March 2017 vandala magazine

Japanese illustrator. Our visuals on this record are very much inspired by his form.

We've been traveling to Japan two times.

We played in a temple. It was a really strong, spiritual thing. It's a different world, y'know? Everything that transports me to a different reality than the one I know is inspiring. I'm always looking for something more.

How did that show come together? Were some monks big fans of yours?

Neige: I don't know how it exactly happened, but I know these places used to have shows, maybe one show per month, and we were lucky enough to be part of this. It was probably the best experience we've had with this band.

That's beautiful.

Neige: Yeah.

You said you feel an affinity with the character San in Mononoke, right?

Neige: Yeah, the female character.

Do you feel like - I'm not quite sure how to phrase this - that the problem in nature is the human species itself or maybe just something wrong in our psychologies?

Neige: I'm not the misanthropic type; I love people, just in general, you know? I love to speak with people. I'm really not like "Oh, we are a plague on this planet" and this stuff.

It's more complex than that. We are not way better than any other species, but we are not absolute crap either; we are making very beautiful things. The problem is that we all want different things. Some people just care about money and some other people are much more advanced. I also believe in this idea of the age of a soul; some people are very young, and some people are very old. I think we are here to learn things and we come back or maybe go somewhere else over and over to learn things. Some people just need a few more lessons. For me, I am my biggest enemy. I always focus on the flaws, and I'm always trying to be a better person. We all have a dark side and bright side.

I just found that connection between you and San interesting, because her character is very warlike, whereas you strike me as much more reasonable fellow Well, that's the context of the movie, I guess; she's at war with the human world.

What's interesting is she is human; she has just been raised by the animals in the forest, but she's a part of this human world. That's what makes her so interesting: she's not an animal; she's human, but she's not completely human either. She has both sides and she's a bit like the link in-between the two worlds. Also, I love strong female characters.

It's something that inspires me and helps me to connect with my own female side. Every guy has a female side, even the guy who says "Oh, no, I'm just like a dude." We all have something, and it's very interesting to explore this side when you have to make art, because it's a very different feel. www.alcest-music.com/ www.facebook.com/alcest.official March 2017 - VandalaMagazine.Com 25