Max Colombie aka Oscar and the Wolf is an artist’s artist, someone whose work isn’t easily categorised in a particular genre. What does form a thread throughout his impressive discography, however, is a sense of realness and emotion.
Music doesn’t get more personal than on ‘Taste’, Oscar and the Wolf’s most recent album, which reflects a moment in his life when he found a strange kind of peace. The After Hours set at CORE this evening will showcase an entirely different side of Oscar and the Wolf, though, one that’s made for dancing. Let’s find out what the plan is.
Your sound has evolved from a pop/indie style to a more electronic sound that feels just right for the Tomorrowland line-up. How did that transition take place?
"I don’t really see it as a transition, actually. I’ve always carried those three elements within me: the pop, the club, and the indie/rock. It’s all part of my DNA. Over time I’ve always naturally let one side take the lead, depending on where I found myself creatively.
The electronic and synthesised sounds were already deeply present on my first album, ‘Entity’. In a way, it feels like a full circle moment now, like it’s the right time to dive deeper into that electronic side again. But yes, we all have to start somewhere, and back then I chose to begin by exploring the indie side of myself.”
‘Taste’ contains lots of deep, personal songwriting, wrapped up in tunes you can dance to. Can you tell us something about this combination of meaning and hedonistic vibes? Why does it work for you?
"‘Taste’ is a testimony of one of the most difficult periods of my life, but also of the moment I found a strange kind of peace. I reconnected with my family, I found love, I cleaned up my circle. So the songs carry that contrast: the sweetness, the scars, the noise, the calm.
Musically, I just tried to capture exactly what I was feeling, unfiltered. Also, what moves me the most is seeing people dance and cry at the same time. There’s a kind of relief that comes with it. That’s when I know the emotion made it through.”
The album was also released on cassette. What do you like about this old-fashioned medium?
“There’s something magical about the early days of pop music: the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s. Those eras felt raw, unfiltered, full of firsts: the first stadiums, the first global hits, the birth of musical icons. It was the world discovering itself through sound.
That spirit is what made me want to make music. I feel connected to it, especially through old formats like cassettes and vinyl. It’s romantic. And I think my fans feel the same. We don’t just listen to music, we need it in a physical form, in our bedrooms.”
The limited vinyl edition of the album comes with a photo book. What sort of photos are inside the book and what is the idea behind it?
“That book was inspired by a good friend of mine, the artist Sofiane Pamart. He always creates these beautiful tour books for every release. So with my team, we were inspired and we went for it.
When I started ‘Taste’, it all began with unreleased footage of myself that up until then, I had kept to myself. So this book is about showing what Taste really felt like from the inside. It is also a way of closing this interesting chapter of my life.”
Were the electronic sounds you use in your music somehow inspired by going out, by dancefloors and DJ sets?
“Most of my inspiration actually comes from movies and series. I can get completely lost in a storyline, and when something like a heartbreak or a loss hits me in a scene, I just want to go write and cry so much. That’s when the emotion takes over.
The sound usually comes after, once I understand what feeling I’m trying to translate. It’s less about the dancefloor itself and more about the emotional wave that brings you there.”
It seems like you’re someone who works fast, who creates many songs in a short period of time. Can you tell us something about your process?
“Recently I’ve been producing a lot of music. Inspiration usually comes naturally, but there are moments when it runs dry and I just feel too drained to create. Most of the time, it starts with a melody, usually after crying in front of a scene from one of my favorite movies.
When I feel ready, I start building the feeling around it using synths, and then I bring it to my music co-producer, Aram Abgaryan aka MARA. I’m lucky to have a great team supporting me at every level, and sometimes I invite other amazing composers or writers to help shape the right vision for certain tracks.”
Back in 2017, you were the first ever live act to play Tomorrowland. What do you recall of that show?
“It felt completely new. I wasn’t sure how the crowd would react. I had this doubt that maybe they wouldn’t want to hear a singer in between all the DJs. But the response was incredible. The energy, the connection, the warmth. It stayed with me.”
This year, you will be doing an After Hours set. The title triggers our curiosity. What exactly does such a set entail and where does the idea come from?
“The After Hours set is something really special to me. The idea came from a desire to show a different side of Oscar and the Wolf, one that lives only in the night. I created the entire show from scratch with my team. We crafted everything ourselves.
The sound, the flow, the structure. The set includes some unreleased tracks, a few of my personal favourites, and maybe even a few guest appearances. It is more intimate, more hypnotic, and definitely more daring. I can’t wait to share it.”
