Concert review

Caribbean / Gwo-ka / Jazz

Kulusé Souriant, A Jazz Style Influenced by Caribbean Roots

by Sandra Gasana

By a twist of fate, I found myself covering the launch of Kulusé Souriant’s album Douvan at L’Entracte on May 21st. For the occasion, his quintet consisted of Geneviève Gauthier on alto saxophone, Antonin Bourgault on tenor saxophone, the renowned Santiago Ferrer on piano, and Sean Burke on double bass, while Kulusé himself was on drums. Having lived in Montreal for four years, Kulusé, a drummer and composer of Guadeloupean origin, is increasingly making a name for himself on the Montreal jazz scene. He collaborates with several artists, notably Rachel Therrien, who is preparing a rather original project for the Jazz Festival in which he will be participating.

Released on May 15, 2026, this 9-track album includes several collaborations, notably with Malika Tirolien on the track “Horizon.” Tirolien was present at L’Entracte, having just returned from a trip to Senegal for the Stereo Africa Festival and the Saint-Louis Jazz Festival. Douvan is a call to reconnect with what is important: with oneself, with nature, and with others, in order to move forward.

From one piece to the next, the musicians are showcased. The saxophones alternate, sometimes even synchronizing. During some of Geneviève’s solos, Kulusé seemed to savor the moment, closing his eyes to better absorb it. We are immersed in different musical worlds throughout the concert, moving from gentle and introspective to more intense moments with breathtaking solos.

“I’m moved to present this music that we’ve been preparing for two years,” Kulusé tells us between songs. This artist, who is questioning his personal and musical identities, seems to have found some answers through this album.

Apart from “Heritage” and “Compassion” which last less than five minutes, most of the tracks are long enough to immerse us in Kulusé’s repertoire, which mixes jazz with other styles such as gwo ka, as is the case in “Anecdote”, on which he collaborates with Léo Tibao Leborgne.

Santiago Ferrer dazzled us, as always. His soaring piano solos delighted the audience, who seemed completely captivated. At times, it felt like we were in a legendary New York jazz bar. L’Entracte was the perfect venue for the evening, offering this intimate setting. Kulusé actually lived in New York for a few years in 2019, where he studied at the New School of Jazz before moving to Montreal a few years later.

“I’m lucky to play with such talented musicians,” he confesses. Depending on the drumsticks he uses, the atmosphere varies. On “Solitude,” one gets the impression of hearing rather mystical rhythms, which allows him to reinvent jazz by adding Guadeloupean sounds.

That said, the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Malika Tirolien’s performance of “Horizon.” Kulusé’s immense respect and admiration for his fellow countrywoman was palpable. The song features a variety of rhythms, evoking a range of emotions. Malika’s improvisational section captivated the audience, who responded with enthusiastic applause.

Salomé Perli, singer and multi-instrumentalist, also features on the album but was unable to attend the launch. One thing is certain: this album will truly propel Kulusé Souriant onto the Montreal jazz scene, as he had primarily focused on his studies before this release. So remember this name; you’re likely to hear it again and again.

musique de jeux vidéo / pop symphonique

OSM | A Heroic Symphony That Doesn’t Beat the Boss

by Alexis Desrosiers-Michaud

Big week for video game music in Montreal; after Final Fantasy: Distant World on Sunday by GFN Productions, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) gave Heroes: Video Game Symphony on Wednesday evening, under the baton of the conductor of this touring production, Kevin Zakresky.

Everything was in place for an exceptional evening: a good selection of games and their soundtracks, a world-class orchestra that regularly performs music on screen, and a packed house. For a newcomer discovering the world of music, the evening was probably very enjoyable. But for those who know a little, or even a lot, about it, there were some major hiccups.

Presenting the concert as a “choose your own adventure” experience, interspersing each piece with chapters narrated by a voiceover summarizing each step a typical adventure game hero might take, wasn’t a bad idea on paper. The problem lies in the text itself, often meaningless, as if it were phrases pulled from a bowl of fortune cookies and strung together. A few such interludes during the concert would have sufficed, but not 14 or 15, especially when a technical glitch forces us to play the same chapter twice, or when they don’t quite mesh with the following cutscene.

The choir’s placement left much to be desired. Comprising 24 members and positioned stage left, they struggled to be heard from the back of the stalls. Even amplified, pitting such a small choir against a full orchestra makes no sense, especially for music where the choral part is an integral, even dominant, component of the instrumentation. It simply doesn’t make sense. This was particularly glaring in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Dragonborn Theme, a true hit with its guttural sound in video game music, where all one could hear were whispers.

Finally, Vancouver conductor Zakresky didn’t help the program’s cause. Working without a score, his eyes glued to his tablet, and offering only occasional cues, he conducted in a very similar fashion, resulting in everything sounding… pretty much the same, except when certain sections decided to go all out (trombones, solo violin), leaving the talented musicians to their own devices. He’s a good crowd-pleaser, speaking more than respectable French and appearing on stage wearing a Victoire de la Musique shirt for the second half, but this energy doesn’t translate when he turns to conduct. It’s a shame, because that’s the very essence of music on screen: supporting and being an integral part of the visual presentation, something the performers don’t see. For example, a transition between a calm moment and the instant when an enemy suddenly arrives must be accompanied by a real musical tension that goes beyond simply playing the notes, which was lacking too often yesterday and the only truly worthwhile moment was the encore, an excerpt from Final Fantasy VII, presented unfortunately without a projection.

Video game music has long since reached a point where it transcends mere background noise. The selection of tracks from the past was brimming with undisputed masterpieces: besides Skyrim, mentioned earlier, there were Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed, and Castlevenia, some pieces shining a spotlight on orchestral instruments less commonly known as soloists (piano, electric guitar, harp). This repertoire offers a wide array of colors that can be truly breathtaking, provided the necessary resources are invested.

A Cappella / classic rock / Classical

ArtChoral Sings the Beatles: The Classic Pop We Needed

by Alexandre Villemaire

Beatlemania entered the Maison symphonique with the ArtChoral Ensemble on Sunday afternoon, May 17th. Fans of the Fab Four, regular ArtChoral concertgoers (or a mix of both) gathered in large numbers to hear, in a classical setting, the great hits of the iconic 1960s pop/rock group.

Led by Matthias Maute and accompanied only by a small percussion section (essentially a drum kit and cowbell) under the direction of Philip Hornsey, with Antoine Joubert on piano providing occasional harmonic support and rhythmic drive, the singers of ArtChoral performed a string of Beatles hits. From “Yellow Submarine,” which opened the concert, to “Can’t Buy Me Love,” including “Penny Lane,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “In My Life,” and “Yesterday,” to name just a few, the ArtChoral singers, with their pure and powerful voices, delivered “their” interpretation of Beatles classics. It would be a mistake to dismiss any concert featuring the Beatles’ repertoire simply because the music isn’t complex, repetitive, or classical enough to be handled by ensembles of ArtChoral’s caliber.

The performance of “Michelle” and “Because” is the best example of this. Performing with only voices allows one to fully appreciate the richness of the harmonies and the complexity of the chords and timbres that shape these pieces. The interpretation of “Michelle” was ethereal, and “Because” created a mystical aura in the hall with its luminous chords and chromatic passages that constantly altered the piece’s character. John Lennon said that he composed this piece after hearing Yoko Ono play Beethoven’s famous “Moonlight Sonata” and, struck by the melody, asked her to play the chord progression backwards. Just as in the writing of this famous Beethoven piece, the language is precise, refined, and captivating. This demonstrates once again that the boundary between classical and so-called popular music is not so permeable. Another example of this connection can be found in the piece Black Bird, which, like I Saw Her Standing There, received a piano solo treatment from Antoine Joubert. The simple melody of Black Bird, itself also inspired by a piece from the classical repertoire, namely Bach’s Bourrée in E minor, provided Joubert with superb material to work with, delivering a performance with varied musical contours and great virtuosity that showcased the interpretive possibilities of this piece.

An ArtChoral concert wouldn’t be complete without at least one contribution from the Grand Choir, this ad hoc choir made up of singers from diverse backgrounds. They joined the ArtChoral singers for heartfelt performances of Let It Be and All You Need Is Love. To conclude the concert, everyone sang Hey Jude, and the audience was invited to join the musicians as the Maison symphonique was bathed in a light show reminiscent of major rock concert performances.

Matthias Maute’s deliberate choices in this concert clearly demonstrate that the repertoire of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison transcends genre boundaries, and that these two worlds are ultimately not so far removed from one another. Was it a concert of extreme virtuosity? No. But it wasn’t a dull concert either, presenting “classic” Beatles for the sake of presenting soulless classic Beatles. Everyone, from the conductor to the singers and the choir, was filled with the joy of performing this repertoire, without pretension, and sharing it with an equally enthusiastic audience who reciprocated the musicians’ enthusiasm. In these times, the love of music and the passion for sharing it are truly among the few things we need.

Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong.

Baroque / Musiques du Monde

Festival Accès Asie – Flutes of the World, Unite!

by Frédéric Cardin

The Accès Asie Festival knows how to take risks. And we can congratulate it. On Tuesday, May 19, a concert was held at the Bourgie Hall featuring very disparate flutes (with a cello and percussion to add some texture): a Renaissance flute, a Baroque flute (Western classical icons, therefore), a ney (Persian flute), shakuhachi and ryuteki (traditional Japanese instruments), and a dizi (Chinese flute). The repertoire, although “tagged” world music, had everything to please the most curious and demanding ears, flirting with the harmonic complexity associated with modern classical music (there were indeed several works from the 20th and 21st centuries on the program).

Vivaldi’s Spring, in an arrangement for solo flute, unfolded throughout the concert, each movement being interpreted as a sort of bridge between various parts. Mika Putterman demonstrated the full extent of her mastery of the baroque flute. The percussionist Ziya Tabassian offered one of his compositions, an exploration based on the rhythmic structure of a Persian poem by Hâfez, while Ziad Chbat played a series of arabesques titled Nostalgia on his ney, a flute of West Asian tradition (up to Turkey) with an enchanting sound, akin to the Armenian duduk (which is not a flute, FYI, but a double-reed instrument, like an oboe).

Two harmonically “contemporary” pieces, that is to say, flirting with and even diving into atonality, were presented: an original composition by Jean Lérigé-Laplante, Évanescence. The piece is a sound wave that intertwines the different timbres of the flutes present, while still offering a welcome place to the cello of the Trinidadian-born Montrealer Kyran Assing, too discreet until then, I find (it’s not his fault, he had almost nothing to play).

The other chromatically dissonant piece was a composition by Bruno Deschênes, a “harmonic complexification” of an ancient Japanese melody, Shin Etenraku. The melody, taken as is but passed from one section to another with modifications and densified combinations, offers no reference point for our Western ears, which are not very familiar with the authentic Japanese repertoire. In the end, we had a modernist work, quite austere but frankly interesting.

A Chinese piece for solo dizi had a lively effect on the audience, with its naturalistic effects, like excited birds, and its spectacular virtuosic flights. Excellent performance by Shuni Tsou.

Moreover, it should be noted the excellence of all the instrumentalists present, all solid performers of their instrument.

The French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier saw his Concerto for Five Flutes, Op. 15 No. 1, transcribed for the present flutes, something he probably never dreamed of. The arranger, Bruno Deschênes, admitted to having taken a risk with this idea. We won’t say it was a great success, even though the artists clearly put all their conviction into it. It is difficult to combine Western and non-Western flutes accustomed to microtonality in a tempered language (with equal intervals) like that of European Baroque. One sometimes wonders if what one hears is off tune, or if it is the natural inflections of the Shakuhachi or the dizi that clash more violently than harmoniously with their baroque sisters. The idea, interesting at first glance, deserves to be refined.

That said, we recognise the interest of this unusual meeting, and we hope, despite a few hiccups, that this type of chamber ensemble will return to us with new ideas because the principle is promising and stimulating.

And hey, why not add a few other instruments (even non flutes) like the clarinet, the duduk, the bassoon, the mandingue flute, the Inca quena, the Indian bansuri, some recorders (the bass one!) and other cellos?

Ensemble : 

Bruno Deschênes, shakuhachi and direction

Boaz Berney, Renaissance flute

Élisabeth Caty, shakuhachi and ryuteki

Kyran Assing, cello

Mika Putterman, baroque flute

Shuni Tsou, dizi

Ziad Chbat, ney

Ziya Tabassian, percussions

Caribbean / Haitian

Wesli Turns Haitian History into Collective Celebration

by Juliana Cortes

The May long weekend usually announces the start of spring: flowers bloom, trees fill with vibrant green leaves, and the city begins to feel alive. This year, my weekend was marked by Makaya, the latest album from Montreal-based Haitian artist Wesli, as well as Haitian Flag Day on May 18, the day Haitians celebrate the creation of their flag during the Haitian Revolution in 1803.

With his iconic hat and glasses, Wesli blessed the audience with a performance that traveled through rhythms, blending African and Haitian traditions with more modern sounds. Through this musical voyage, he emphasized the ways our present remains deeply influenced by history, especially in Montreal, where culture — and music in particular — is deeply embedded in the city’s large Haitian community.

During the concert, Wesli explained the meaning of Makaya. In Kikongo, the word means “leaf.” In Haiti, it also refers to a mountain and to the gatherings where Maroons organized during the Haitian Revolution. Wesli said, “There had to be Makaya, for people to be spiritually healed and liberated.”

Anchored in history and memory, Wesli was joined onstage by Senegalese artist Ilham. With his soulful voice, they performed the Coupe Cloue song “Mon Konpé / Ti Bom.” I was deeply moved by this performance because one of my favorite artists, Joe Arroyo, created “A mi dios todo le debo,” a song highly influenced by Coupe Cloue’s music. This moment transported me directly to my childhood in Colombia.

At that moment, I stopped taking notes and stood up to dance, remembering family gatherings shaped by Joe Arroyo’s music. It is only in the last few years that I discovered how deeply this music had been influenced by Haiti. Learning about this connection felt like finding a missing piece of the puzzle, allowing me to better honor the music that had given me so much joy and connection throughout my life.

Wesli was also joined by Gaya, a wholesome singer and dancer who illuminated the stage with her energy and movement. The two have known each other for nearly 20 years, dating back to when they first began making music. Master percussionist Ronald Nazaire also took the stage, sharing ancestral knowledge through the drum. Nazaire needed no words to convey the depth and spirituality of his music.

Another highlight of the night was the band itself. Every musician shone individually, but what stood out most was the complicity between Wesli and his bandmates. Their playful and energetic interactions were contagious. Wesli generously gave space to each musician through solos and dance moments, allowing every performer to bring their own presence and energy to the stage. Everyone was shining.

So while Canada celebrated Queen Victoria, the Theatre Plaza became a space to celebrate Haitian history, memory, and musical inheritance.

Alt-Pop / Electro-Pop

Palomosa 2026: ear Brings the Summer Heat

by Loic Minty

As soon as they got on stage, ear made a shockwave by their mere presence. They seemed completely out of place and spoke with a nervous vulnerability which evoked questions about when the last time they left their room was. But that form of sincerity is precisely what made them a stand-out act. 

The music began and everything fell into place. Unnerving, spontaneous, and bubbling with optimism, ear disarmed the festival-goer’s self-preservation reflex by generously sharing what might have been deemed unpolished. Most of their songs sounded like demos in the best way, often ending in a clumsy end of phrase, or by Jonah Paz simply skipping the track on his laptop. “Ok, this one’s called ‘Nerves,’ you can also dance to this if you want.” 

They made it a point to coyly talk about every song before jumping into an uncontrolled thrashing that looked like Ian Curtis repeatedly getting punched in the stomach. For two rather awkward figures, they sure could entertain.

The now not-so-niche band came up quickly, but it wasn’t so much by self-promotion or luck as it was by their uncompromising sound and aesthetic. They could be compared in some ways to Crystal Castles or even MGMT, but their influences are more self-contained to the chemistry formed between the pair. Both come from respective musical backgrounds in folk and EDM, and there is a strong tension to draw from in their music. But more importantly, there is a feeling of all-seeing depth to their approach. A meta-dimension that is neither rooted in irony nor in self-proclamations of genius, one that is just there, looming in the corner of the dancefloor.

Even in the large crowd that had gathered, the intimacy that ear provoked made it feel like we were all suddenly together. This makes it easily my favourite discovery from this lineup, if not of the year. And if I knew ear before by scrolling through their album The Most Dear and The Future, the duo is now etched into my memory forever. ear summer?

breakcore / cloud rap / Hip Hop / Trap

Palomosa 2026: Lucy Bedroque’s Positive Rage

by Loic Minty

This year’s Palomosa festival became a proving ground for the young cloud/rage rappers that flooded the lineup. The music and emotions are somewhat different, though not much, but the formula and the intention are nearly identical. The rappers are in many ways detached from the music and instead focused on the crowd experience. How hype a show is really doesn’t depend on musicality as much as presence, style, and confidence, or what some would call “aura.” Rappers aren’t trying to disclose the fact that there’s a backing track, and no one cares, because while the beat plays, they’re yelling into an autotune mic to “open the pit up,” and you’re just trying to survive the frenzy of 17-year-olds who just discovered energy drinks. 

Yet, amongst the organized chaos and redundant motions, you can capture here and there, traces of raw creative energy that seep through. Lucy Bedroque’s was fundamentally positive. It was subtle, but immediate. Smiles spread throughout the crowd, and everyone seemed to relax, despite the mosh pits. Lucy Bedroque’s style, musical choices and visual references seemed to reference counter culture in the same way as Yves Tumor or Lil Uzi Vert, and less of the violence of “rage” like Travis Scott’s music. The New Yorker was smooth with it. He effortlessly drew the crowd’s attention with his wide eyes and frantic jumping, and his set held more space for slowness. It definitely felt more balanced overall than Xaviersobased or even the following act, Thaiboy Digital.

cloud rap / Hip Hop / Trap

Palomosa 2026: Xaviersobased Makes No Sense and That’s the Point

by Loic Minty

It’s difficult to say who felt more out of place during Friday’s Palomosa rollercoaster line-up: the Xaviersobased crowd watching Poison Girlfriend, or the Poison Girlfriend fans witnessing the epitome of Gen Z irony unravelling before their eyes. If neither could understand, both were amused. Being one of the youngest rappers to break out in recent years, Xaviersobased’s name has become synonymous with his generation’s embrace of absurdity. Between internet references, hand signs, and the cryptic semiotics in his visuals, his set felt like entering the pantheon of some alien culture. As he ran from side to side, screaming off beat into his autotune mic over bass-boosted rage beats, the entire festival’s vibe and crowd completely changed in the span of 10 minutes. 

From an outside perspective, it can be a steep curve to overcome the abrasive quality of his music, but for the people moshing, singing their hearts out, hanging onto every lyric, there’s a deep sense of cohesion that can be felt. As a niche internet celebrity first and foremost, seeing Xaviersobased in the flesh must be the equivalent of some great pilgrimage for the chronically online. 

During his hour-long set, he gave everything he had and the crowd responded. Circle pits formed, and people at the front were crushed against the fences. When his set ended, there wasn’t just a sense of relief, but also of satisfaction. As uncomfortable and incomprehensible as it was, it gave me a great sense of hope seeing another generation of artists create their very own movement. 

After the success of Nettspend and Shadow Wizard Money Gang last year, it makes sense that Palomosa capitalizes on the magnetic effect of these star-bound rappers. This year’s lineup was headlined with artists like Xaviersobased; Lucy Bedroque, Fakemink and Thaiboy Digital. Only time will tell if this is a passing trend, or the narrowing identity of this relatively new festival.

breakcore / Electro-Punk / Electronic

Palomosa 2026: Femtanyl is Digital Chaos

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

Femtanyl was probably one of the most unpredictable acts on the lineup. At first glance, the name immediately brings to mind fentanyl, which creates a certain unease and makes one wonder why they would choose such a heavy-handed reference for a musical project. But this ambiguity almost becomes a gateway into their raw, chaotic, yet deeply human world.
The duo—composed of Juno Callender on drums and Noelle Stockwood on vocals—offers a surprisingly simple yet extremely effective formula. The live drums provide an immediate physical energy, while the vocals cut through aggressive, saturated, glitchy digital textures. Their sound evokes digital hardcore, but with an almost euphoric dimension, as if the sonic violence also becomes a space for emotional release.

There is an “emo” quality to their performance in the most sincere sense of the word: a way of addressing real issues without trying to sugarcoat the emotion. Here, the aesthetic seems to emerge directly from emotional intensity rather than from an artificial construct. The visual and sonic chaos thus becomes a natural extension of the feelings expressed on stage. References to video games, digital interfaces, and glitch aesthetics play a major role in this universe. In an interview with BACKLIGHT, Noelle Stockwood mentions an interest in cyberpunk universes and video game music, which is clearly evident in the way their compositions create almost interactive atmospheres.
Beyond the noise and intensity, what stood out most was the band’s connection with the audience. There was a palpable focus on crowd etiquette, respect for others, and the creation of a safe space despite the concert’s explosive energy. The crowd’s movement seemed guided by the band’s intentions rather than by uncontrolled aggression. This sensitivity, linked in part to discussions about neurodiversity within their community, gave the concert a surprisingly caring atmosphere. Behind the digital chaos, there was above all a very clear desire to create a collective space where emotion could be fully experienced.

Photo by Play Fille

Bass House / Drum & Bass / Electro-Pop / Electronic / House / jungle / Pop

Palomosa 2026: Just Warming Up With Cirque Cosmic, Chippy Nonstop, and X-Coast

by Z Neto Vinheiras

Last Thursday, the 14th was the first day, a teasing warm-up for Palomosa festival, held at Jean Drapeau’s Park until Saturday. The short lineup attracted a loyal crowd of high-spirited Gen Z flocks prompt for the reveries of early and after hours. Cirque Cosmic opens the stage at Banque National – I only wish it were darker and later; a warm-up that deserved a warm-up. Drawing both continuum and momentum with grounding bass lines and EDM charms, it’s a real tease to start the night.

Passing it on to Chippy Nonstop, just a little bit faster, a little bit harder and extremely eclectic, blurring the boundaries between house, pop, ambient, dub, and bass. The crowd morphs from dancy and flexible to jumpy and bouncy. The only constraint about the first day is that it remains in the same spot pretty much all the time. For those who like to move around and have the experience from close and afar, Palomosa is a good hybrid in this sense—in the heart of Jean-Drapeau’s park and on a first day where the entry to the festival is done pretty swiftly with no queues, one could easily take a walk or a bike ride around the park and still be part of the reverie; the low frequency punches travelling through the green wet hills make an experience be mystic and worth of stories with the sonic-land-scape.

Back to the stage and directly from Dublin, Tommy Holohan is riding a crescendo with a classic drop formula, ecstatic and kinda romantic, the crowd concentrates the heat in the front by this time and we get into the emotional part of the night—from techno to jungle and rave, that’s an electric and nostalgic set under the rain just before the closure by Serbian-born and Brooklyn-based X-Coast, shining in their red vest and showcasing their versatility through techno, drum & bass and house, providing the needed discharge to tease it up for more the next day.

Photo of Cirque Cosmic by Play Fille

Palomosa 2026: Cannelle, a fashion icon DJ

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

At Palomosa, Cannelle gave the impression of already being a pop star even before anyone really knew her music. What strikes you first is her whole vibe: a certain presence, an attitude, a way of commanding the stage with a meta energy. There’s something very “fashion icon first” about her, a presence that evokes both European pop icons and the internet aesthetics of the Tumblr era. The crowd reacts immediately to this energy; an almost Boiler Room-like effect takes hold in the audience thanks to the intimate proximity to the singer.
Originally from a small village between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, now based in New York, Cannelle still strongly carries the cultural references of southern France in her approach. Marseille emerges as an important point of reference: a city associated with alternative scenes, marginal spaces, and a certain DIY culture that still nourishes several European artistic communities. In her interview with WIRES00, she discusses free parties, improvised dance spaces, and rave culture as spaces of collective freedom. This vision resonates particularly in Montreal’s current context, as many alternative venues are closing or becoming increasingly precarious, such as Parquette or Espace Durocher. Behind the highly controlled pop aesthetic, there is also a commitment to more underground forms of gathering.

Her work is also rooted in her deep involvement in the artistic direction of her projects. Visuals, clothing, internet references, and cinematic inspirations seem to be an integral part of her music rather than merely accompanying it. Traces of Michel Ocelot can be found in her world, particularly through the magical and hybrid imagination of princes and princesses, but also the influence of figures like Madonna in the way she uses femininity as performance, transformation, and the power of image. Cannelle thus constructs a pop style where music, fashion, and staging become inseparable, creating a character who seems to have emerged from the internet.
This coherence between image, music, and performance makes one especially eager to see how far this universe could be pushed in a more immersive context. In an alternative space or a more developed stage design, Cannelle’s aesthetic could take on an even stronger dimension, somewhere between a concert, a performance, and a visual installation.

FIMAV 2026 | Eric Chenaux Fades Out

by Alain Brunet

Recently, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Eric Chenaux’s recordings. His countertenor voice (or light tenor at times) allows him to interpret soaring melodies, very close to pop, soul, or jazz, with consonant harmonic choices. The accompaniment, however, is quite different from what such a voice and chords would normally suggest. The bass lines are atypical, dissonances are deliberately introduced into certain chords, and the textural choices contribute to an expression that straddles the line between conventional pop and experimental music.

The analog and digital filters juxtaposed with his guitar produce very different, somewhat off-kilter, almost caricatured sounds, while his colleague Ryan Driver plays softly on the piano, emitting mostly unique synthetic sounds. The sonic environment of these songs is rather conventional in terms of melody and harmony – modern jazz, classic soul, and pop.

For a festival finale, it might not have been the right time to present entirely new material—that is, four songs of about fifteen minutes each, wrapped in long improvisations over slow chord progressions. I firmly believe these new songs will find their way, but their initial performance could have been perplexing.

Some people, in fact, tuned out of these “love songs,” an expression put forward by the artistic director of FIMAV (Scott Thomson), probably without knowing who they were dealing with before showing up at this discovery concert… while others really enjoyed it and applauded warmly.

To achieve unanimity, a different dosage would have been appropriate in my opinion, but anyway, I continue to warmly recommend the music of Eric Chenaux, an absolutely unique creature.

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