Daily Times

French masterminds Florent Denecker and Victorien Mulliez have amassed international hits ‘Make it Right’, ‘Till the Sun Comes Up’ and ‘Brightest Light.’ As talented music producers and DJs, they plan to expand their empire beyond borders to influence crowds of people who savour good music. Haider Rifaat met FDVM to talk about their success story.

Introduce yourselves to our readers.

We are FDVM, the French duo. We have been performing in Pakistan for a week now and are so happy to be here! The energy is fantastic and we look forward to our future shows.

Let’s go back to the beginning. How did you both meet?

We met 10 years ago at a party and it has been a joyride since. We are best friends and have been traveling for a long time. Music is what unites us and it is our desire to spread love and happiness through our skills.

What kindled your passion for music?

It is a long story. I began performing and mixing music at 8 years for my parents because they are fond of music. My talent eventually grew for a larger audience at private parties. It was then that I met Florent and together we hosted bigger events. The journey took us to the next level as DJs to grow our audience as music producers.

Which international artists have you collaborated with so far?

We have worked with people from Chicago, Cape Town and France. We have been everywhere so it is difficult to keep track. We plan to team up with musicians from Pakistan. Flo and I performed a transition with 10 artists and we have merged traditional Pakistani folk songs with house music. We hope we have created something cool!

What is your music style?

I am appealed to anything that makes you smile. If music makes you smile and feel good, I am attracted to it. Good music uplifts you, be it of any genre. In our DJ sets, we transition from melodic, ethnic to more powerful house music while keeping the tunes light. By the end of our performance, everyone is in full swing and our job is done!

Which music genre(s) are you most drawn to?

Florent: Techno, French rap and pop.

Victorien: It is a broad variation of folk and funky music. I listen to tribal music from Africa too. I feel that the more we open up ourselves to music; we can find what we love as producers.

What instruments do you like to play?

We engage with many musicians who play different instruments. They bring their own creative energy to the table. As music producers, we really like the guitar, piano and brass instruments.

Are you planning new music?

We have remixes and a few original songs that we plan to release soon. One exciting project is that we are remastering and re-releasing our old track ‘Pale Sun Rose.’ It was the first song that got us  international recognition.

How do you cope with blunders on stage?

Mistakes are a part of life and we need to learn from them. It is rare but it happens. It is less about mixing and more about the vibe we create in bringing people together. That is what we truly care about and we hope to keep the vibe going.

As artists, can it be a conflict of interest to land on the same page? Where do you find common ground?

That is a good question! We learn to surrender and trust each other. Sometimes I am positive to pursue a mutual goal and vice versa but we make it work as a unit. We trust each other’s judgement. It is about understanding that yes, we have different tastes but we should find a common ground. Worst-case scenario: we will call our manager to sort things out (laughs).

Were your families supportive of your decision to pursue this line of work?

Florent: At the beginning, no but they are so happy for me now. When I called my father to tell him that I will be playing music all my life, he said, “Are you sure? Okay!” It was hard but everything is good today and he is really happy for me. He sends me texts every day.

Victorien: They were supportive of my career choice. Initially they doubted that we would succeed.

How do you strike a balance between work and personal obligations?

We are doing our best (laughs). It is a part of our life and we have immense support from everyone. Our families stand firm behind us. We spare some time to spend with our friends whilewe travel on tour and take time to rest in between shows. Music is our passion so for us, it is natural. It does not feel like work. Of course, we need to be professional but we love our job.

How was your experience performing in Pakistan?

Florent: It was my first experience there so I wasexcited to see everyone’s reaction. Many people know usbut it was time for me to get to know Pakistan!

Victorien: We love Pakistan. I was here in November for a private event. Everybody welcomed us with warmth and kindness. It was special!

Share your advice with a novice in music.

I believe the most powerful advice is to follow your heart; follow what you love and think is right for yourself. It is difficult to kick-start a career. Being a DJ is not about simply playing or producing music. It is managing finances, marketing and communication. If your passion is strong enough and you want to pursue music, do it! You need to take some risk and even if you fail, at least you tried. You will never know unless you explore the possibility. As I said earlier about committing mistakes on stage, it happens. We have all failed but through letdowns, we build ourselves and become stronger. We truly believe that we have good intentions in music and they are going to work their way to the world.

What would you like to say to the people of France in your native language French?

Merci du fond du cœur pour votresoutienen France. Merci avant tout à nosfamillesetnosamis qui nous encouragent sans cesse (From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all for your support in France. Thanks to our families and friends for constantly encouraging us.)