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Atamone is an experienced Montréal-born Inuk music producer, multi-instrumentalist and multimedia artist involved in 3D animation, sound design and interactive media. He’s been crafting breezy, uplifting beats, incorporating elements of jazz, soul, hip hop, house and techno. His gear includes analog instruments and digital technologies but also instrumental music. He released music on labels Tour De Manege and Inner Ocean Records.
PAN M 360: After listening to your music, we observe that you are interested in boom-bap, instrumental hip-hop, jazz hip hop and other electronic influences.
Atamone: Yeah you can say that..And I’m also dabbling a little bit into house. More precisely, what I do is an exploration of underground culture and hip hop and dance music. Much of my influence comes from exploring different aspects of the underground culture as well as visual arts. When I was younger, I was really interested in graffiti street art, but I’ve fallen out of it. I mean, it’s still part of my background of course.
PAN M 360: So you were diving in the whole hip hop culture.
Atamone: Yeah. And collecting records as well, I’m also a jazz fan, it’s part of my identity.
PAN M 360: Do you create your own images for your live sets or DJ sets ?
Atamone: It could happen but I’m not performing a visual set this year.
PAN M 360: Is your live set performed with a VJ ?
Atamone: No It’s not. I’m not working with a VJ this year. I’m not sure if this stage where I play is set up for that.
PAN M 360: Okay, so it’s mainly music. That’s it?
Atamone: Yeah, it’s gonna be a live music performance with my gear.
PAN M 360: And then what is your gear?
Atamone: I’m using a hybrid between software and hardware, mainly using Ableton and my SP404 sampler drum machine.
PAN M 360: This your music fits very well with a live band too. We can also imagine instruments performing your music. So it would be possible.
Atamone: Yes, I’ve worked with bands before. And this time I will be accompanied by a bass player as well – his name is Jesse Manzini. Through my recordings, I can add instruments, guitar, bass, percussion. It’s driven humanistically and I also like to include it live.
Atamone: So will you perform on a digital pad at Mutek ?
Atamone: Yeah, exactly. I tap the pads to drums and pre-recorded rhythms. So it always gives a different result. It’s about interacting with the machine
PAN M 360: Your bio profile says that you were born and raised in Montreal and that you also have an Inuk background. Can you explain your family path ?
Atamone: For the most part of my life I lived in Montreal. But I also lived partly in Nunavut, in the Yellowknife area. But my community is actually from Northern Quebec, in Kuujjuaq.
PAN M 360: Maybe it’s not relevant but do you relate to your indigenous roots in your music craft ? Would it be important for you ?
Atamone: I mean, it’s not something I really thought about.
PAN M 360: It’s definitely not an obligation. Any human being can do artistically whatever he wants. An international artist doesn’t have to quote his traditional music in his original compositions.
Atamone: Yeah, exactly. I’m not I’m not bound to any style or tradition.
PAN M 360: Of course, we don’t expect you to bring some traditional songs into your electronic hip-hop. Where the artist comes from doesn’t mean what he does now.
Atamone: Yeah, exactly. What I do is mostly coming from an isolated place and struggling with finding other musicians to play with. So that’s how I got into composing with drum machines and samplers and software.
PAN M 360: You are among those producers that lead us to think that jazz hip hop is definitely back. You must enjoy the 90’s hip hop, from the late J Dilla to A Tribe Called Quest, Diggable Planets, Pharcyde and Jurassic Five.
Atamone: Yeah, absolutely. J Dilla is one of my biggest influences for sure. And I’ve been very fortunate to collaborate with my good friend Illa J, who is J Dilla brother.
PAN M 360: Wow ! So you’ve worked with him?
Atamone: Yeah I was fortunate to connect with him when he was living briefly in Montreal. Before he went back to Detroit, and now he’s in Las Vegas. But yeah, we’re still working together. I just recorded some instruments on his latest record.
PAN M 360: So you’re a producer and a multi instrumentalist aren’t you ?
Atamone: Yeah. What I do is pretty broad, it ranges from live beat making to DJing to multi instrumentalism to even doing acoustic performances. I’ve done some acoustic performances, accompanying singers as well. And even as far as ambient music, so like, musically, my musical interests are pretty wide. I’m pretty adaptable to the situation.
PAN M : When did you start to perform professionally ?
Atamone: I started my Atamone project in 2011, actually, so it’s gonna be 12 years in September. And that will be my second time at MUTEK; the first was 10 years ago.
PAN M 360: After all those years, do you make a living with your music ?
Atamone: It’s been really hard actually since the pandemic. But like before the pandemic I was, we’re playing events pretty regularly. Weekly. I was part of Tour de Manege crew in Montreal as well and played weekly in a pub, so it was manageable. And then, since the pandemic, it wasn’t happening so I decided to return back to school in visual arts and 3D animation. I’m looking forward to slowing down a little bit during the autumn and winter seasons to really focus on applying that practice into my performance. That’s my next project.
PAN M 360: And musically, what is the next step ?
Atamone: There will be a 7 tracks album, that’s ready to go and I’ve just released a single, early August from that album, and I’ll be releasing another single. And then the album will come up pretty soon. Right now I try to expand my music catalog, sonically, exploring different genres and bpm, more into techno and house.
ATAMONE IS PERFORMING LIVE at Expérience 6 on Sunday, esplanade Tranquille
