"Excess Of Empathy", the amazing album of The Long Escape !

Interview conducted by Doc'



Date : October 10th 2008 by email

Radio Metal : Can you present The Long Escape to all of the people that don’t know you and clarify your musical background?

Kimo : The Long Escape is a musical project that channels my emotions and that lets me express my emotions. It is also a loophole to the modern society’s gloom and everything that is going wrong in it. By creating this project I wanted to create an escape perspective. For me, music is some sort of hiding place where my mind can rest and where my emotions can express themselves. My main theme is the Universe as I am passionate about astronomy and everything that is linked to the study of cosmos. TLE is a bit like the imaginary friend I have never had… My first encounter with a guitar was when I was 9… I came upon an old shop window in Syria’s capital, Damas, and I saw a dusty acoustic guitar that I completely fell for. I am a total self-taught guitarist and I have played a few times on stage in Paris with a few bands until I created TLE in 2004.

You navigate in a rock/metal style that condenses different influences. With, for example, some occasional touches of acoustic music. Could one say that the 90s grunge wave is your principal influence?

Among others, but there are also bands such as Terstament, Therapy, Guano Apes, Queensryche, etc. It is basically bands from the same era that inspired me. I think that in those days there was a real creative aura and boldness. I also think that we have worn out the style’s possibility, since 2000 we mostly hear rehashed music… I personally can’t hook up on a band like I used to… It’s a crisis, a crisis… There is also a touch of progressive music in TLE.

The first song of « Excess of Empathy », your 7 title album, is entitled “New Beginning”. One hears right away the influences that you mention on your MySpace (Faith No More on the first notes, Moonspell on some guitar parts and mostly A Perfect Circle for the elegant ballad side). How do you write your music? Isn’t it too hard for you to differentiate yourself from those bands?

I don’t write to differentiate myself from those bands, or my compositions would not be sincere. I just borrow the best in everything I listen to and add my personal touch… I don’t claim that I am some sort of revolutionary, or then I don’t do it on purpose!




You are the only one who writes the music of The Long Escape and your colleagues’ help you live. However, I guess that some of those musicians participated for the recording (for example the drums). Isn’t this situation difficult to live for them and for you?

Not really as I have always written alone. I inform them before, and then it’s up to them to decide. It is true that I impose a conduct line but I also take into account every musician’s style, it’s great. It is very important for me that those musicians like to play in TLE despite this conduct line; they do have their word in what we do as long as it is useful. I recorded the drums myself, inspired by the way my two previous drummers played. So actually, I did that alone!



You installed your own recording studio in your Parisian flat in 2004. How did you then record your songs? Four years have passed since the creation of the studio and your first gigs, it’s a long time!

Yes I know, don’t tell me that ! You know, I sometimes have the impression that I’ve installed a scientific lab and have been doing research for years… And over those four years, two of them were dedicated in installing my home studio and the genesis of the project (song writing, website, etc.). I spent the two other years finding the right stooges, that was the hardest part. 2009 should be (I hope) the year where things start for TLE. As I said before, I recorded everything in my studio that has very thick walls! I don’t (I don’t think) disturb any neighbors.

Over those 4 years, you have recorded nearly 160 songs ( ! ). Where does that inspiration come from? Did you already have the melodies in mind or did the things happen naturally, creativity leading to creativity?

People sometimes call me the « sponge ». I am someone that is very emotional and I can be touched by a lot of things. What’s particular with me, is as soon as I am inspired I picture the whole song from A to Z in one go. After, they might be some divergences between the melodies I have in mind and that I materialize as a musician… I also have my limits.




You say on your MySpace that you have signed with the label "Stars Upon My Lab", can you explain to us the approach of this label? Is it your own structure? Sometimes emerging artists don’t manage to find labels so they create one themselves…

Actually, it is our own label that will soon be totally restructured. As everyone knows, there is a crisis in the music industry. Very few labels sign unknown bands, we are then forced to create our own structure to promote ourselves a minimum or find a way to go on a reality show… This is also losing in popularity! I guess that it is an experience that we can’t avoid these days to show what we are really worth.

You have placed a legal downloading system on your MySpace. Is it successful? That choice is still quite rare. What is the main interest of putting such a system up according to you?

I must admit that it is not working very well because of companies such as Apple that swipe everything with iTunes. People don’t really trust other downloading platforms. However, I am seriously thinking about putting our music in free download. We’ll see…

Last question: have you gig dates planed? Your album "Excess Of Empathy" is a real success… that we can’t wait to see on stage!

Thanks! We have already done a few dates and we should have some more planned soon. We will keep you tuned!