Anthony Favier, better known for his stage NTO, has been and is still to this day one of the most interesting melodic techno producer in the world. His first album, ‘Apnea’ has blown our mind and continues to do so with the release of recent remixes by Innellea, Sainte Vie and Rodriguez Jr. That is, of course, on top of interpretation by Paul Kalkbrenner and pianist Sofiane Pamart. We caught up with him ahead of one of the most exciting shows of his career, his headlining of the mythical Zénith in Paris, to chat about his perspective on the project, the collaborations he’s put together with ‘Apnea’ and more. Enjoy!

WWD: Bonjour Anthony! It’s a pleasure to have you for this interview. Last fall, you released your first full studio album ‘Apnea’. First of all, what’s the inspiration behind the title? 

Hi! Thanks for interviewing me! I’ve often been told that my music has an underwater, deep or aquatic quality. When I compose, I imagine myself in a bubble, immersed. The concept of the album ‘Apnea’ came from a meeting with Arthur Guerin, the Freediving World Champion. We talked a lot about music, diving – He introduced me to his sport and after this incredible experience, it seemed obvious to me that the album would be named after it.

WWD: In a past interview, you’ve said that an album should be difficult to produce, comparing it to climbing a mountain. What was the most difficult moment of this climb? How was it to finally achieve the top and looking back on your first album? 

I’ve always thought of the album as a recognition, a summary of everything I’ve created until now, with a certain maturity. So I felt pressure when I started to work on it  In the end,  the creative process was very fulfilling thanks to the amazing team I have, as much for the development stage as the creation itself.

I don’t think I have really “suffered” by making the album, on the contrary. I have come out of my comfort zone, had incredible collaborations, worked with so many artists I love… It was really cool! Actually, I can’t wait for the next one.

WWD: Through your various EP and single releases throughout your career spanning over 15 years, the stories you told through music were confined to the seven or eight minutes that the tracks lasted. How was the challenge to try and expand that concept to a succession of tracks? 

That’s actually the most exciting aspect of an album for me! Trying to tell a story, thinking about the track listing, letting yourself go on more experimental grounds… Usually, when you release single after single, the tracks have to meet all the ‘criteria’ at the same time. The album allows you a lot more freedom.

WWD: I also want to talk about the features on this album, from heavyweights such as Tricky, French 79 and Monolink. Considering you never included much lyrics in your work, how was it to have such powerful voices as Tricky and Monolink creating with you?

It was incredible and completely new for me.  It was a great experience to produce a track “around” a voice. I think of ‘Loving You Like Always’ for example – with the very husky and deep voice of Tricky and the very delicate and airy one of his singer Marta. I really enjoyed playing with the contrast of these two voices and adapting the production to these two different colours. For me,  a voice is a whole new instrument. A new texture I never had before in my music! I really enjoyed it and it’s definitely something I’ll do again.

WWD: Another thing to note is the stellar lineup of remixers. Paul Kalkbrenner, KAS:ST, Sainte Vie, Rodriguez Jr. and pianist Sofiane Pamart. Is there a remix amongst all of those that holds a special place in your heart?

I’m really happy about all the remixers I had the chance to work with! I have a special feeling with each one of them. If I had to choose, I think I would pick Paul’s remix. He’s clearly one of the producers who had the most influence on my music.

WWD: How was it to have him remix your song ‘Invisible’ and to hang out with him last year? 

Paul Kalkbrenner has always inspired me, and ten years later, one of my track inspires him. The loop is closed, and it’s amazing. The discussions with him and his team were super fluid and natural. He was really into shooting a music video for this track, a sort of spin off of the original music video, so we spent two chill days in Paris together, it was really cool. I think his remix of ‘Invisible’ is really dope! It reminds me of Paul K from before, very techno and melodic. So yeah, this remix holds a special place in my heart.

WWD: You’ve been very vocal in the past about the way you envision your music, crafting a story that you then transfuse into music. With this album however, you’ve put out many music videos for different tracks (Invisible, Petit Matin, Loving You Always, and Beyond Control). How was the process of putting these together? 

It has been really rewarding to work with different directors. As you say, I’ve always had some specific images of my songs in my head.  So the idea was to pass that vision on to the directors, and of course,  to let them have a lot of creative freedom around it as well. This often results in something that goes way beyond my basic vision and gives a whole new dimension to the song. I’ve always watched a lot of movies, so I felt like a little kid when I got the opportunity to step into this field, to see them working and to see a ‘real movie’ being created for my tracks.

WWD: And how was the acting experience for ‘Petit Matin’

I loved it. I felt like we were friends having a good time in an incredible location (the calanques of Marseille / South Of France). I typically don’t like to step into the spotlight but the way this was set up made me very comfortable. This track is really representative of the Apnea universe. We thought it was cool to use it to explain the concept, introduce Arthur Guerin and reveal the identity of the album !

WWD: On April 2nd, you will headline Le Zénith de Paris. How is it for you to prepare for such an iconic venue? Anything special we can expect from this performance? Is there anything different with your live-show with the album?

It’s a whole new experience I’ve been dreaming about to bring my tracks to life on stage for years! Again, I had a lot of images and ideas in my head. I really enjoyed working with the Live Designer Jordan Magnée. He thought of an idea that really matches the album and my universe. It’s graphic, dynamic, striking!  There is a structure, video, lights, and I’m so happy about the result, it’s really powerful! The tour has started, my first Zenith is coming up really soon…I can’t wait! I’m bubbling with excitement.

WWD: Thank you very much for answering these questions Anthony! Anything else coming up aside from the European tour? 

My pleasure, and thank you for the questions, it was very cool! In addition to tour I also have several international dates: in the US, Australia, Turkey, South America, Canada…so it’s going to be a very busy and exciting year! There are also huge remix proposals in discussion and I’m working on some new prods.

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