When you listen to Edgar Everyone, you hear a fusion of all the French musician and producer’s lifelong influences.
Born Jules de Gasperis, he found himself surrounded by music from a young age. His father owned a recording studio in Paris and exposed him to the works of legendary artists like Led Zeppelin, Queen, Michael Jackson and Radiohead. As a child, de Gasperis became a multi-instrumentalist, picking up piano, guitar, and the drums. It was no surprise when he officially started performing at the age of 15 with his first band Laviolette.
Eventually he found his way to the LA indie scene and produced music for a variety of bands including James Supercave, Low Hum, Geographer, and Kunzite. After years of producing and writing for other artists, he was called to officially launch his solo project Edgar Everyone.
Edgar Everyone has a genre-bending sound that’s upbeat, danceable, and if you listen closely, quite a spiritual experience.
Recently we went on the record with Edgar Everyone to learn more about his musical alter-ego, his new single Align Me, and what he has in store for the new year.
How did you get your start in the music scene?
I’ve always been playing in the scene in one form or another. Funny enough I remember my first band ever was when I was fifteen. I used to drum in a reggae-ska band and we played our first gig in France back then. Over the years I explored different genres, and my first “serious” project was around 2010 in Paris, with my rock band Laviolette. Then years later I moved to Los Angeles (2016), and started working with a bunch of musicians from the indie scene, which further expanded my vision and taught me how to play in a bigger, global industry.
What has producing for other artists taught you?
Producing for other artists taught me so much, and it’s always easier to advise others what to do than doing it yourself! What I always tell them is the following: believe in your own self, in your own unique sound. If you keep digging long enough you’ll realize that there’s no one else that can do it as well as you do, since every human on this planet is unique. What I love about the music process is that it’s really a lifelong, artistic quest, about finding what inspires us the most and keeps us excited. I’m not going to mention all the technical aspects of production that I’ve learned over the years, but aside from that I think these are the most valuable takeaways I could share.
How does the music you produce for yourself differ from the music you produce for others?
You know, that’s a great question and sometimes I wish they didn’t differ that much! When I produce for others, I get a sense of detachment, a “bird’s eye view” that allows me to make quicker decisions and focus on establishing the aesthetic, and most importantly getting things done to respect the planning & deadlines. When I produce for Edgar, the process is deeply personal and I tend to spend more time on things like lyrics, the minute details of the sound, and I don’t have a boss that would give me a deadline to wrap things up. It’s deeply artistic, meaningful, but also at times I have to stop being bogged down with perfectionism and bring back my producer’s hat to get things moving!
You describe Edgar Everyone as your “musical alter-ego.” Did you create him recently, or has he been years in the making?
The very early version of Edgar started right before the pandemic, I had a one-off show in Los Angeles that allowed me to test things, and sing my first tunes. Then the pandemic hit, and work with other projects started to slow down so I had a solid window of time to focus on it more, to develop my own sound. I am a fan of so many genres of music, and I’ve produced a variety of styles – also I’ve had so many projects over the years that this time my motto was to never change moniker again, so I’ll stick to it and honor my adventurous side, whatever it becomes. I trust it will always reflect my personal taste.
What do you like about genre-bending?
I think there’s something in my personality that tends to reject the norm, the “mainstream” (In French, they call it “esprit de contradiction”). It’s not that I don’t enjoy the mainstream, but I always get seduced by the idea of crafting new sounds, innovative paths. As a listener, I was always drawn to albums that borrow from established genres, but do it in a groundbreaking manner, with new sonics. So I try to have fun and not be pinned down to any particular genre. Sure, you can definitely hear lots of my influences in what I do, but I’m trying to be subtle, personal, and creative with the way things go – as long as it’s feeling fresh and exciting, I feel like I’m on the right path.
Recently you’ve been giving your social media followers a behind-the-scenes look at your production work. What made you want to share your process?
Initially I wanted to just challenge myself and learn how to edit videos, so I could create content made for Instagram Reels and TikTok. Then I started to really like the process, and what was easiest for me was to showcase what I’m doing when I’m just goofing around in the studio, with no other goals than trying ideas out and seeing what sticks. There’s nothing to hide in the process, I’d be happy to share even more tips and tricks if people resonate with it!
@edgareveryone New production in the studio 🎹 🥁 drop a comment if you like the beat! ✨ . . . #abletonlive11 #udosuper6 #kontakt #drumloops #electronicpop #newindiemusic #indieelectronic #prophetrev2 #homestudiosetup #korgms20 #multiinstrumentalist #keyboardsounds ♬ original sound - Edgar Everyone
The lyrics of your singles Who’s the Dreamer, Time is a Nonlinear Joke, and your latest track Align Me have a spiritual element to them. How has spirituality influenced your music?
I would say that spirituality has influenced my entire life for the last ten years or so. I started with learning meditation, and later on I studied in a school of energy healing (Barbara Brennan School) – both leading me on a path of more self-development and discovery. Some might say I’m quite “New Age” ahah, but I feel like whatever music is coming out of that scene usually sounds a bit cheesy to me. So I still want to retain a spiritual element to my music, especially in the lyrics – but I can’t say I am part of a spiritual music scene either.
How did Align Me come about?
The song Align Me started as a little synth riff/instrumental jam that I was working on alone, and then I thought of reaching out to my friend Ash Petti (Pretty Pistil) to collaborate for vocals. She was immediately drawn to the track, and she sent me back a voice memo with the melody that would become the chorus later on. I was very stoked on it, and so we ended up doing a full collaboration on that song. She brought a lot to the table on this one!
Pretty Pistil brings such a great energy to Align Me. How did you know she would be the perfect addition to the song?
I was actually working with her prior to that, I had just finished producing her 4-track EP called Venus Way, and so we already had a strong musical connection. It just felt natural to reach out to her again and ask if she was interested to sing on Align Me. We might do more collabs in the future.
What do you hope listeners take away from Align Me?
I hope that Align Me brings a sense of excitement, that it is uplifting, and sounds as joyful as it did to me when I made it. This song marks the start towards the next phase of my sound somehow, and it’s going to be more electronic, more influenced by deep house and club music. Currently I’m also working with a couple of DJs to create remix versions, and we probably will release a mini-EP with all of those.
How did the Align Me music video concept come together?
That was a lot of fun! So far I had only released animated music videos, and I was a little bit intimidated by the process, but I decided to give it a shot. We started brainstorming ideas with my good friend Pat (Weinell), and chose to trust in the universe and not let any hurdles stop us, whether financially or creatively. We imagined these two different timelines interacting in the video: a version of us visiting from the future (almost like aliens), and another version back in a 1970s landscape. Soon enough, we found all the locations we wanted on Peerspace, and also a great outdoor location in the desert area of Apple Valley. We just went straight for it without a doubt and it worked out! It was also my first time editing a full music video so I can say I learned a lot during the process.
What’s next for Edgar Everyone?
I’m excited for 2024, it’s gonna be a great year for Edgar. What’s next is that I’m learning to DJ, and I’m going to blend the concept of a DJ set with some live elements to it (playing keyboards, guitars). This way I’ll be able to book alternative venues and clubs, and I’m planning to explore more of this beautiful country whether it’s with DJ sets or full-fledged live shows. I want the music of Edgar Everyone to be constantly evolving, so expanding to a more electronic sound only feels natural. In terms of releases, I’ll keep working on singles and remixes, until my sound starts crystalizing into something that feels cohesive, only then I’ll hit the mark with a full on album. I always trust in the process, and I try to surf the wave of where the energy is leading around the project. I always love feedback, and I hope to catch you guys performing live somewhere in the US and beyond!
Stream Align Me on Spotify and Apple Music.
Connect with Edgar Everyone on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
