Electronica Music Tip: Claeysen

Whenever I feel like it, A.S. Swanski gives you a personal electronica music tip. This time it’s Claeysen. It’s the artist name of a Parisian citizen, Florence Ranalter, who sings, plays and produces her own songs. And these songs are…. well, what should I say…. dramatic, obsessive, disturbing, theatrical and almost dangerously erotic.

Frankly, I don’t know much about Florence Ranalter. Her Facebook page mentions George Orwell, Marcel Pagnol and Molière as literary favorites. Among the musicians she apparently listens to are names like Madonna, Björk, Jay-Z, Depeche Mode, Serge Gainsbourg and Mylène Farmer. Films she likes are among others Pulp Fiction, The Mothman Prophecies and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She is interested in existentialism, painting, dance, nature and family. She could almost be you.

But her music is something you and I can’t make. She’s an exceptional singer and gifted producer and deserves a place in the limelight. In the few years she has been producing electronica music under the Claeysen banner, she has released over 20 tracks that can be listened to on her ReverbNation page. My personal favorite is Secret Lover (Red Angel) but most of her other stuff is equally exciting.

It’s usually pretty dark music with loud, pumping beats, noisy synth lines with lots of reverb and vocals that sound operettic, angry, desperate … and all this often in one and the same song. There’s a lot of sex in her music, but rarely of the romantic type. Lustful is a better word. Watch her Kiss Me, I’m Bored video and you see what I mean.

Claeysen’s restless and disoriented music seems to be designed to drive a few demons out, preferably within a 5-minute time frame. It’s the opposite of easy listening and rarely suitable for dance floors, yet electronica music as I like it best. Claeysen is simply an incredible talent. Get the word out!