The new face of Extreme
As a child in Switzerland, Manuel Gagneux had fits of rage. The son of a white Swiss biologist and a black American jazz singer, he was acutely aware of not fitting in. Not really Swiss, not really a black kid, he wrestled with the feeling through his primary school years. Perhaps it’s what we hear now in his music. He still doesn’t really know where it came from – just that it was there.
“I was a super-angry kid,” he nods, unhesitating. We’re mid-interview at a London photo studio, a few hours before Hammer’s makeup artist covers him in blood for our shoot. Until now his responses have been full of self-aware humour; friendly and engaging, if a little hard to pin down. Now, for a moment, he’s serious.
“It kind of stopped when I was 11. And that was also about the time when I started playing music. So guess it is my… ‘balance point’?” He breaks into giggles. “I don’t know. You can edit that more eloquently!”
In an era where celebrity mystique often feels all but dead, the 33-year-old is something of an enigma. From early experiences at back alley seances, squat gigs and unsettling contemporary art shows as a boy in Switzerland – all of which ultimately drove him to
