Antipop’s New York Melodies

Rubbing shoulders with The Strokes at Beatrice Inn and dancing to Metro Area at APT. Living in a $1,000-per-month apartment in Soho and diving into iPod Battles at Cielo. Christophe Hetier, better known as Antipop from the influential French Touch trio télépopmusik, takes us back to Manhattan's mid-2000s nightlife. He also pays tribute to Angela McCluskey, whose voice shaped their cult hit “Breathe”.

Christophe Hetier Antipop telelpopj — Christophe Hetier, a.k.a. Antipop of télépopmusik

NOUVEAU YORK: The year is 2006, and with the release of télépopmusik’s second album, “Angel Milk” behind you, you decided to move to New York. What was your motivation?
ANTIPOP: It seemed like the perfect moment to leave Paris. The tour for our second album had wrapped up, and I was living in an overly expensive apartment on Île Saint-Louis. I proposed to Fabrice, another member of télépopmusik, that we move to NYC since our singer Angela McCluskey had secured an apartment for us in Soho for just $1,000. We packed right away without a second thought. Living in NYC had always been a dream of mine.

Before relocating to New York, how familiar were you with the city and its cultural landscape?
I first visited NYC with my parents when I was 11, and I've been captivated by the city ever since. I returned several times in the late '90s with my previous band, Bel Air, to perform at small gigs, and it was during one of these trips that we met Angela while opening for her band.

How did Angela become the lead singer of télépopmusik? What kind of person was she?
When I first met Angela in the late '90s, she was performing Billie Holiday covers, and she fit perfectly with télépopmusik’s vision of blending electronic production with jazz influences. Angela was a vivid personality; in 2000, when she first came to Paris to record in our small studio, she penned the lyrics for “Breathe” because she couldn’t breathe as we were smoking too many cigarettes… Similarly, the song title “Love Can Damage Your Health” came from a cigarette pack warning.

“Angela had a knack for creating a unique atmosphere with mood lighting and candles, often giving impromptu performances with her husband Paul.”

I remember attending one of Angela’s parties at her Manhattan apartment. What were those gatherings like?
She was sharing a large apartment by the Hudson River with Jesse Peretz, a film director and former bassist for The Lemonheads. Angela had a knack for creating a unique atmosphere with mood lighting and candles, often giving impromptu performances with her husband Paul on piano and violin. She was inviting friends as Michael Stipe, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Weymouth [of the Talking Heads], but Angela made sure everyone felt equally important. It was there I met Duke Bojadziev, who became a good friend and with whom I co-wrote some tracks for our third album.

Before her presence in New York, Angela was a fixture in the LA scene. What was it like exploring LA with her as your guide?
We performed together several times in LA, and were even Grammy-nominated for “Breathe” and got the chance to have George Clinton [of Funkadelic] rap on a few tracks of my DJ set that night. Angela spent her last ten years living a more tranquil life in the Hollywood hills, especially after the pandemic. Her recent passing from a seizure was a profound shock to us all.

While some Parisian DJs and producers of the 1990s were often fascinated to New York's club scene, which artistic influences from the city resonated with you during that time?
I initially experienced NYC's club culture through the Respect parties in Paris at club Queen in the late '90s, but originally my influences from NYC were the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth but also all the original hip hop scene like Grandmaster Flash, Beastie Boys…

“The city can drag you down if you don’t have a clear perspective of what you’re looking for.”

I recall us visiting some music producers in Williamsburg. Could you describe the neighborhood scene at that time?
I actually remember visiting Janet Jackson in her flat in the Trump tower [laughs]! But yes, at that time, Williamsburg was under the influence of all the bands from DFA. My friend Dominique Keagan from The Glass and his label Plant Music, along with Holmar from Thugfuckers, were all part of the scene. Williamsburg was full of musicians, as rents were still affordable.

We also went to the Beatrice club around 2008 and maybe to Cielo in the Meatpacking? How did the New York nightlife in the mid and late 2000s was part of your creative process?
Beatrice was indeed the hotspot for encountering “the beautiful people,” from The Strokes to Chloé Sévigny. I don’t recall going out with you at Cielo, but we did have an iPod battle there with [Parisian DJ and photographer] Marco Dos Santos. I frequented Amanda Lepore’s parties at Happy Valley, meeting icons like Debbie Harry. APT was perfect for deep house and connecting with the Metro Area crowd. We even had a residency at Bed, the rooftop on top of Twilo, and of course frequented Nublu in the East Village. This vibrant and diverse scene greatly shaped my DJing style.

How did you channel the inspiration from your New York experiences into your music during that time?
I was going out a lot but the energy of the city was a creative boost. I wrote a lot of songs, met and collaborated with new singers like Sylvia Black and Kim Wayman, and founded Refuge Records with my friends Thib and Johann to release music with Asia Argento. But the city can drag you down if you don’t have a clear perspective of what you’re looking for.

What eventually prompted your return to Paris?
Fabrice struggled to stay focused on making music and decided to return to Paris to work on other projects, leading me to reconsider my stay. I returned to Paris to discuss the future of Telepopmusik with Stephan, our third member. Although NYC was an incredible chapter, it was time to turn the page.

Can you share a cherished memory from your time in New York?
One memorable experience was buying weed from an old hippie whose apartment was across from CBGB. His place was a cluttered shrine to past eras, filled with newspapers and weed bags, like a memorial temple. Although I’ve since quit, weed was a significant part of my creative process for many years.

Looking back, how do you think your New York experience shaped your approach to music-making and your artistic vision?
My time in New York allowed me to embrace and live out my diverse musical influences—from club culture and jazz to rock and hip-hop—which were all palpably alive in the city, day after day. That period was also the fulfillment of my own American dream.