Julien Testu: "Even silence can inspire great ideas"

Julien Testu is a versatile French artist known for blending philosophy, spirituality, and electronic music into a unique creative language. He is the author of "Tous 2", a book exploring life’s big questions through science, introspection, and moral reflection, and the producer of the album "15", a refined take on house music enriched with melodies inspired by neoclassical music. His work also spans visual arts, creating a coherent, multisensory universe that invites audiences to reflect, meditate, and experience the freedom of imagination.

Your book "Tous 2" has been described as an intellectual and emotional journey in search of life’s big questions. What were the main inspirations behind this project, and how did you aim to convey your approach to philosophy and spirituality through it?

I convey all of my ideas through my literature and music. I freely give the audience a choice, using easy-to-read forms (short paragraphs). I convey my ideas in a moral way, sometimes with examples from everyday life, or with scientific explanations. House music, which has the characteristic of having few words and being repetitive, thus allows the reader to be motivated and free to hear themselves read.

To inspire me to write TOUS 2 and the new books to come, I open my mind to external and internal information and experiences.

For external information, the subject of the answer to the big question and the meaning of life can be found in literature; indeed, even before the creation of the Bible, these big questions were addressed. We can also find answers in philosophy but also in science. The Internet, with its powerful search engines, allows us to successfully find inspiration.

As for inner influences, this is where the most important thing happens. Indeed, if, for example, I'm very focused, I could find a lot of ideas in a simple conversation that could allow me to write excellent paragraphs for my literature. Whereas if I'm tired and I read a very intelligent book that very explicitly gives me a good answer, I could miss them. Therefore, the state of concentration is essential before starting to work on these topics.

However, sometimes, it regularly happens to me, in the middle of a sports session or while programming my music, to spontaneously come up with a good idea about the meaning of life and the answer to the big question.

The important thing to remember is that even when removed from all literary, scientific, or internet sources, ideas form in our imagination. You will find infinity more easily in your imagination than in the external world of the universe.

Your album "15" spans a wide mix of electronic genres (house, melodic house, techno, etc.). Can you tell us about the concept and the creative process behind this project? How was this production received by critics and the public, considering, for example, comments praising its “rhythmic coherence” and controlled energy in the arrangements?

Music is an art that requires inspiration to be created (like any other artistic process). Inspiration can sometimes come spontaneously or sometimes it can be stimulated to be generated.

Inspiration is often found in the desire to go further than simply listening to music for entertainment. It is when we want to understand how music is created (in a way it is reverse engineering our favorite works). Very early in my life I tasted music. Mainly my energetic lifestyle is associated with a style of electronic music such as House. Due to my great love for France and the French language (therefore for my attachment to my French roots) it is therefore quite natural that French-house is my favorite style of music. From Daft Punk I find this musical signature. But to make sure I didn't miss out on another musical genre, I listened to as many musical genres as possible: rap, techno, jazz, pop, classical, dubstep, deephouse, jungle... The idea is to know how to find what you like and what you don't like in each musical style.

After shaping this imaginary "like or dislike" tool, all you have to do is launch the software and the instrumentals and press the buttons you like. Music is one of the most abstract arts, so knowing what you like and what you don't like is essential to moving forward.

After defining and understanding what style resonates with your ear, finding the musical score for your style is much easier.

Moreover, whether the criticism is positive or negative from others, I always make sure to detach myself from the emotional side so as not to be blinded by hate or love and thus truly understand the idea the critic is trying to convey to me. 

In my musical style, I seek to add a little more melody to house music. Art is meant to evolve, otherwise doing the same thing twice is too redundant. To bring consistency to the rhythmic arrangements of my music, I found inspiration in neo-classical music. Classical music being the queen of melody, through this music theory I make sure to add melody and form my melodic house.

Your work ranges from music to writing and visual arts. How do you manage to integrate these different forms of expression into your artistic journey, and in what way does this multidisciplinary approach help build a coherent creative universe?

My books deal with spirituality, philosophy, the meaning of life, the answer to the big question... all of these subjects are more abstract than figurative.

So, by symmetry, electronic music is one of the most abstract forms of music in the music world (plus, music is an abstract art by nature). Abstract art is also found in the covers of my books. My desire to choose abstract art over figurative art gives much more freedom to the reader or listener. Giving consumers freedom and choice is a very important value that the artistic creator must keep in mind (if not taken to the extreme, without freedom we fall into dictatorship or cultism).

Moreover, life is spiritually an infinite spiral, like house music with its redundant characteristic; this repetitive aspect allows us to keep the rhythm; life is an infinite dance. The noble themes of life that I address in my books are also reflected in the noble nature of classical music, which allows me to create melodic house music.

Kaleidoscope-type visual art also captures the fractal and abstract aspects that life reveals to us (take, for example, sampled French house music; we take a small part of a piece of music and duplicate it like a kaleidoscope).

I also bring 360° to my videos, increasingly, as our technology evolves toward this notion of symbiosis.

We can find just as much connection and symmetry between two different art forms that are both created by the same artist. The signature is universal when it comes from the same hand.

Your personal experiences—as a musician and also as an athlete (kite-surfing)—along with your deep reflections on the meaning of life, seem to permeate your works. To what extent do these biographical and existential experiences influence your creative output, both musical and literary?

Personal experiences are formed of ideas and emotions. First, it's an idea before it's an emotion. Many of the ideas in my books are inspired by real events I've experienced. I remove the emotional aspects to create a moral that's as universal as possible. Writing allows me to better capture the events I've experienced in my memory. Through the writing of my books, I move from abstract ideas to figurative ideas to better understand them. The hardest part is seeing the abstract. After discovering this abstract idea, defining it calms the chaotic aspect of the abstract. Understanding thus generates zen and intelligence.

My practice of aeronautical sports, surfing, kitesurfing, etc., also calms the brain's neural electricity. But I regularly get ideas for my books and music during surfing or kitesurfing sessions. Conversely, when I want to do sports and I need motivation, I listen to my music to motivate me. And vice versa, when my mind is zen after good sports sessions, thanks to a clear mind I can easily work on my music and on my books. Sport generates very good natural drugs that art will use wisely.

Many recognize in you the aim of "reconciling science and spirituality" in your works. What is, then, the main message or ultimate intention you wish to convey through your artistic work, both in your musical compositions and your writings?

If I have to summarize and answer this question in one main message, then I would just say 1 word: Everything!

Follow Julien Testu

Soundcloud

YouTube