Lil’ Tone on Brussels, Assassins, and Eating Wild Boar
Lil’ Tone is a French British multi-instrumentalist who fuses elements of psychedelia, hauntology, lo-fi rock & sonic fiction. His song `Black Rose’ by Lil Tone and the Unknowns was featured on podcast #37. It nearly made Johnny P weep with joy on his birthday.
My favorite thing to wear onstage:
My Monte Paradiso T-shirt. Last summer I was living in Pula, Croatia and went to the 26th Monte Paradiso Punk & Hardcore Festival that takes place in the Rojc cultural center, formerly a military casern back in the days of Yugoslavia. The t-shirt’s became a kinda good luck charm, that reminds me of those awesome vibes. When I’m down, I think a lot about that special energy I felt and created over there.
the shirt
the festival
The last musical instrument or musical-performance-related item that I bought and loved was:
Korg Electribe 2. It’s key to my solo shows & it fits in my backpack. Ideal for gigs abroad !
Described by one user as ‘Almost the perfect groovebox !’
The musical instrument or musical-performance-related item that I really really really want is:
A nice fucking studio. I’ve got a lot of instruments at home as it is, but I’d love to build/improvise someday a studio with a nice acoustics.
Something I wish I’d known before joining/starting a band:
Don’t think twice, just do it. Live fast, but don’t die young.
I live in Brussels, Belgium. I moved here 20 years ago with my family. It’s taking time for me to think so, but it’s a place I can really call home.
A city with street art is a good city.
The general vibe of Brussels is: a messy hell (and that’s how I like it)
The best place to play music here is:
Le Moerasque. It’s a park on the outskirts of Brussels that’s fairly close to my house and that few people in Brussels have ever heard of. I have my loner moments and nothing beats playing a guitar out in the open like that.
The best place to SEE music here is:
Barlok. Underground music only. It’s on its last legs and will apparently shut down soon, but I like that it’s been a home for so many people these last few years. Hopefully they’ll find a new venue !
Barlok. Groovy!
My favorite local band (aside from my own)
Bear Bones Lay Low. We’ve been friends since our teens. He makes great music and as a person he’s a friendly reminder to give no fucks, to enjoy yourself, and to never stop making music.
I collect cassettes.
It’s my way of supporting (local) bands and a way to briefly avoid computers.
In my fridge you’ll always find:
Beer
why
Belgium !
The last music I downloaded was:
Keel Her. She sent me a pre-release of her new album (and it’s awesome), shhhhhh !
In my heart I wish I was:
The stealthiest assassin there ever was. World leaders have been fucking up this world
My personal analysis of the current state of the music industry is:
I feed my passion, but my passion can’t feed me.
The best place to eat breakfast in my city is:
Turkish omelet at Emirdag Koftecisi. It’s close by, cheap, reminds me of Istanbul where my brother lives
My favorite websites or apps are:
Currently I’m switching between NTS, 6Music, Radio Panik, Radio Maestral, TapeOp, The Guardian, Reddit Jokes
[editor’s note: definitely click on those first five links. They will make you wish there were a million hours in the day.]
When people come to visit me, particularly if those people are cooler than I am, I take them to:
No plans, but we will return victorious
why
Euuuuh people who come to visit me will be treated equally. Fuck being cool, just stay true to who you are (that’s why I like you!). [editor’s note: hey!]
Favorite seasonal beverage:
My new favorite drink (for any season) is a corretto, istrian style. It’s coffee with mistletoe rakija. A close second for the summer is a Ginlet, gin with cucumber
The Italian word corretto corresponds to the English word ‘correct’ in the sense of ‘corrected’.
The last meal that truly impressed me was:
Wild boar in Chimay bleue brown beer sauce, marinated over a whole afternoon. One of the best meals I’ve ever had, a fantastic night out in the Belgian countryside with good friends, we cooked the poor three legged bastard !
In the Ardenne countryside, Lil Tone stumbled upon this boar statue, which he felt had been placed to honor to the fallen one they had for dinner
Tell us about your past/present/future in music:
In 2016, I started making music as Lil’ Tone, recording and performing either as a solo synth act, with a folk rock band or in spontaneous acts. In the early months of 2018, I started digging through tape sessions from when I started writing songs, roughly ten years ago. And what I found was a whole trunk of dizzy memories, and a lot of fooling around with my family and friends. It’s not always great music, but it’s not bad either. To me, it feels larger than that. Hearing something from long ago that’s raw, wild, unpolished, feels really rejuvenating and I’m happy to now have these old rags by my side again.
2019 will be no different. I’ve got a lotta music ready to release but the big one this year will be a synthpunk album, that features songs I regularly plat in sets and that explores themes such as pulp horror, lost futures, the collective unconscious & other blurred oddities. I’m hoping to play as many gigs as possible, touring in as many cities in and outside of Belgium as I can, meeting familiar faces and greeting new ones on the way.
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