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Shifting With
Malted Milk
James Brown is dead and chilling out in Nantes, France Our last edition “European Idols” got us revved up to get out there and meet those making a mark on their local scene. On the road, we came across Malted Milk, a young soul-blues group from Nantes whose 3rd album “Sweet Soul Blues” has already brought more than one music fan out of the torpor of winter, whether along the banks of the Loire or elsewhere. INTERVIEW BY LAURENT VAN BRUSSEL Our passion for this artist was such that we chose one of his numbers for the name of our group. 12 years already…! People are only just getting to know you. Looking back, how would you sum up the last 12 years? 12 years of musical and human adventures. Several musicians have been part of the group since the outset. Essentially a traditional blues group to begin with, Malted Milk has gradually become a group blending influences from American Black music (blues, soul, funk, gospel, etc.). Albert King, Syl Johnson, Al Green, Freddie King, Sly and the family Stone... All your influences are American. What about inspiration from the French and European blues scene, in as much as we can say European blues exists in its own right? Why “Malted Milk”? Why not “Lait malté”? Malted Milk is a group that has sung in English since the beginning. Our passion for American Black music is such that we don’t see ourselves singing in French for the moment. French is a wonderful language, no question. But it’s up to us to find an original way of using it. The soporific properties of beverages are generally praised... This is quite the opposite with your music, isn’t it? In fact, our name finds its origin in a song by Robert Johnson, a famous blues artist from the 30s who some say sold his soul to the devil.
I think there are a lot of groups who can give American artists a run for their money, whether in France or other European countries. But I also think that Europeans need to find their own style without necessarily cloning what we hear in the USA. We also have our own culture. We shouldn’t forget this. Your influences are also relatively unknown among the wider public. When we say “blues” or “soul”, people think about “James Brown” or “Ray Charles”. We have this image of an old, Black American, forehead glistening with sweat, playing the guitar or sax like a God. We inevitably think of the 30s, 50s and 60s. “Malted Milk” is really the total opposite, “a young group of White