Carpenter Brut in Concert
With its arrays of aggressive beats, blazing guitars, and panoramic keyboards, the music of Carpenter Brut obliterates every stereotype about synthwave. Of course, that's entirely the goal: Project founder Franck Hueso—a French musician who came to songwriting after deciding he was tired of production—wanted his songs to combine the propulsive electro-dance favored by Justice with the kind of evocative horror movie compositions crafted by John Carpenter.
Carpenter Brut's releases succeed wildly at combining these seemingly disparate inspirations. The 2015 EP collection ‘Trilogy' is cinematic and diverse, as it touches on booming synth-pop and zigzagging EDM, while the group's official debut full-length, 2018's ‘Leather Teeth,' is retro and playful. "Cheerleader Effect" pairs Depeche Mode-caliber electro throbs with dramatic vocals from Norwegian musician Kristoffer Rygg; "Sunday Lunch" is a humid ‘Miami Vice' soundtrack nod with breezy saxophone; and "Beware the Beast" approximates a keyboard-splashed early '80s hard rock hit, thanks to squalling electric guitars and desperate vocals from Mat McNerney.
Hueso's own lineage is more opaque. He prefers to keep much of his background shrouded in mystery, although he does allow that the project is named after the Charpentier Brut champagne. In a 2017 ‘Vice' interview, the musician also revealed that he had his mind rearranged by Meshuggah's 1995 metal touchstone ‘Destroy Erase Improve,' drummed along to Iron Maiden songs as a kid, and counts Type O Negative and the Deftones as faves.
With such a pedigree, it's no wonder Carpenter Brut has toured the U.S. with fellow enigmatic musicians Ghost and electro-industrial aggressors Ministry. Both of these acts are also an ideal fit for Hueso's stage ambitions: To re-create Carpenter Brut compositions in concert, he uses live musicians and syncs up the performance to film and video projections, making an appropriately epic visual feast for the eyes and ears.
