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Jazz multi-instrumentalist Julien Fillion captivates the imagination with his cinematic and immersive instrumental pieces. We spoke with him on the eve of his February 14 concert at Verre Bouteille, as part of the Taverne Tour.
PAN M 360: First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your music, which I would describe as sophisticated, grandiose, and deeply inspiring.
Julien Fillion : Thank you, that’s very kind.
PAN M 360: You released an excellent EP entitled ego in 2024, followed in 2025 by an LP version, ego.alt. What was the mindset behind the ego EP, and how does it differ from that of the resulting album, ego.alt?
Julien Fillion : For me, ego.alt was really a second wind for ego. Once the EP was finished and with the idea of the film/live session project coming up, I felt like I hadn’t completely finished the work yet. Having to present this idea to a team forced me to push my thinking a little further, and quite naturally, new ideas for arrangements emerged. I had a lot of fun with Ghyslain Luc on the mix, taking the songs in a different direction.
En gros, c’est essentiellement la même musique, les mêmes arrangements, mais le fait de tout jouer en live change vraiment la donne. Il n’y a aucun montage, absolument aucun, ce qui rend le résultat beaucoup plus brut. Pour moi, c’est plus vivant, plus honnête et, au final, meilleur.
PAN M 360: You are a multi-instrumentalist: saxophone, keyboards, guitar, and electronic production are all strong points in your repertoire. What do these different instruments represent for you as a composer and musical director?
Julien Fillion : It all started with the guitar when I was a kid, and the saxophone came about by chance during an audition in high school. But my true love for the instrument really blossomed in college. I was that long-haired teenager who played rock music and electric guitar, haha.
Ultimately, all these instruments are different ways for me to express myself. I consider myself lucky to be able to play so many things, because it keeps me from getting bored and allows me to explore lots of different textures.
That said, I must admit that the saxophone remains MY instrument. It’s the one I’ve spent the most hours with, the one I’m most demanding with, and it’s also the one that requires the most courage from me. When I play the sax, I always feel like I’m letting others in on a part of my private life. It’s both the instrument I’ve mastered the most and the one that challenges me the most.
PAN M 360: Tell me a little about your collaborations with Bobby Bazini, Diane Tell, Adib Alkhalidey, and Les Louanges. How did these collaborations come about, and what form did they take artistically?
Julien Fillion : I consider myself really lucky to have crossed paths with these artists, because they truly nurtured and inspired the musician and artist that I have become. It’s hard to say exactly how these encounters came about… Music is a small world: you replace someone here, someone talks about you there, and poof, you find yourself on tour or in the studio.
“The only thing I can control is my work ethic. I’ve always prepared myself really well, because I strongly believe that you only get one chance in this business, and that first impressions are extremely important.”
PAN M 360: Your music has a strong cinematic dimension. It feels like you’re trying to draw us into vast, contemplative worlds, sometimes desert-like, sometimes cosmic (v(.)id, sahara, supernova). What are your sources of inspiration when you compose? Movies, video games, novels, visual arts… or something else entirely?
Julien Fillion : I’m really glad you see that, because that’s kind of my goal, haha. I’d love to give a super poetic answer, but in reality, I can’t really point to a specific source that inspires me every time. It’s more of a mix of my mood over the weeks of creation, production, rehearsals…
I feel like my brain ends up synthesizing everything around me and sending me ideas. For me, composing is really a craft: you shape it little by little, testing textures and atmospheres until it takes shape. And sometimes, these contemplative or desert-like worlds emerge on their own, as if the music had a life of its own.
PAN M 360: Musically speaking, I hear echoes of Pink Floyd and Ennio Morricone, but also a wide variety of influences from all over the world. What are the musical influences behind your project (jazz, film music, etc.)?
Julien Fillion : I listen to everything, really, and I go through phases. I might spend two months listening only to Quebecois music, then switch to a Coltrane or Broïl phase. But my foundations—the music of my childhood—are Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Hendrix. I think that will always stay with me. It all mixes together in my head and ends up reappearing in my compositions, often in an intuitive way.
PAN M 360: Finally, what can we expect from your performance on February 14 at Verre Bouteille, as part of the Taverne Tour?
Julien Fillion : It’s going to be wild, that’s for sure! I can’t wait to play in Montreal, especially since we haven’t played here since the launch in October 2024. My friends and I have been playing together for about 10 years—the energy is incredible and we have so much fun on stage. The show will be intense, lively, sometimes gentle, sometimes completely wild… but always sincere. My goal is for the audience to feel how much we enjoy playing and leave with their heads full of music.
Julien Fillion will be performing on February 14 at Le Verre Bouteille as part of the Taverne Tour.
