“Each country has a specific sound, a musical identity. It is like a melodic journal.” This is how Thomas and Julien, creators of the ‘A Day In’ series and the minds behind Parallelle describe their work. And indeed, it is an enchanting journal. They interweave the ambient noise of their chosen cities with the local musical culture, spinning a melodic tale that reflects the core of each location they explore.
Their latest installment takes us to Bangkok, a bustling metropolis famed for its lively street life, cultural landmarks, and unique soundtrack. The Amsterdam based brothers were mesmerized by the traditional Thai instruments, the peaceful, humble energy of the local Buddhist monks, and the irresistible appeal of Thai cuisine, all of which find their way into their music. Each ‘A Day In’ episode becomes more than a song or a video – it’s a homage to the cultural and auditory diversity of our world. It’s a vibrant journey that dives deep into diversity and yet, intriguingly, fits perfectly on the dance floor.
Beyond their work, Thomas and Julien harbor a deeply rooted philosophy that resonates through their music and interviews. They advocate for the importance of listening, engaging with the local community, and promoting contemplation. By capturing the essence of the cities they visit, they aim to foster a sense of connection and understanding among their listeners. “The most significant thing in life is to have a purpose, a reason to greet each day with a smile and engage in something that brings you joy,” Julien states, a sentiment with which we can only agree.
In our interview, they delve into their upcoming mini LP, poised to provide listeners with an extended dance floor rendition of the video soundtracks. In addition to this, they also share insights on their creative process, recount some unforgettable experiences from their travels, and the importance of balance.
photography by Lily Rault
Music by Parallelle featuring artist duo nisatiwa
Film Directed by Arnaud Moro
In collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy
Hello Julien and Thomas! It’s wonderful to have you with us. Could you tell us about the inspiration behind the ‘A Day In’ series? What initially sparked the idea for this project?
It started with our first album “A Day At” where we translate working places into pieces of music. Since then, our music has made us travel around the world and got influenced by world culture. It led us to push the project further to “A Day In”, where we immerse ourselves in diverse cultures and cities around the world, capturing sounds from their day-to-day life and unfolding their story musically.
The expedition around the globe has definitely broadened our musical openness. Each country has a specific sound, a musical identity. It is like a melodic journal. This is for us the most interesting and inspirational aspect of music as it has brought us to work together with musicians from different backgrounds, cultures, such as Maalem Omar Hayat in Gnawa music (Morocco), El Venado Azul in Huichol music (Mexico), Páll Guðmundsson who crafted instruments out of native rock in Iceland, to name a few.
When producing the series, how did you select the countries and cultures to highlight?
We have callings from several cultures that have inspired us in the past, mostly due to their uniqueness, their landscape, their people. One golden rule is we need to have local friends and good connections in order for us to dive into their day-to-day routine, and get introduced to the essence of the city and really feel like a local. This project is not solely about the musical culture of a city, but its entire soundscape. Some countries have such a specific sound, a specific rhythm, that we are super excited to dive into. Another aspect of choice is the macro vision of this series which is to showcase the diversity of the world, so we are picking countries in all different continents, from Europe to Africa, to Asia/Pacific to North America. We are still missing a few areas that we cannot wait to discover.
You’ve mentioned that the ‘A Day In’ project is not just about creating music but about creating an experience. In an age of constant availability, what, in your opinion, defines a truly immersive and memorable experience?
The videos take you into a sensory experience through your 5 senses. As you are paying attention to your surroundings, you start feeling everything and that takes you to the present moment. This immersion takes you away from your chair for the duration of the video and makes you walk in the city. In that sense, it makes you travel, makes you curious, it makes you forget where you are, and fully immerses you into a new culture in a playful way. At least that is the goal.
“We aim to engender a sense of connectivity and comprehension among our listeners.”
And what do you hope audiences take away from the experience?
We want to showcase the beauty of our earth and its occupants and the importance of being present and engaging with our surroundings. Music and sound are great tools to do it, as it speaks to your imagination.
We aim to promote contemplation. Like Cousteau says “We only protect what we love”, and it is important to love our homes, our cultures and knowledge of nature.
The realization that we are all connected and that through music, we are able to co-create with people around the world, is a powerful take-away. Plus, some episodes have stronger messages as they deal with cultural legacy that we might see disappearing in the future.
In what ways do you involve local communities in the countries you visit for series to ensure their representation is authentic and respectful?
Before each episode, we do lots of research with our local contacts on the story we like to convey. On the shoot, we interview everyone who shares what’s an important aspect of their culture. We always leave a lot of room for improvisation in our itineraries, in order to welcome the unexpectedness, the authentic.
Regarding music creation, we always take a day or two to get to know each other on a deeper level. Learn about the music, jam and then record together. We try to stay as true as possible to keep the integrity of their musical specificity. Everything we create is then shared with the people we meet to check if we have displayed the culture in the correct way. When it is out, all royalties of the creation with local musicians are split and profits are equally shared.
“We want to showcase the beauty of our earth and its occupants and the importance of being present and engaging with our surroundings.”
Traveling and working in different countries often involves dealing with different political regimes and local challenges. How do you navigate this aspect?
We stay away from politics as it does not interest us. Music is a universal and timeless language; it is more expressive than words and existed long before governments. We like to focus on what we know best, which is sounds and music and use it to spread a message of love and unity. Our trips clearly made us realize that the world is kind, helpful and playful. And that is what matters most.
Your project seeks to promote contemplation, local engagement, and the importance of listening. Can you elaborate on how ‘A Day In’ series embodies these principles?
Like Rumi used to say “Don’t they see that all nature is singing? Everything in the universe moves with the rhythm, the pumping up of the heart, the flaps of the bird’s wings, the wind on the stormy night […] Everything partakes passionately and spontaneously in one magnificent melody.”
As soon as we take the time to listen to our surroundings, you realize the beautiful song of nature, of a specific craft, of a city or village as a whole. Plus through the lens of Arnaud Moro, the visuals really take you to hidden treasures of our planet, it makes you realize the mesmerizing world we live in. And people tend to protect what they love.
As soon as we take the time to listen to one another, you build curiosity, empathy and understanding. We believe these principles are primordial in order to live harmoniously.
‘A Day In Bangkok’ is your newest release. Can you share a memorable moment from your time in Bangkok?
We must say that the jam we did with Nisatiwa was quite a moment we cherish. We had prepared drum loops of sounds from Bangkok market, Tuktuk, Chinatown and more, that brought a groove and inspired them to improvise. Tontrakul blew our mind with his pin guitar, as a Thai Jimmy Hendricks, his expressive techniques create a flow that is so dynamic and flowing. And Narisa brought the soothing layer with the Saw u. When we added some extra synth sounds and started playing live, it became a truly magical moment.
“Music is a universal and timeless language; it is more expressive than words and existed long before governments.”
What aspect of Bangkok’s culture were you most excited to highlight in your music?
We are huge fans of Thai instruments, the Pin Guitar, the Khaen and the Saw u. We were really excited to highlight these instruments in our music and were lucky to collaborate with such talented musicians as Tontrakul and Naris.
Being quite spiritual ourselves, we were so impressed by how calm, humble and positive the Budhhist monks were. But also all the locals. Always smiling, and keeping a positive, altruistic and calm energy.
And of course, our favorite cuisine. Thai food culture is the most exciting part of the journey. The relation to tastyness, mixture of spice. From street food, to restaurants, everything is made with so much love in creating the most delicious meals.
Your partnership with Marriott Bonvoy Hotels for the Asian destinations adds another layer to this project. Could you share some insights into how this partnership shaped the journey and the final result?
The collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy came super naturally. We were already working on our series and they approached us wanting to join the series and add more Asian Destinations which would represent the diversity of Asia-Pacific and also the cities a bit less known than the rest. Java Island in Indonesia, Osaka in Japan, Fiji Island, Bengaluru in India and of course Bangkok were the chosen ones. We must say, to have the Marriott Bonvoy local teams helping us in our researches made it even more special. We worked on itineraries together and shaped the stories of each destination hand in hand with our and their local contacts. Our shooting team became bigger and more spot-on, which made it even more playful.
The mini LP containing all five Asian videos is releasing at the end of September. How does the LP experience differ from watching the videos individually, and what should listeners anticipate from this LP?
All video soundtracks come with dance floor versions. We already released the ones from Essaouira and Real de Catorce and will release Osaka and Bengaluru next and the full Asian destinations into one LP. For these particular tracks, we kept the musical theme, recordings and melodies of the video soundtrack that we adjusted to a more electronic, dynamic, longer format, dance floor music. The aim being for DJs to be able to play these tracks during their performances and make people dance with the musical influence of Asia.
As brothers, your relationship is undoubtedly unique. How does this familial bond influence your musical collaboration? In your experience, is it sometimes challenging to set boundaries given the close nature of sibling relationships?
We always say, it is better to have two pairs of ears than one! And since we have a close brotherhood relation, we grew in knowing each other’s strengths & weaknesses. It is also the mutual understanding of when we combine our creative thinking or when we leave each other’s creative space. We managed to find (and are constantly fine-tuning) the right balance in combining our expertise and passion into music composition and into beautiful projects like “A Day In”.
“The most important thing in life is to have a purpose, a reason to wake up with a smile every morning…”
And how did growing up in the South of France shape your creative perspective?
We were incredibly fortunate to have grown up in such an environment. The presence of both the sea and the Alps Mountains made our childhood truly magical. During summers, we could swim in the Mediterranean, while in winters, we’d revel in the joy of skiing, all just a short 1.5-hour drive away. Our grandmother’s melodic voice graced us with French variété songs, and our granddad’s boundless creativity brought to life whatever ideas we conjured with his own hands. Same with our father’s passion for carpentry, we crafted interconnected treehouses, a zipline and much more. We feel very grateful for having grown up in a natural environment that let our creativity and imagination expand when we were kids.
Music played a significant role in our lives too, thanks to our parents’ love for jazz concerts and their close ties with talented musicians. Our weekends were often filled with jazz festivals or concerts, all of which greatly inspired us to pursue music.
Thomas, in a previous interview, you discussed the importance of balance and how your experience with back surgeries has instigated profound changes in your life. Could you explain how this shift in perspective has influenced your approach to music, particularly in relation to the ‘A Day In’ series?
Falling on your knees, teaches you to stand back up stronger. One big realization this challenge taught me is to live harmoniously and find the right balance. In that quest, music has played a major role, as composing a song involves precisely balancing its various elements to achieve a harmonious outcome. And that is exactly what the “A Day In’ series is all about. Finding the right harmony of a city. At times, cities may seem overwhelming and filled with noise, but by capturing the diverse and beautiful melodies that shape a city’s essence, we can choose to walk through its streets once more in harmony.
Julien, you’ve talked about your commitment to explore the world’s sounds and your excitement about working with new musicians. Can you tell us a dream collaborator you would love to work with?
All the musicians we met along the way taught us so much about music. There are some incredible talents out there. We cannot wait to collaborate around the globe. Of course we dream of collaboration like Brazilian Bossa giants Sergio Mendez, the king of soul Quincy Jones or closer to us, the french-libanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf. To name a few.
As for the last question: In your perspective, what is the most important thing in life?
The most important thing in life is to have a purpose, a reason to wake up with a smile every morning and do something that will make you happy. Finding your Ikigai. It will keep you passionate and energized to live your life fully.
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