A Short Chat seemed in place.
UniMuta: Hi Clémence,
When I read that Hopscotch would be performing at Zappanale, I had to take out my dictionary. “Hopscotch” can refer to the child’s game (‘Hinkelen’ in Flemish, ‘Hopfen’ in German), but it’s also the name of the programming app that teaches kids coding. I like both meanings (playful & structured). Is that what you had in mind? I assume that “The White Page” is the name of the program that you will be performing. Is this a little hint to say that the program also includes Frank Zappa compositions?
Clémence Manachère: Hey Peter, yes I chose the word Hopscotch because of the child's game.
The inspiration for the suite Hopscotch is the chamberworks from the architect Daniel Libeskind.
The chamberworks are a series of 28 drawings in which Libeskind searches the relations between music and architecture.
In those 28 drawings you can recognise 4 series of 7 drawings in which each drawing is unique but all drawings are made from the same graphic language.
That's why my suite will have 28 parts as well.
Until now I fully composed 14 parts and at the Zappanale we will play 7 parts taken from the first and second series. For me the chamberworks build a fascinating hybrid between architectonic drawing and contemporary music notation.
Since I discovered those drawings a year ago I can not stop thinking about it and trying to interpret it in more concrete music notation, and also experimenting it with my band, duo or quintet or whatever.
I think one thing that is very strong when you look at those drawings https://libeskind.com/work/chamber-works/ is that you can imagine many layers.
What I mostly see is a superposition of very well defined layers which are sometimes connected and sometimes not at all.
It's a very fine tension between precision and chaos, which interests me and which I would like to transpose into sounds.
It is one reason why I have two drummers in my band, because one drummer gives structure.
And if you want to hear a structure on a structure it opens possibilities to have two drummers.
It is then not only about having a loud band but more about playing with different beats at the same time.
The strings ( guitar and cello) also build a couple in the band, where one sounds similar to the other but is slightly different.
I like those mirroring games a lot.
Hopscotch is also, because each musician should be ready to jump from one part to the other part, to create different spontaneous superpositions of sounds, going from lines to textures.
The White Page is related to Zappa's Black Page, yes.
The idea of this title is to give a hand to Zappa's music that influenced me and inspired me, but also to propose something completely different.
From Zappa I listened to a lot of interviews and I always have been amazed by his extremely strong personality and articulated thought.
The music from him that I've heard the most are his albums with the ensemble modern, especially the yellow shark. It seems to me that Zappa could be 2 people at the same time, but still have a big integrity.
He's a very open-minded and strong spirit, and he didn't accept to be put in a box or to do what people expected him to do.
This I like a lot.
UniMuta: You did a concert in Hamburg on the 13th of July (at the ‘RoofDrop Bar at Villa Viva). Too bad that we will only be arriving in Hamburg on the 15th, but I’m glad we will be able to catch you twice at the Zappanale festival.
Are you familiar with the Zappanale festival?
Clémence Manachère: It will be my first time there (on the 18th).
UniMuta: I must admit that I checked the Hopscotch YouTube videos that you posted, and I loved what I heard. Not only are the Zappa pieces reworked and rearranged in an adventurous manner, the ‘Hopscotch’ suite sounded amazing as well.
How did you pick or come across the Zappa pieces?
Clémence Manachère: The first piece from Zappa that I picked is 'The Black Page' because I really listened to it a lot and studied it a lot.
I loved those abrupt switches of rhythmical subdivision. I like that it is at the same time brilliant, extremely dynamic and a bit weird.
There are sick lines in Zappa's orchestral work and it felt interesting to me to hear them not only once but to really build a loop with it, making them evolve with different textures and rhythms.
Lines are for me always a pretext to build a structure and a common vocabulary within the band.
UniMuta: I think it’s great that we will be able to see you both in an open air / main stage situation, and in a more intimate setting at the expo.
I also learned that you work with graphic artists Wittek and Bent Szameitat. How did that come about? Do they contribute during the concerts?
Clémence Manachère: I know Wittek and Bent for about 4 years now.
They already created comics and filmografie in the past which started during my gigs, but for a long time it was only something parallel.
At some point Andreas Lütje, our common friend by whom I got to know them, had the idea to connect us for this live-performance "white-page" tour.
Now, when there's a beamer available, it is possible to see Wittek's drawings evolving during the gig as well as Bent's filmografie which were made during the last months or years.
Wittek's comics are always full of surreal elements - Wittek is very strong to catch details and moods, and to invent elements that are connected to this mood.
Filmografie means a hybrid between film and photography - it is Bent's very personal thing.

UniMuta: Thank you very much, Clémence.
I’m more than curious to see and hear you live !
The Hopscotch ensemble will perform at the main stage on Friday at 18h00, and at the expo (in the centre of town) on Sunday, at 11h00 !
(And in Hamburg again on the 23rd of July.)