Rohn-Lederman interview: ‘A project where everything can happen and does’
Rohn-Lederman
Rohn-Lederman began in 2019, when Jean-Marc Lederman (known for his work with The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Lederman/De Meyer, among others) invited Emileigh Rohn (of Chiasm) to contribute vocals to his album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”. Their collaboration sparked a creative connection, and—further encouraged by the global lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic—they launched a joint project under the simple yet fitting name Rohn-Lederman. Now, four years later, the Belgian-American duo has released their fifth album, “Forbidden Planet”, on Jean-Marc’s own label, Les Disques De La Pantoufle. Undoubtedly their most adventurous work to date, the album sees them freely exploring new sonic territory. The tone is darker, yet the experimentation remains surprisingly accessible, delivering a set of powerful and compelling tracks Electro songs. In my opinion, this is their most creative and accomplished release so far—one that naturally led me to reach out and ask them a few questions. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Your newest album, “Forbidden Planet”, has a distinctive atmosphere. How did this project come to life, and in what ways did the production process evolve compared to your previous releases?
Jean-Marc: We had grown quite comfortable (too comfortable?) with our usual software based musical set-up and wanted to introduce something that would oblige us to reconsider our process. And at that time I had decided to go back to my roots which were working with early analog synthesizers and analog sequencers. So, we thought, hey, this can be fun. And omg, it was a brutal change.
From being able to modify anything on the spot or call an entire song back within seconds to having to painfully record track per track and have absolutely no means to go back to either the sequence or the sounds, we were indeed in a different world. And the process was very slow and very definitive: we started to work with songs that basically were the Modulatron (my modular setup made of analog only modules) recorded live and Emileigh would record her lines on very raw and rough material we couldn’t really, nor wanted to, change.
Emileigh: I think our process has evolved over the last several albums in part because of our comfort level with each other expanding, but also the level of honesty in our music overall that we’re willing to expose. “Forbidden Planet” in particular had a more abrasive instrumental starting point, so it allowed me to be inspired by a more primal instinct and the ability to express that, knowing it would probably turn out really interesting in the end!
Q: So I understand this album presented significant challenges, particularly in the way the analog parts were recorded. What drives your willingness to take creative risks, and to what extent does the final result surprise even you?
Jean-Marc:Usually, I always send a skeleton track to Emileigh, a 3 mins something which has verses and chorus but no arrangement or heavy production. And when Emileigh sings and sends me stems and lyrics, it gives me new ideas and, more time than not, the song below Emileigh moves. Sometimes very deeply and it’s a new song, sometimes it’s just production and arrangements but basically, when the song comes back with Emileigh voice(s), it’s all bound to be destroyed and entirely reshaped.
If the end results doesn’t surprise me, it means it’s not good enough and it needs to go back to the drawing board.
Q: The title “Forbidden Planet” evokes a wide range of interpretations and fantasies. What’s the real story behind it? How do the lyrics, which often feel deeply personal, connect with this theme? Some passages come across as particularly dark and even hopeless so was that intentional?
Emileigh: Dark and Hopeless!!:) It’s true that the lyrics are personal, and I find my purpose in allowing myself to observe and report my daily life through my songs. This platform is truly the only place that allows me to show that side of myself, which often is just full of more reality than most want to take in. I actually find freedom in it, and I think there’re listeners that find some comradery and hope through hearing it too. I sing the songs I want to hear and find joy in many things yet need to inherently show I’m a witness to our world, so there it is.
Q: The album’s darkness is not only present in the lyrics but also in the music itself. It feels like your sound has progressively become even darker over time. Is this a deliberate choice, or more of a natural evolution? What inspired the mood and themes of this record?
Jean-Marc: The roughness of the Modulatron pushed me in a direction that was more abrasive. And in recent years I have found out that one of the real musical challenge for me was to have a harsher and darker sound. I can make whimsical but can I make hard beats? So, it is deliberate, I’m pushing myself.
Emileigh:I can admit for sure that for the previous albums, the skeletons Jean-Marc sent me were more pleasant and beautiful and possibly intended for a wider audience, so my writing aim was there. I know that we have the talent and even completed the task of creating some incredible music for acceptance, but inside of us we both have had that underground angst that wanted something more raw to be heard. I’m from Michigan, and am going to go ahead and quote a great film, “Escanaba In Da Moonlight”, and say, ‘When you don’t know where to start, go back to the beginning’! So that’s what we did, inspired well by Jean-Marc’s beginning with the actual start of synth ingenuity to be found in the Modulatron.
Q: “Forbidden Planet” marks the fifth album from Rohn-Lederman. At this point, your collaboration feels almost like that of an ‘old couple,’ yet the chemistry remains strong. What makes you such a complementary duo—especially considering that you’ve never physically worked together in a studio? What qualities & aspects do you most admire in each other?
Jean-Marc: I think we both are open to whatever musical experiments, we are ready to try new ways and new sounds and we complement each other well in how open minded we are about exposing ourselves in music.
I admire Emileigh’s total commitment to try new things.
Emileigh: I love how we’re like an old musical couple when we just met about 6 years ago, but I suppose that’s what a Covid-19 lockdown and the political climate does to people! I think we’ve been through a lot both musically and globally together, and Jean-Marc’s persistence that music is what we’re here for has motivated me not only for our work together, but for Chiasm as well. We’ve learned that our ingenuity is something we need to express and that we are the right people to leave that legacy behind.
Q: Both of you are involved in various other musical projects. What sets this collaboration apart? What can you express through Rohn-Lederman that you can’t in your other work?
Emileigh: I know that I can be absolutely as wild as possible in what I desire to write or sing or record! I am so grateful and happy to have this venue to share myself and truly be part of this!
Jean-Marc: Rohn-Lederman is a project where everything can happen and does. We went from whimsical music on “Venus Chariot” to RAGE! where more guitars and anger came and showed up. Then there was “Black And Bleu” were Mister Dark lives next door to Mister Calm. And now this which is more Experimental.
Rohn-Lederman is like a swimming pool where you are not blocked by any lanes.
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