San Fermin - Bulls and trumpets

Right after finishing university, Ellis Ludwig-Leone retreated to Banff, beneath the Rocky Mountains, to compose his debut as San Fermin, an album that places him in the footsteps of the great folk-pop composers of recent years, from Sufjan Stevens to Jim Guthrie.

Between New York understatement and naturalistic grandeur, “San Fermin” is already shaping up to be one of this year's revelations on the indie scene: here's the story.

You decided to retreat to a remote spot in Alberta to compose your first album. I imagine you're aware of the sheer amount of mythology that comes with that today. Did you need total isolation? Isn't it hard to conceive of an album with orchestral parts without an actual recording studio (assuming there wasn't one)?

The reason I went to Alberta actually comes from my mother; she'd gone there to paint for a few months when I was a kid. I visited once, and I remembered Banff as a truly lovely place. When I graduated, I had ideas for this record, and I figured that, being able to follow in my mother's footsteps, it would be a good starting point. I had a small studio up there, and there are plenty of classical musicians nearby, so I actually had all the resources I needed.

The music was definitely influenced by the place. Every day I'd eat my meals looking at the mountains, and I'd go for a walk practically every afternoon. There was an element of grandeur that came from the setting - it felt almost ridiculous to write a song and then go climb a mountain. It was definitely exhilarating.

When I got back to Brooklyn, that's when I started casting a critical eye over what I'd written, trying to distill it into something a bit more understated and sharp - “Sonsick” and “Crueler Kind” were actually written right after I got back to New York.

I try to piece together your name and the artwork with your music, but I can't quite make it fit. Can you help me out?

The name comes from the Festival of San Fermin, also known as the “running of the bulls”. There's something heroic in it that I like - it's completely ridiculous and over the top, but these people are trying to feel something, even if that means putting themselves in danger. That was kind of a starting point for me… The way we chase things that make us feel alive.

The strong dichotomy between “male” and “female” songs on the record is almost startling when you listen to it. I remember that the first time I heard “Sonsick”, I checked to see if Beyoncé's new single hadn't somehow ended up on my playlist! I mean that in a good way, of course. Was this sharp distinction clear from the very beginning?

Yes, the male/female interplay was built in from the start. I knew I wanted to move across different styles on this record, and having a male and a female singer allowed me a certain stylistic range between the songs. It also served the idea of their dialogue, which required them to live in very distant worlds in order to carry out their conversation.

Making the songs sparser was such a difficult process, at first. It went something like: how can I live without all those horns?! But then I realized it was actually a very good thing – I tend to overdo things, and it was useful to strip these songs down to discover their truly essential lines. And anyway we still play them live as an eight-piece, horns and strings included, so they keep that orchestral feel. I'd say "Renaissance!" is the closest to the record, mostly because it has all those instrumental solos.

"San Fermin" is a long, ambitious record, but I like that it's still built on intimate themes, on relationships between people (despite the Hemingway reference, granted). But aren't you tempted by a more "important" theme? Like an actual concept (or a series), something theatrical, for instance? Or maybe even an opera?

I'd love to write an opera someday, though I have to say I haven't put in the kind of time with that genre that I'd need to write something good. It's hard for me to imagine writing something as purely narrative as an opera, because when I listen to music the lyrics are usually the last thing I pay attention to, so it would be hard to prioritize words enough to put together a coherent plot. But if the opportunity came up, it would be hard to say no!

I loved the record, even though stylistically it feels more like a blend of several major artists of recent years than a personal expression of your own (which of course does come through in every other aspect). Am I wrong, and by how much?

There are a lot of very clear influences on the record, mostly because, since this is my first album, I was trying to vary the stylistic palette a lot, and I was drawing on my favorite artists in an effort to cover as much ground as possible, to try to figure out where my own sound could fit in. My hope is that, despite all the influences, the record creates a world of its own. It's like a big room full of furniture… A trumpet solo over here, a female pop song over there, a male folk song somewhere else. The challenge was making a record where all this wildly different stuff comes together under one unifying logic.

What are your touring plans, especially when it comes to Europe and Italy? If you could choose, would you rather play clubs or theaters?

Right now we definitely prefer more "conventional" venues. The energy of a crowd standing up is palpable, and it helps you play with more energy and conviction, whereas a seated audience can sometimes feel impenetrable – you can't tell how much, or whether, they're enjoying it. Right now we're on tour in Europe – the UK and Paris. We'll be out until November 13th (the record comes out on the 11th) and after that we don't know. I'm pretty sure we'll be back in the spring… I certainly hope so! Europe has been amazing so far.

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