy is meant to have a drummer, it is because he/she will have spontaneously contacted the band, seduced by its musical universe!
Moreover, Cécile and Franck were planning to give more consistency
to their sound and this required an additional musician...
And then they were three.
And then they were three
Sébastien Lhoest, keyboard player and songwriter, joins the band in August 2003 and things click immediately.
Thanks to a broader sound palette, our three sorcerers begin to prepare potions full of emotions and creativity. Cécile added a violin string to her bow, multiple traditional music characteristics emerged, electronic programming gave a solid base to their sound architecture, keyboards added atmosphere to the choir... Soysoy found its balance.
In less than two months, the freshly formed trio was ready to hit the stage for a first gig. The effect was amazing: playing together was a genuine pleasure and the audience had tiny stars in their eyes...
A well-oiled engine
Eventually, gigs followed one another.
In 2004, the trio played live several times on pop, rock and dark stages (see agenda-archives). They also performed at private events and won the hearts of audiences outside the pop/rock scene.
At the same time, theme evenings called 'Les Soirées Nébuleuses' were organised by Soysoy. These included the band plus guest artists working in a similar vein, i.e. that of traditional music or dance from Eastern countries or from Northern Europe.
Cécile was invited several times to add her singing to The Luc Pilartz ensemble.
She formed Adieu Les Guêpes with Elisabet Brouillard (diatonic accordion). She also pursued her work with 'homemade' acoustic quartet Fifrelin.
The black box reveals its secrets
Soysoy usually record their gigs in order to assess their work, the quality of the mix and to improve their playing.
Following their acclaimed performance at Le Botanique on April 3rd 2004 (when supporting Collection d'Arnell-Andréa at leFantastiqueNight VII), their recordings came out of their box to form a live album entitled 'Six pinches of stage flavour'.
In addition to the material recorded at Le Botanique, two extra tracks taken from their February gig at La Nuit Détend (it has unfortunately closed its doors since) were added. A bonus track called 'Paradiso' was recorded especially for the album.
Please sign, but do not read the small print!
Following a call from German label Dark Wings in April 2004, the trio very happily travelled to Berlin to meet the team and discuss how they might be able to work together.
After what seemed like encouraging talks, it turned out that the actual contracts were very incompatible with a small, indie label, their policy being similar to that of a major record company: no artistic freedom, numerous obligations, deceitful clauses, much too long-term binding commitment, no promotion guarantees, too short production deadlines, unfair production conditions... what the...?
The trio made some attempts at negotiating, but were faced with Dark Wings's contempt. So Soysoy turned their backs on the matter and pursued their way, remaining unruffled.
Where do we go from here?
So up to this day, Soysoy remains a 'homemade' project, with no strings attached, until the band may find a true alternative record label to work with. Steps are under way, but the trio does not deem this as required procedure. Artistic freedom at the service of songwriting is what matters most. Much to their own pleasure and to the public's.
Soysoy
completed their third self-produced album in may 2006, "Liquid".
This full-featured album has been locally released by independant
label LI MOHE MUSIC. Discussions with several labels are on their
way for possible european distribution.
Read also: Style & influences