Name: High Season
Members: Chloé Thévenin, Ben Shemie

Nationality: Canadian
Current Release: High Season's The Call is out via Permanent Vacation.

If you enjoyed this High Season interview and would like to find out more about the duo's members and their music, visit Chloé Thévenin on Facebook and Ben Shemie on Instagram.



For many artists, a solitary phase of creative development precedes collaborative work. What was this like for you: How would you describe your own development as an artist and the transition towards your first collaborations?

Ben: I almost always compose my music, for whatever project I am working on, alone. I need that time to get the main idea out. Once I have it, I can share this with whoever I am working with.

With Chloé, either I would send an idea or she would send me something that would help generate this seed. From there it is a matter or cultivating the idea and developing it together.

Sometimes its hard to collaborate as it requires letting go of control - something I have always struggled with, even with my own band of 15 years. It requires you to be open and less precious.

Tell me a bit, about your current instruments and tools, please. In which way do they support creative exchange and collaborations with others? Are there obstacles and what are potential solutions towards making collaborations easier?

Ben: I use Ableton as my main DAW since it's fast and easy. Chloé uses it, too, so it's easy to share and we can mix and produce together without one person being at the controls the whole time.

As for hardware, its always changing and its boring.

Chloé: Ableton live is the main tool for recording hardware or digital synth softs and plugs. I have phases where I am digital only, working with lots of plugs to recreate some kind of depth and textures, and some other times I am recording hardware synths, drum machines, sounds etc putting them in some diverse pedals, trying stuff, sometimes without knowing where it’ll go.

I have the feeling we navigated between this kind of hardware and plugs with Ben, brought some elements separately and together, and turned some obstacles in some fun solutions.

What were some of your earliest collaborations? How do you look back on them with hindsight?

Ben: My main collaborations start with my band SUUNS. We produce and perform the music together and over the years the dynamics of this collaborations have changed. SUUNS collaborated on a record with the artist Jerusalem in my Heart, which was a very natural exchange.

Looking back it was easy, and I guess that’s the mark of a good collaboration - where it doesn’t really feel like work.

[Read our Jerusalem in my Heart interview]



Besides the aforementioned early collaborations, can you talk about one particular collaboration that was important for you? Why did it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?

Chloé: I have a collaboration with marimba player Vassilena Serafimova since 5 years. We released an album last year called Sequenza.

[Read our Vassilena Serafimova interview]

Originally, the collaboration was intended to be ephemeral, as it was intended for the french Variations series. At that time, I was finishing my solo album and in particular my track “The Dawn”, which was inching towards these marimba sounds.



We then played off a constantly coming and going improvisational game that allows to settle into repetitive, driving music.

The method of composing, working, finding new ways of operating has constantly evolved.Vassilena is quite open to experimentation, to make room for a partner. I guess this collaboration changed me from the performance perspective. In this acoustic / electronic live performance, I draw my musical materials from Vassilena's playing, adding loops, effects.

It's a collaboration that lifts me, helped me grow. I learnt it’s important to search to find easy ways to speak same level.



What are some of the things you learned from your collaborations over the years?

Ben: One thing is that through collabs, you are able to access ideas, sounds, ideas etc ... that you wouldn’t have alone. It adds a layer and some boundaries to work within.

Which is super useful. It makes the process a little easier.

How do you feel your sense of identity influences your collaborations? Do you feel as though you are able to express yourself more fully in solo mode or, conversely, through the interaction with other musicians? Are you “gaining” or “sacrificing” something in a collaboration?

Ben: Like I mentioned, collaborating requires letting go of part of yourself and making space.

I guess it depends on the person, or your personality. If it's a good collaboration you are most certainly gaining from the voice of another artist. You definitely sacrifice control, which is hard for some people.

Chloé: Yes, it’s a good personal exercise to create space for a partner. I was always surprised in a good way with Ben to see where we were going. I found every step of the process inspiring.

I guess I have to find my collaborator inspiring, too, to accept leaving space for them!

There are many potential models for collaboration, from live performances and jamming via producing in the same room together up to file sharing. Which of these do you prefer – and why?  

Ben: I always approach music from a live point of view. I cannot write something without envisioning how it would work on stage and as such, I shy away from ideas that would be impossible to play or reproduce.

I think live performance is the fruit of any collaboration. To me, it is the end goal. However getting there is a different thing, and I think being physically in the same room with someone is always more efficient and more natural.

Chloé: I  like this idea of jamming together and separately. I like this back and forth sometimes, but not as a rule.

This moment you’re alone is a time where you can also search for sounds, ideas. But it’s good to dive together too. It’s also more fun.

What tend to be the best collaborations in your opinion – those with artists you have a lot in common with or those where you have more differences? What happens when another musician take you outside of your comfort zone?

Ben: I think the best collaborative partners are simply people you get on with. It's the most fun, albeit, it doesn’t guarantee that it will be good.

But in terms of the best experience, yeah, I'd like to collaborate with people I like, and whose music I respect. If it’s natural, then its easier to let go and try something out of one's comfort zone. At the very least it will be a good time.

Do you need to have a good relationship with your collaborator? Or can there be a benefit to working with someone you may not get along with on a personal level?

Chloé: I need to feel secure with my collaborator, as we need to communicate to move forward. There are diverses processes, but it starts with a creative part and it should stay always fun, even it’s also work.

Everything needs to stay fluid as much as possible. Otherwise, I don’t see the point to collaborate, and somehow it will be felt in the music.

Some artists feel as though the creative process should not be a democratic one. What are your thoughts on the interaction with other musicians, the need for compromise and the decision making process?  

Ben: I don’t know anyone who thinks that way. Of course, there are band leaders, and there are hired musicians, and there are people who do the writing and other who interpret.

The dynamic of the creative process is different all the time. If I am hired to play guitar for someone’s record and they tell me what they want - it's cool that’s its ‘undemocratic’ or whatever - that’s the gig.

But to collaborate in the true sense with someone and have them just do as they're told, it’s not really a collaboration - it’s something else.

What's your take on cross-over collaborations between different genres?

Ben: Sure.

In a live situation, decisions between creatives often work without words. How does this process work – and how does it change your performance compared to a solo performance?

Chloé: Collaborating takes out of a confort zone. I find it good to move around. I’m making electronic music, I like to see what the sum of us can give another personification.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you as part of a collaboration? In which way is it different between your solo work and collaborations?

Ben: If I knew how to tap into the ideal state of mind, I'd be there all the time. I don’t think the creative process, on a fundamental level, is that much different.

Collaborating with one's heroes can be a thrill or a cause for panic. Do you have any practical experience with this and what was it like?

Ben: Not really, though I really admire Chloé.

Chloé : -)