Shabazz Palaces, the famous “abstract” hip-hop project led by Ishmael Butler, is currently preparing the release of a new album, Robed in Rareness, to be released on October 27 on Sub Pop. In the meantime, the Seattle-based outfit makes a stop in Montreal this Friday to perform at Entrepôt 77. We spoke to Ishmael Butler about his unique discography and his upcoming show as part of the Montreal Pop Festival on September 29.
PAN M 360: The Don of Diamond Dreams was released at the very beginning of COVID-19’s arrival in North America. Has anything changed in your artistic approach since then?
Ishmael Butler: Not radically. I’m still touring, I’m still playing… During the pandemic, I practiced a lot on bass, guitar and keyboard, so… Nothing’s really changed, except that I’m learning more, I’m a little more comfortable, a little more skilled. Obviously, I’ve watched more films, listened to more music. I just learned and integrated the things I learned as I went along, you know what I mean? But nothing decisive like… oh this happened or that happened! No, nothing like that.
PAN M 360: What can you tell us about the album Illusions Ago, which was produced in collaboration with Lavarr the Starr. It’s also the first release on your own Glass Cane label.Who is Lavarr the Starr and how did this collaboration come about?
Ishmael Butler: I met Lavarr at a Shabazz concert in Detroit.He was too young to get into the room, so he waited outside and talked to me for a little while. An impressive young man!He told me he loved music and sent me some of his compositions.I’d been wanting to collaborate with him and help him release his music for some time, as I liked his singing and rapping style, as well as his production style.So I was able to help him shape his work, pay for a better studio and enable him to release his album on Glass Cane Records.
PAN M 360: You’ll soon be releasing a new album, Robed in Rareness.What musical ideas or themes inspired these new songs?
Ishmael Butler: You know… Robed in Rareness has a lot of features. I let the people on it make the songs their own. I don’t do a lot of collaborations like that, not because I don’t like a lot of artists, but because I feel the collaborations are very intimate. I don’t feel at ease with musicians as quickly as others.
These are people I’ve known for years. Now I collaborate with them, including my son Lil Tracy, O Finess, Porter Ray and Royce The Choice.These are people I’ve known and been around music for a long time. They’re my friends and I wanted to put them forward and show the diversity of my production skills.So that’s what Robed in Rareness and the next album, due out in January, are all about: collaborations.
PAN M 360: Your music has a calming effect, immediately evoked by the repeated “Slow Down” at the start of Binoculars. Is this something you’re conscious of when composing and producing?
Ishmael Butler: I think it’s my instinct, because a lot of the music I like, I feel that way.So I think it’s a taste, an instinct, a predisposition, a characteristic of the things I like in art. Painting, cinema, dance, things that are soft, strong and distinct… but also a bit chill.
PAN M 360: Lese Majesty will soon be 10 years old. From the fans’ point of view, this album is already a classic.What are your impressions when you look back on this album?Does it have any special significance for you?
Ishmael Butler: I think so. Shabazz Palaces was sort of the second or third act of my career. I never thought I’d be making music commercially again. I was making this music at home, as a hobby, and then I self-published it. Thanks to these self-produced albums, I was able to sign a contract with Sub Pop and release the first album Black Up. So Lese Majesty was like a solidification of this second act in my career – after Digable Planets. I’m proud of it and it’s exciting to think about. I like a lot of the songs, you know? It’s a great moment for me in my career.
Pan M 360: What can fans expect at your next Pop Montreal show? Will you be performing mostly Robed in Rareness, or perhaps some more recent material?
Ishmael Butler: It’s songs from all the Shabazz albums. When I play, I don’t like to do the songs the way I did them on the album. We try to use the album as a starting point and do something new and creative… and familiar, but also put a new spin on what’s already been released so people get something cool, not just a performance of something they’ve heard before.
PAN M 360: Will you be accompanied by musicians or other artists?
Ishmael Butler: There will be five of us on stage.
PAN M 360: A few words for Montreal fans?
Shabazz Palaces: I’ve been to Montreal four or five times and I’ve always had a good time. I really like the city, the atmosphere… I’ve been to a few afterparties and been able to fraternize… and really be charmed by the city.When we found out we were coming here, everyone was excited.I think it’s going to be a good gig.I know we’re going to bring a lot of positive energy and a lot of excitement on our part, so I hope we have a good exchange and a good concert.
There are not many artists one would prefer to see play alone rather than with a band, but Bonnie “Prince” Billy, or Will Oldham as he is known to some, is surely one of them. Since the 90’s, Mr. Oldham has amassed many a loyal subject with his poetic soul and his troubadour heart. His latest album, Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You, is out via Drag City.
PAN M 360: Hey Will, thanks a lot for taking the time. Since you’re playing POP Montreal, I thought I’d ask what your relationship with the city is like. Do you have any particular feelings towards it, strong or otherwise?
Will Oldham: Well I haven’t been to Montreal in a really, really long time. One thing that’s kept me significantly from performing in Canada, as much as I would like, is very simply that the border crossings can be daunting. You know, I respect anybody throwing up barriers to the free passage of Americans, but it just does make it a little challenging.
I feel like my last memory of playing Montreal might have even been maybe with Mick Turner when we were opening for Godspeed You Black Emperor! And that must have been 20 years ago now, when we were playing songs off our Get on Jolly EP.
I think there was another Montreal-based band with us, I can’t remember the name. PAN something?
PAN M 360: You might be thinking of Fly Pan Am, they’ve been around since the 90’s. So it’s been a while, and it’s very exciting to have you here.
Will Oldham: Thank you and I’m very excited to play. I’ve just actually come off the road with an artist from Quebec, Myriam Gendron. We just toured Texas together. It was beyond delightful, and so it’s nice to come to a place that I haven’t been to in a while, you know, somewhat in good musical shape as well.
PAN M 360: I suppose you must be pretty warmed up touring the album all around.
Will Oldham: Yeah, just been playing this fall specifically, but even before making the record, I was kind of touring the songs. That’s something I’d never really done before, and so I’ve been playing these songs for about a year and a half or something like that.
PAN M 360: Does that lead to a different approach in the studio once you’ve played your material on tour a bunch?
Will Oldham: Absolutely it does. Yeah, because oftentimes I’ll think that it’s my part of my job to bring a new song to the studio and explore it significantly there. But this time I took advantage of the fact that I really knew these songs. And so it was more like, well, what’s the best way to present these songs that I know? And that gave me a different kind of power, I’ll have to say, and one that I appreciate. And should the world continue to, even on the most fringe levels, accept full length records as valid currency for people’s music listening, that’s something that I’ll probably attempt to do again.
PAN M 360: Well you’ve touched on something I wanted to speak about. As someone who’s been making music for more than two decades now, are you having a hard time navigating the changing tides? Music and art generally seems to be more and more dispensable.
Will Oldham: I do find it frightening and disturbing the way we seem to be consuming music these days. Frightening because I know that what I do for a living is make records and that seems to be becoming somewhat of an arcane occupation. I hope to have decades left on this planet, but I’m not exactly sure what to do with those decades since I understand that it’s not a line of work anymore. You know, it’s like a cobbler or something, and one day there will be people who say you know anybody making records around here? Yeah, I know an old guy who lives up on that hill in that blue house.
Nowadays we are willfully saying, I want this thing that sustains me, that I can be my most vulnerable self with, actively mediated and monitored by corporate interests and not only that, but you’re listening on a device that interrupts you with a text, with a phone call, with a software update, with whatever. And so it does, to me, point to a different relationship to experiencing music. And I can understand that artists now, whether they’re just starting or if they’ve been around for a long time, might be having some difficulty in, you know, feeling like their recorded work is as valuable as possible.
PAN M 360: Going back to your touring, how have you found the reception for Keeping Secrets?
Will Oldham: You know I worked and worked on these songs and I didn’t know anything about them, because you don’t know anything about the songs until you begin to perform them for people, or until people start to be able to hear them. And so with this, when I started performing these songs prior to recording them and getting strong responses from the audience during the shows and after, either directly after or in the weeks and months after through messages or letters or what have you. I realised where some of the strengths of some of the songs were and that the time and attention that went into building the songs was time and attention well spent in these circumstances.
PAN M 360: So how do you curate a setlist? Are you trying to strike a balance between older, more well-known material, while trying to get some newer songs in there?
Will Oldham: I mean, I usually write the set an hour or so before the show. I understand that there is undeniable value to, you know, playing to if not playing with expectations, right?
One of the first times I did these new songs was in San Francisco where I did a night where it was 90% new songs. And the audience was very happy and that was huge, a huge experience because nobody had heard the songs, they hadn’t been recorded yet and it was the show, that was the show. So, it made me feel, and I still feel like I have a responsibility towards understanding that there are well-founded expectations of any performer, unless you’re explicit about what it is that’s going to be presented. So that’s really important.
But generally it’s based on well, you know, what’s what’s going to be good tonight? Like that one won’t be good tonight, so I’ll just won’t do it. You know, this might be good. And even though I don’t really want to do it and the audience might not want to hear it, I have a feeling it might work, so I’m going to put it on the setlist anyway.
PAN M 360: You have so much to choose from.
Will Oldham: Yeah a lot. There’s some songs that I would need to practice. Sometimes I’ll take a request from the audience and I’ll just have no idea. I’ve never heard of that song. I’ll have to look it up on the internet after the show and learn it.
PAN M 360: Have you mostly been performing the material solo?
Will Oldham: Yeah, and part of that decision even had to do with just thinking, well, if I go out solo, then I’m limiting my potential virus exposure to the world and I won’t have to care for, you know, if somebody in the band decides to go out to a bar after the show and then destroys the entire tour because they decided to do that. I do have to leave out some songs but it does come to some kinds of greater flexibility, especially when it comes to set construction.
I’ve just started to rehearse with another musician here in town for the next set of shows in a couple of weeks. And that’s feeling really good. But, you know, I used to be intimidated by solo performing, because I relied so heavily on the energies and ideas with musicians as it happens on stage, and then I learned to treat the audience as a large group of individuals or a small group of individuals as active collaborators in the space.
PAN M 360: I’m having a hard time imagining ‘Bananas’ without the harmony part, you know?
Will Oldham: Ha, I know that’s actually like the only song on the record that I’ve never performed in front of an audience because I rely on that and so we’re gonna we’re gonna do it in a couple of weeks in the southwestern United States because this guy I’m playing with he’s like I’ll sing it I’ll sing it I’ll sing the bananas.
But the greatest handicap of performing with other people is that, you know, It’s just logistically can be unwieldy at times. But I also think back to when my listening was taking shape or even now, listening to lots of Nina Simone, not to make any comparisons at all, but listening to, there’s one record of hers called Nina Simone and Piano. And it’s bare and it’s perverse and strange and it’s kind of my favourite full-length record that I’ve heard. So it’s cool to think that other people might have the same appreciation for me, especially because it doesn’t seem to fit in with how, you know, what people, when you see lists or hear people in shareable forms of media. When you hear about music out there, none of it seems to resemble anything in which there’s any vulnerability, in which there’s any intimacy, in which there’s any unpredictability. Those things don’t seem to fit into the taste that we’re told are the driving forces behind our culture. but so it’s really rewarding to see from people when people are happy to be in a room with a performer who’s putting something on the line I guess.
PAN M 360: Well there’s definitely a lot of that going on at POP Montreal, and we’re very thrilled to see you, thanks again Will.
Photo credit : Crystina Pelletier
As the pioneer of “Inuindie” music, Deer is an Inuit role model who tells traditional stories from her community and shares her personal stories as an advocate for mental health. Her latest album, Shifting, reflects on the continuous changes in her life, the human desire to survive, and the nature of love.
PAN M 360: Can you tell us what it means for you to sing in an “Inuindie” style?
Beatrice Deer: It’s natural for me to write lyrics in Inuktitut because it’s my mother tongue. It’s the language I grew up with and I still speak it today, even if I live in the city. As for the indie style, it’s just a genre I like. It also comes naturally.
PAN M 360: What do you like about the indie genre?
Beatrice Deer: I just like the way it sounds. No deeper explanation than that.
PAN M 360: How would you say singing in Inuktitut compares to singing in English or French?
Beatrice Deer: Because it’s my mother tongue, I have more confidence in what I’m saying. The meanings feel like they’re deeper to me. With English or French, which are my second languages, I still trust what I’m saying but it’s not the same level of trust with the vocabulary, definitions, and sentiments.
PAN M 360: I know that a lot of your repertoire renders traditional Inuit stories. What kinds of stories do you enjoy exploring?
Beatrice Deer: There are so many Inuit legends that I’ve heard, and the ones that I interpret are the ones that touched or shocked me. Inuit legends and myths are pretty dark and there are a lot of them. Fox, for example, I first heard when I was in grade one from my aunty, who was my teacher. It mesmerized me when I heard it – I remembered being awed by this fox turning into a woman. When I became an adult and I was trying to write songs I remembered the story and understood it better. My song Fox was actually written by Johnny Griffin, a Montreal singer-songwriter.
PAN M 360: What about that story awed you? And what do you understand better about it now?
Beatrice Deer: From what I remember when I was only six years old, I thought it was pretty magical that a fox could transform into a woman. She stayed with this hunter and did housewife things like preparing food, cleaning, and sewing. As an adult, knowing the full story better, it has a dark ending where the hunter kills the fox because she ran away from him.
PAN M 360: What appeals to you about the darkness and the legends of the myths?
Beatrice Deer: It’s not something that I’m attracted to, it’s just the aspect of storytelling as an Inuk because storytelling was such a big part of our culture. That’s what I want to keep doing and preserving, not necessarily the dark ending of the legend. Singing is just my way of continuing storytelling.
PAN M 360: You’re very open at your concerts and speaking engagements about having overcome a lot of obstacles in your life and musical career. Can you tell us about some of what you’ve overcome?
Beatrice Deer: I’m sober since July 2011. I used to have an alcohol dependency and I made a choice to quit drinking completely. I wasn’t a big drug user but I also decided that I didn’t want to do that either. As with many Indigenous and Inuit people, there’s a lot of loss in our family through suicide and tragic deaths. That’s part of intergenerational trauma that we’ve lived through stemming from colonization. It’s still something we experience to this day: we have a high rate of suicide among our people
PAN M 360: How do you address that in your music?
Beatrice Deer: I don’t specifically say it in my lyrics, but I talk a lot about the hardships that I’ve experienced and lived. I talk about how I’ve had suicidal thoughts before, and how I felt hopeless. In the songs, I write about hope and finding my path, my calling, my purpose.
PAN M 360: That’s kind of reflected in your latest album, Shifting, which is a lot about “the process of becoming in life.” You say specifically in the abstract that you’re in a period of shifting from one period to another. How do you see your life and path shifting now?
Beatrice Deer: I see life as always changing. It shouldn’t be stagnant because we’re supposed to be evolving into our true, authentic selves. If we’re not then there’s a problem, so I’m always in the pursuit of trying to understand myself better. If I’m in a place mentally, emotionally, and physically that I don’t want to be in, I always try to question that – I ask why it’s like that and how I can move from there to where I want to be. If it’s emotional I seek advice from therapists and people I trust. If it’s physical ailments then I talk to my doctor and look for ways to feel better. I always try to stay proactive.
PAN M 360: What does it mean for you to be able to perform at concerts like POP Montreal?
Beatrice Deer: It’s great because I know POP is very reputable. It’s great that they support me as an artist and an Inuk. I’m very much looking forward to it. I like playing in Montreal because it’s where I live.
PAN M 360: Do you feel that being able to perform at these shows gives you the ability to present yourself as a figure for your community?
Beatrice Deer: Because of the advocacy work I do in promoting mental health, emotional health, and sobriety, I’m seen as a role model by my fellow Inuit and I’m very honoured to be seen that way. So I guess?
PAN M 360: Thank you so much for your time. We wish you all the best with your concerts and speaking engagements.
Beatrice Deer will perform on September 30 at Théâtre Outremont at 8 PM. INFO AND TICKETS HERE.
The legendary German electronic band, Tangerine Dream, is on its way to Montreal! With more than half a century of history, around 100 published albums, and a penchant for improvisation, Tangerine Dream’s shows are wildly unpredictable and invigorating.
PAN M 360: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a million times over, but where did the name Tangerine Dream come from?
Thorsten Quaeschning (band leader, keyboards, guitar, drums): There are a couple of different answers and we’re not sure which one is right for today because there is no right one. Maybe it’s a Dali painting. It sounds like something from a Beatles song. It’s a sort of weed or grass. Or it’s just a good name. I’m feeling number three today.
Paul Frick (keyboards): One anecdote that’s unconfirmed and maybe not true is that the founding members misunderstood lyrics from Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
PAN M 360: It’s good to have a little mystery around the band. It makes things interesting. Further to that, you’ve been around for a long time – you’re nearing your 56th year soon – but all the founding members have been gone since Edgar Froese passed away in 2015. How would you say that you’re all keeping the spirit of the band alive?
Thorsten Quaeschning: Most of the founding members left in ’67 except Edgar. It’s between an honour and a feeling of pressure to be part of this kind of history, but it feels great on so many levels. The concept from Edgar was that the band could last for hundreds of years since the concept is more than just a single member.
Paul Frick: Thorsten’s been in the band for 20 years and I’m the newest member, around 3 years now. I’m here because Thorsten trusted me to. In one way, we pay a lot of tribute to old pieces from the 70s and 80s, as well as the 2000s and afterwards, by just playing them with different set lists every night. We play them in our own sound – we respect the pieces but they don’t sound exactly like they used to on the old records. Obviously, for us, it’s important to still look into the future and not become a museum. The most important means to do that is to perform a free, instant composition session after every fixed program. We, of course, try to pay tribute to the legacy but we’re also more spontaneous, daring.
PAN M 360: You have a lot of genres that you’ve experienced, from surreal krautrock to progressive electronic, and you’ve also dipped into lyrical and classically inspired songs a lot. How do you keep coming up with fresh ideas when you’ve already explored so many musical concepts?
Thorsten Quaeschning: The idea over the last year has been to go back to pure electronic music combined with an electronic violin. Going to the core and taking everything from the 70s and 80s combined with today’s technology and the expertise of everyone in the band. You have a palette of colours to choose from and it’s easy to take more of a classical approach or a psychedelic mood with all the fixed scales and drumming sequences. The idea of creating music from the moment also evokes the environment of the day: the venue, the size, the seating, and the audience.
Paul Frick: On this tour, what Thorsten does is find the greatest resonance for the low bass. Whatever will make the ground shake in the most beautiful way will be used as the ground tone, and then we choose a BPM. In terms of old or new, a big pleasure of making music with Thorsten and Hoshiko Yamane (violin/viola, cello) at Thorsten’s Berlin studio is that there are all these synthesizers from different decades. Some are very old and were used on old Tangerine Dream records, and some are very new combined with new software. It’s not a dogma type of thing where we do everything with the old stuff, but it’s there and we can use it in new ways – music technology has progressed a lot in the past decade, and we feel very lucky to be able to use it all at once. We have so many colours available.
PAN M 360: Tell me about some of these colours that went into your latest album, Raum.
Thorsten Quaeschning: Raum was recorded during the pandemic. If there was one good part about it, it’s that it gave us a chance to focus on just the music for more than a year without being distracted playing live concerts. We spent so much time together in one room trying to find the right sound. We learned from the sessions we played every night and we played with all the music happening at the same time and interacting, where normally in studios you record track by track. We morphed the sounds into each other. If everything’s running at the same time you tweak things in a different way while editing. That was the idea of Raum.
PAN M 360: Is Raum the main thing on your agenda for your upcoming POP Montreal performance?
Thorsten Quaeschning: It’s a big part of it because it works well in live situations. That show will be a combination of 70s music – nothing before ‘74 because it was probably never meant to be reproduced on stage, so normally between ‘74 and ’87. Then we skip more than a decade and start from 2005 on.
Paul Frick: The set list isn’t decided just yet but there will be a few pieces from the new album.
PAN M 360: Why would you say it’s important for you to perform at POP Montreal specifically?
Thorsten Quaeschning: I think we played there before in 2012 or 2014. It’s an unbelievably great festival with a good-sounding hall. It’s great to be back in Canada and especially in Montreal, which has had a great musical heritage for years.
Paul Frick: Montreal is also concert number 17 of 19 on our tour. Now we’re sitting in Philadelphia.
PAN M 360: Of course, Canada’s been far from the only stop on your tour. What have been some of the highlights while going across the west?
Thorsten Quaeschning: The day before yesterday we played with Julie Slick in Seattle. Austin and San Francisco were great, as was the first in Miami.
Paul Frick: So far, we’ve had three invited session guests. We try to give them room to highlight them because there’s always a surprising dynamic with them. We’ve had Steve Roach, Robert Rich, and Julie Slick.
PAN M 360: Is there a guest for the POP Montreal show?
Thorsten Quaeschning: Not yet, but there could be! Sometimes it’s spontaneous. We know a lot of people, but often we’re not sure where they live or where they’re located in North America. With Julie Slick we were just calling her, and with our luck, she was playing in the city we were in the day after. It’s a privilege to know all these people.
PAN M 360: We bet you’re also quite excited to head back to Germany for the series of concerts you’ll be doing there in October.
Thorsten Quaeschning: Yeah, we have two days off to sort some things and then the rest of the month will be concerts. The first one is on the 10th until the 30th, then we have five days off before the UK and Poland.
PAN M 360: We hope you can catch a little bit of a break between all those performances! Thanks for your time.
Tangerine Dream will perform on October 1st at l’Olympia at 8PM. INFO AND TICKETS HERE.
After seducing major orchestra audiences with a symphonic version of its recent repertoire, notably at the OSM in autumn 2021, Montreal ensemble Bell Orchestre returns to its original formula, without orchestral additions. Presented this Thursday at Pop Montréal, this instrumental music singularly embraces indie pop, but also post-minimalism, jazz, prog and electronica. Richard Reed Parry won’t be talking about Arcade Fire in this case, but rather about this increasingly less parallel flagship project, which has been his passion for many years.
PAN M 360 : How are you Richard?
Richard Reed Parry : Alright, just recovering from having COVID for the second time.
PAN M 360 : Yeah I remember that you had the long COVID during the pandemic . So you’re recovering?
Richard Reed Parry : Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Just kind of low energy, but okay. It wasn’t too bad.
PAN M 360 : So you’re actually rehearsing. What material exactly?
Richard Reed Parry : We only we only performed this once in Montreal with MSO, 2 years ago. So we’re just doing it this time with our ensemble, just us. We’ll also play some other old school pieces, too. And we’re in the middle of writing a bunch of new stuff, but we’re not, we’re not going to play any new stuff this time.
PAN M 360 : Without the symphonic arrangements, did you perform this material yet?
Richard Reed Parry: Not here, we played a few shows in Europe. So we can do it both ways now. And it’s, it’s cool. It’s very different both ways.
PAN M 360 : What are the main differences?
Richard Reed Parry : We can be sure a little looser, in a good way, we don’t have to worry about the orchestra getting lost. It’s such a bizarre way to have conceived the record. And then because it’s like the most loose way to write and record music, and then you go to the absolute tightest way of performing, which is with an orchestra where everything has to be measured. So musically there are so many little weird details then length of phrases and other things you have to replicate every time. But these are also kind of improvisational accidents in some parts, and okay, we’re taking this part longer, shorter, whatever. So it’s nice to be able to be back in that mindset and not have to be super uptight about where we are at every single bar.
PAN M 360 : Yeah this music process is as its own specificity so it has to be considered in the interpretation.
Richard Reed Parry: Yeah, absolutely. With the orchestra, we really have to be, say, more uptight, but we really must stay tuned in to exactly where we are rather than be close to the improvisational moments. So basically, the form of the whole thing is close to the recordings. And it’s still like the long arc during a live concert, but we can run with things for longer periods of time, if we’re really feeling something. Okay, we stay in the zone and we wait, okay, someone will give a signal and we move on to the next part, rather than we have to be watching the conductor when we play with a symphony orchestra. In another way, we must stay super aware all the time. In the context of the only band, our drummer is really juggling things, for example electronic percussive loops and other things that has to be really lined up for him. And then he’s cueing everybody and taking cues and a lot more of a wrestling match for the orchestra. Anyways, in the context of the only ensemble, it’s to be a little more relaxed.
PAN M 360 : So what is the line-up?
Richard Reed Parry : This is the same line-up we have for Pietro Amato ( french horn, keyboards, electronics), Michael Feuerstack (pedal steel guitar, keyboards, vocals), Kaveh Nabatian (trumpet, gongoma, keyboards, vocals), Sarah Neufeld (violin, vocals), Stefan Schneider (drums) and myself (bass, vocals).
PAN M 360 : Then after, you are about to create a new corpus of pieces.
Richard Reed Parry : We’re kind of in mid mid stream with a lot of a lot of new material. But we’re developing everything a little bit all the time, so nothing is close to being finished. But we will all be working together in November, we’re gonna be doing some work on this one new stuff. So it’ll be an album within a year. A few members are now parents, it’s our biggest challenge to make it happen.
PAN M 360 : Other projects?
Richard Reed Parry : I’m doing I’ve been really doing a lot of that I’ve got like, two, two features, kind of big, big features that are both coming out in the winter in December, and then scoring another documentary. Right now. I have two more River of Dust volumes that are almost done. I have this string trio (with Sarah Neufeld on violin, Rebecca Foon on cello, me on upright bass) that I made two years ago during the pandemic that’s finally going to come out sometime this winter. It’s going to be one little independent, is going to put it out. Also there will be this project I started with my friend Dallas Good of the Sadies. When he died (winter ot 2022), I tried to finish it with close friends and artists like the great Buffy Sainte Marie. So yeah, like my hands are very, very full. A lot of music.
Vancouver-based spoken word hip hop artist K!mmortal is coming to Toronto and Montreal this week! These two shows are at the tail-end of her East Coast North American tour, which aims to promote gender inclusivity and raise awareness about mental illness.
PAN M 360: Tell us about your journey as a musician. What brought you to where you are today?
K!mmortal: I do all the arts – I’ve been performing in theatre since I was a kid, I used to be in hip hop dance – and music acts as kind of an umbrella for me to use all my mediums, to create a universe. I got into a lot of spoken word poetry when I was hitting up open mics. One of the first places I ever performed in was an open mic in east Vancouver called Back to the Source, where I met a lot of artists in the local scene. It was started by Gabriel Teodros, an Ethiopian Seattle MC and one of my inspirations that really kickstarted me in writing my own rhymes – I’m really influenced by the artists and activists I grew up around in Vancouver. He’s one of my good friends now and we just finished up a show in Tacoma.
PAN M 360: Speaking of your tour, “This Dyke Tour” is a pretty provocative name for a series of shows. Why use a term that might upset some people?
K!mmortal: It’s all about reclamation. Even when I released the track Instagram banned it – my team and I worked around it, coding the “Y” in dyke. But it’s all about reclamation. For us, who identify as dykes, we have every right to use the word, especially with everything that’s happening now with queer and trans youth being oppressed. The track too is a sexy song for dykes and queers. It was definitely an intentional move.
PAN M 360: Can you tell me about where your spoken word hip-hop style comes from?
K!mmortal: I’m inspired by radical hip hop. I grew up listening to Bambu, Gabriel Teodros, Blue Scholars, Bobby Sanchez – these are trans black and brown MCs and lyricists. I’m drawn to them because I’m queer and brown myself. When I heard their music, I felt it reflected me even though they were telling their own stories. I resonated with them.
PAN M 360: How do you feel like that style helps you tell your own story?
K!mmortal: It’s forthright, honest, narrative… It’s grounded in liberation and empowerment.
PAN M 360: You address a lot of heavy topics, including abuse, mental health, and discrimination, through the lens of empowerment in your latest album, Shoebox. What’s the impetus behind that?
K!mmortal: Shoebox is my third and most personalalbum and I wanted to share my own story through it. I talk a lot about supporting family members dealing with mental illness. Also supporting myself through mental illness. It starts with heavy topics but it’s a journey. Ancient is all about painting a picture of where me and my ancestors are from. Then it travels time to where I grew up in Surrey, BC. It starts from a powerful place of darkness and throughout the album, it expands into light. When I named it “shoebox” I was thinking of a box of memories, from personal memories to experiences I’ve had with my friends and family. Some of the songs are 10 years old, and some were produced three weeks before I released the album.
PAN M 360: What else would you say factors into your “multi-dimensional” approach to music? You make your album covers, for example, out of artistic dioramas.
K!mmortal: I created this album over the pandemic when I was trying to have fun again with art. I was playing with clay, scribbling, doodling, and animating music videos, and I really wanted to have fun with this album so This Dyke’s music video is a claymation animation by a queer Filipina animator in Vancouver, NoFace. The album cover is also claymation with me in the crevice of a tree native to the Philippines. It’s a balete tree and it’s connected to a lot of Filipino folklore and horror stories. I’m also influenced by theatre because I grew up acting. The character in this album is like my inner child, a playful K!mmortal, so I’m always wearing overalls on stage that my friend made for me. I’ve been wearing them on tour, which is a lot of fun.
PAN M 360:You were pretty busy in the US, going from Washington to Oregon to California.
K!mmortal: This is my first West Coast tour and it’s been incredible because I’ve met people who have been listening to me for years. I’m like ‘Wow, my music has travelled.’ The Bay Area was my favourite show. The last time I performed there was in 2016 and I performed in a historic Filipino theatre. It was packed, there were a bunch of queers and one of my favourite MCs, Bobby Sanchez, came out. People brought gifts. Some travelled hours to see me. They were telling me how my music helped them in hard times, and they gave me triple the energy of any audience I’ve had. I’m really happy that people fuck with me here. I really want to come back, and I want to hit up the east next time.
PAN M 360: You’re also planning two more shows in Toronto and Montreal. What are you looking forward to there?
K!mmortal: Torontois a reunion show with Maxhole, who’s releasing their debut album. I haven’t seen them since 2018. It’s also a reunion with Eyeda Sophia. They’re incredible. And at POP Montreal I’m performing with Vancouver-based artist Naudh. I’m excited to connect with my friends at these Canadian shows!
PAN M 360: We hope you have a great time reuniting with them. Good luck with your shows!
For information and tickets (Friday Sept 29, 8 PM) , click HERE
If you’re a lover of insane freakout psych rock, you’ve probably seen or at least heard of Frankie and the Witch Fingers—a genre-bending chimera that has just dropped their seventh full-length, Data Doom. On this record, the gruesome foursome sounds doomy as sin with heavy fuzzed-out riffs, banshee-like delayed croons and growls, nihilistic lyrics, and Zambian rock-inspired instrumental rhythms.
Right from the first few minutes of the opener “Empire,” you get the feeling Frankie and the Witch Fingers knew exactly what they were doing. For a band who hates talking about musical influences, they certainly pull a lot from other bands, the obvious connection being Osees (who have been doing the freak fuzz thing longer) but on Data Doom, there are also hints of groups like Talking Heads, W.I.T.C.H., and even The Jam.Yes even though they will probably always be compared to Osees, you’d be a fool to only loop in Frankie and the Witch Fingers with that band. They are their own whacky entity.
Data Doom has the band stronger than ever, with a newer rhythm section in the bass player, Nikki “Pickle” Smith (Death Valley Girls) drummer, Nick Aguilar (Mike Watt, a punk legend),and core founding members, Dylan Sizemore (vocals and guitar) and Josh Menashe (lead guitar, synths. We had a chance to chat with the whole band as they drove to Montreal for POP about Data Doom‘s hidden vinyl cipher and why they think AI in music is hilarious and not to be feared.
PAN M 360: You guys are halfway through the tour already. Is the energy down by now or is it always fully amped?
Josh Menashe: Last night was in Washington DC and it was a really fun show. We played with Wine Lips and it was a great crowd with great energy.
Dylan Sizemore: I’d say halfway through the tour we’re feeling pretty good. We had a day off which was great for everyone and the day off usually gets me going back to work. It’s kind of like an ebb and flow. You have to try and eat healthy and get some good sleep.
PAN M 360: So it’s safe to say you guys aren’t partying after every show? It’s like play the show, say hi to fans, go to sleep, and then do it all over again?
Nick Aguilar: Yeah like don’t get me wrong. I think we all like to party a little bit. But at the end of the day, this is our way of life and we’ve got to treat it like a job. A lot of times we’re generally really tired after our shows and most of the time, we just kind of want to go to bed and get some more rest for the next day. Strategic partying is the name of the game.
Nikki “Pickle” Smith: Yes! Strategic partying.
PAN M 360: Makes sense for sure. Let’s talk about Data Doom. Is the theme that tech is slowly or quickly killing us?
Dylan Sizemore: I think the theme is that tech is doing stuff and whether it be bad or good, not be numb to the fact that it is changing us at a rapid pace.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers / James Duran
PAN M 360: So going off of that, what do you think about AI now being used in music? Like artists using AI to echo a specific sound or artist?
Nick Aguilar: Personally, I think it’s hilarious (the whole van laughs). I don’t really think anyone in their right mind is ever going to take artificial intelligent music seriously, in any regard. I think it has its place in certain certain markets, but in music, I don’t know. I think it’s kind of a joke.
Nikki “Pickle” Smith: I agree. I think you’re never gonna be able to use technology to replicate the human soul. Art and music is really tapped into the human soul. So when it’s something that’s not real, it’s just a tool for artists. And I think it’ll get used more and more, but I think it’s not a threat to taking our jobs away from creative people. Like you’ll never be able to replicate that.
Josh Menashe: I actually read that they’re working on soul recreation so we might be screwed (everyone laughs).
PAN M 360: Yeah AI created souls.
Josh Menashe: Yeah it’s a thing.
PAN M 360: That kind of goes into one of my questions about the lyric “I believe in the human race / Does anyone else ever feel this way.” Dylan, where was your head when you wrote that lyric in “Electricide?”
Dylan Sizemore: It kind of came from that realization that yeah, everything’s fucked but we can still do something about it. It’s like every day, we’re just thrown more nihilistic things to think about.
PAN M 360: And so singing that lyric every night, do you feel maybe less nihilistic about it and I guess ‘believe in the human race?’
Dylan Sizemore: I do believe in the human race, but it’s more of an awareness, but it also doesn’t matter. It’s kind of funny, like do something about it or don’t y’know?
Nikki “Pickle” Smith: I will say that seeing the fans singing along with the songs does make me feel more optimistic.
PAN M 360: Your shows are always known to be full of energy and just nuts. So do you guys really dial in that energy at your shows or is it different every time?
Josh Menashe: I feel like it really, it’s really a reflection of the audience. It’s like, we put out this energy, and it goes right back to them, we’re kind of just playing with this ball of energy. And the crazier the crowd gets, the more like fast-paced rocker songs you want to make. And it kind of just loops and feeds itself.
Nick Aguilar: I think it’s safe to say that individually, we never phone it in. Unless like one of us having like a really tired or bad day, you know, we’re always, we’re always giving it like 100%, for the most part. But as the audience is going just as hard as we are, it’s probably safe to say that we’re gonna go harder and encourage like, more energy and lively activity in the audience. And DC was a good example of that, you know, there were probably about like, a little over 200 people, and like the whole front row was a bunch of younger people just like singing along, jumping around. And like that made us play, I feel, a lot harder and a lot better.
PAN M 360: So it’s definitely like a give and take from the audience and you guys playing. Do you guys prefer playing in smaller rooms or big concert venues?
Josh Menashe: I feel like it’s about the physical distance between the people. Like if you play a big room, but there are people right in the front row, like, feet away from you or like one metre if this is Montreal. Like a big festival, there’s usually a huge barrier. And you’re not like within 20 feet of someone and that can feel kind of weird. You kind of have to go that extra level to connect to those people, which is a fun challenge. But I personally prefer it when you have people right up in your face, right?
PAN M 360: A friend of mine has Data Doom on vinyl and they told me there is a hidden message with a cipher that comes with the record?
Nikki “Pickle” Smith: Yes we had two amazing artists collaborate on the cover art and all of the album art design. There’s definitely a secret hidden in there that we want people to try to figure out. And that was masterminded by the artists that worked on it, mainly Jordan Warren out in the UK.
PAN M 360: So is it a phrase or a paragraph that the fans basically have to translate?
Nikki “Pickle” Smith: Yeah that’s pretty much it. There’s a phrase on the front. It’s kind of woven throughout the album art and the videos. It’s like the entire, “Frankie Verse” right now. It’s supposed to be a fun little puzzle for the fans to figure out.
PAN M 360: You guys get thrown under the psych music umbrella all the time, but that umbrella seems to expand more and more every year. So I’m curious, what is psychedelic music to you?
Nick Aguilar: I would just say that something psychedelic is just letting your freak flag fly. Like anything that just is a little bit out of the ordinary that you’re not going to hear on pop or rock music on top 40 radio. Just anything that helps bend the boundaries of what’s acceptable. It doesn’t need to be trippy out and tripped out or anything, but just whatever is a little bit different.
Josh Menashe: Yeah anything that subverts expectations is pretty psychedelic to me.
Nikki “Pickle” Smith: For me, I think it has to do with layers and having strange sounds poking through. Things that call out to the psychedelic mind, something that’s hidden…
Dylan Sizemore: I agree with everything. That’s pretty much what psychedelia and psych music means to me—like boundary-pushing and experimentation. Anything with like that sort of awareness, awareness of like whatever consciousness that is bigger than just trying to sell Coca-Cola or whatever.
Cover Image: Travis Trautt
Frankie and the Witch Fingers + Iguana Death Cult + Hot Garbage La Sala Rossa— Sep 27, 2023 Doors:7:30 pm | Show: 8:00 pm TICKETS HERE
The last time we saw the noisy post-punk/shoegaze pop act, Karma Glider, was on a concrete amphitheatre in Rouyn-Noranda for FME. This time we will see them in l’Escogriffe for POP Montreal, armed with all of the tracks from the first EP, Future Fiction. Before this appearance, we spoke with the founder/ frontman of Karma Glider, Susil Sharma. Previously part of Heat, Sharma started Karma Glider just before the pandemic reared its ugly head and now has a full-fledged bandthat is on its way to Burning Up.
PAN M 360: Take me through the origins of Karma Glider. It’s still quite a new project in the grand scheme of things.
Susil Sharma: The band is kind of a pandemic baby. I’d been making some solo recordings and got the group together to back me up for some live shows in 2020. Once everything closed down, the shows were canceled but we just kept jamming and eventually decided to record and move forward as a band
PAN M 360: At first listen, lots of Karma Glider’s music sounds pretty feel-good in a sort of indie rock vein with poppy post-punk, but are these songs coming from a deeper place? I ask because “Burning Up’s” lyrics can be taken many different ways.
Susil Sharma: Totally. I love bands like The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen and The Verve that can pull off that happy music-tortured lyrics dynamic and I aspire towards that same thing. I love filtering personal experiences like the ones I’ve written about in Burning Up and others through a medium that doesn’t make the lyrical content obvious.
PAN M 360:Going off that, as a songwriter, is it important for the song to have a personal context?
Susil Sharma: It really is important to me that I draw honestly from my personal life in my work, but I like writing oblique lyrics that don’t spell things out too obviously and leave room for the listener to connect them to their own experiences.
PAN M 360: Right from the initial 5 or 6 seconds on “In Deep Ocean,” I was hooked by that “wooo,” and video game coin (Mario?) sample. Where did that idea come from?
Susil Sharma: Thanks, man. I was listening to a lot of early hip-hop when I wrote the song. Songs like “It Takes Two” and “The Choice Is Yours” are big influences as is the production of Public Enemy, Big Audio Dynamite, and Andrew Weatherall-produced records.
PAN M 360:Another video game reference is with the “Burning Up” music video, which has to be one of my favourites of the year. Can you tell me about that creative process and how A Link to the Past inspired it?
Susil Sharma: Haha, thank you again. I was talking with the label about making a lyric video and I wanted to make something a bit more interesting than those can sometimes be. I’m not sure at what point I thought of doctoring the Zelda walkthrough but had I known how long it would take to make, I would have thought twice! Interestingly, my parents didn’t let me play video games when I was growing up, so I’m not sure where all these arcade influences are coming from…
PAN M 360: Was there any particular genre or decade of music that helped influence some of the sounds of Future Fiction?
Susil Sharma: Definitely lots of late 80s/early 90s stuff especially from the UK. Early hip hop as I said, lots of shoegaze and Britpop influence as well. I listen to a lot of noise-pop, soul, and jungle music lately.
PAN M 360: Have these songs changed at all in a live context? Room for improv?
Susil Sharma: The songs, and band, are really growing live. It’s really interesting because we never played any of these songs live before recording them and I think we’re starting to figure out a lot more about our strengths as a band at every gig. There are a lot of noise/jam parts that are improvised each show and are really fun for us to play.
PAN M 360: What’s the goal of Karma Glider? How far do you see the project going/ plans for the future?
Susil Sharma: I just want to keep making records and playing shows and I don’t see why we would stop doing that. Creatively, I’m still calling the shots but I really like making music with these guys and I hope to collaborate more deeply with them going forward.
PAN M 360: What can someone who has never heard Karma Glider before expect at the POP show?
Susil Sharma: Bring earplugs.
PAN M 360:Any other comments, questions, concerns/things the people need to know about?
The Orchestre symphonique de Laval kicks off its 2023-2024 season at Salle André-Mathieu. The task of conducting this first concert has been entrusted to Thomas Le Duc-Moreau, a rising star among the new generation of conductors. He will be the first in a series of renowned conductors including Andrew Crust, Julien Proulx, Jacques Lacombe, Jean-Michel Malouf, Simon Rivard and Naomi Woo, who will lead the Laval ensemble, which has been without a permanent musical director since Alain Trudel’s departure in 2022.
Trained at the Conservatoire de Montréal with Jacques Lacombe, Thomas Le Duc-Moreau’s career is already well-filled, as he is the youngest artist in the history of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal to be appointed assistant conductor from 2019 to 2021. He has held similar positions with the Trois-Rivières and Québec orchestras, and has been guest conductor in Ontario and Europe, notably in Bonn and Prague.
Guest soloist for the evening is Ukrainian-born pianist Serhiy Salov. Winner of numerous prizes, notably at the Montreal International Music Competition (2004; 2014), he has made a name for himself through his humanitarian involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
We had a cross-examination with these protagonists about the concert program.
PAN M 360: Tell us about the repertoire you’ll be performing with the OSL, an all-Slavic program. First of all, Thomas, did you put this program together yourself, or was it suggested to you?
THOMAS LE DUC-MOREAU: The program was proposed to me by the orchestra’s administration. The first piece is Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture, followed by Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Serhiy Salov as soloist, and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony to finish. The first piece, very short at around five minutes, showcases the orchestra’s virtuosity, with very fast, exciting passages. We’re not into subtleties, we’re really into festivities. It’s really an overture that will set the hall alight. This is followed by the piano concerto, whose main theme in the first movement is very well known, with its great lyricism. It’s rather free, so we move from one theme to another, from one emotion to another, fairly quickly. In terms of the emotions deployed, we’re really into great romanticism, joy and exaltation, with great lines and richness of sound. I’d say it’s a concerto whose themes bring a certain positivism. We can feel moments of happiness, of greatness of spirit, of greatness of soul I would say, whereas in the Fourth Symphony, Tchaikovsky talks a lot about the fatality of human emotions. For Tchaikovsky, fate is inevitable, dramatic and necessarily pessimistic. The symphony will be about happiness, but other people’s happiness. It’s going to be about melancholy, happy memories that plunge us into a certain bitterness.
PAN M 360: Do you share this interpretation, Serhiy?
SERHIY SALOV: Yes, he could have read my mind! I would also add that a musical work is never “one emotional work”. In the Fourth Symphony, we have an absolutely dazzling finale and an extremely euphoric dance mixed with the tragedy that keeps coming back like a fixed idea. In the concerto, we have optimism at the beginning, which although written in the key of B flat minor, is bathed in major tones. It begins in major and ends in a bright major. But in places like the cadenza, for example, Tchaikovsky also draws on tragedy and depression. He was an extremely sensitive man who lost his mother at a very early age. His sensitivity was nothing short of exalted, and tragedy and depression were never far from his compositions. We always see a very complex being who is not in serenity.
PAN M 360: The title of the concert, which encompasses these three works, is The Slavic Soul. What does “Slavic soul” evoke for you in music?
SERHIY SALOV: It’s precisely this exalted sentimentality, the exposed, contrasting emotions. What comes to mind are the words of Milan Kundera, who said that the Slavic point of view is opposed to the American one. An American seeks a happy ending, a Slav thinks the world must end in apocalypse. Tchaikovsky’s point here represents a spectacular exception, as the first and third movements of the concerto and symphony both end with a resounding chord. The greatest Slavic composers, including the Czechs, Dvořák for example, have always had a more pompous nostalgia than the Germanics. It’s interesting because Austrian composers like Schubert and Mahler, took this bag of sentimentality anyway, which is heartbreaking.
PAN M 360: What does Tchaikovsky’s concerto mean to you, Serhiy Salov?
SERHIY SALOV: It’s a concerto that’s always been with me, that first accompanied me as a child when I was a listener myself and it was out of my reach pianistically. I always had this crazy desire to play it, but my teacher always forbade me to touch it because, obviously, my hand wasn’t big enough and also because the emotional side of maturity wasn’t developed enough. I finally tamed it at the age of 19 for the Marguerite-Long competition in Paris. After that, it became my competition piece. Now that my competition career is over, this piece will remain a friend for the rest of my life. It’s great to be able to present it tomorrow in Laval, one of the concertos that moves me the most.
PAN M 360: Is this the first time you’ve conducted these three pieces, Thomas?
THOMAS LE DUC-MOREAU: The symphony is the one I played most as a cellist when I was studying. I even conducted it at the Conservatoire. But I must admit that it’s rare for me not to be conducting a work for the first time. The concerto will be a first, and so will the overture, but surprisingly, I’ve already conducted the symphony.
PAN M 360: As far as your work as a conductor is concerned, you’ve worked with a number of well-known and important conductors, including Jacques Lacombe, who was your teacher at the Conservatoire, Bernard Labadie, Kent Nagano, François-Xavier Roth, Rafael Payare, Valéry Gergiev and others. What do you remember of their teachings, and how did working with them shape the conductor you are today and are becoming?
THOMAS LE DUC-MOREAU: That’s an interesting question. Honestly, maybe in a few years I’ll really know, but what’s certain is that all those conductors you mentioned have certainly had a huge influence on some facet of my musical approach.
The first chef I worked a lot with was Jacques Lacombe. There’s no doubt that his teaching is something that shaped me, that forged me and that follows me enormously. Even today, there are things he showed me seven years ago that I still think about today, and there are things I understand today in what he showed me then. I would also say that of my time at the OSM, with François-Xavier Roth and Gergiev, these are certainly the two where I found that in just a few seconds, the sound of the orchestra was completely transformed. It’s trying to understand “what’s doing that” that’s fascinating.
PAN M 360: What drives you when you’re on the podium?
THOMAS LE DUC-MOREAU: There are several things. I’d say that first of all, there’s the fact of being able to accomplish the result of all the work that’s been done upstream. For me, it’s dozens and dozens of hours spent in my office with the score, imagining how, with the musicians, with the orchestra, with the repertoire, we’re going to be able to convey the emotions of these pieces and the ideas they contain. There’s an immense excitement in being able to get everything I’ve dreamed and imagined out of my head, and to be able to communicate with the musicians. Then there’s just being in the moment, feeling the music. There’s something very physical about conducting and playing. You move with the music. The audience sits and listens, but for the musicians, there’s a gesture associated with it all. It’s very gratifying to have it in your body, to be able to physically express what you’re feeling.
PAN M 360: Let’s go back a bit, Mr. Salov, to February 2022, when you replaced André Laplante at short notice for the concert with the Orchestre métropolitain, performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. You described this concerto as highly symbolic in the context of what is unfortunately still going on. Do you find the same symbolism in Tchaikovsky’s concerto?
SERHIY SALOV: There’s an even more direct and obvious symbolism in the themes Tchaikovsky uses in the first and third movements. The two main themes are drawn from Ukrainian folklore, which was never too far from Tchaikovsky’s mind, since he had relatives in Russia and he had relatives in the Ukraine. It was this Ukrainian kinship that he visited every summer and where he heard some really special songs that left their mark on him, not least in the first concerto. I’m delighted and comforted by that, too.
PAN M 360: In closing, I can’t help but ask you the Thomas question about the tragic event that struck the Kitchener-Waterloo Orchestra, which you have guest-conducted on several occasions, and which filed for bankruptcy a few days ago. What is your reaction to this situation?
THOMAS LE DUC-MOREAU: It’s certainly extremely difficult. Especially as next week I was due to be in Kitchener for a concert. There’s going to be a huge void. For me, it’s a week’s work, but for orchestral musicians, it’s whole lives that have changed in 48 hours. It makes us think a lot about the fragility of our institutions: we’re never really protected. For most orchestras, it’s one year at a time, so we’re never really protected from these situations. Right now, with my head full of Tchaikovsky’s music, I can’t help but make the connection with the program we’re about to present. In the symphony, he imitates a sort of sword of Damocles. And sometimes, this sword of Damocles falls. It’s always hanging over our heads, and we must never forget that it’s there. It’s all the more unfortunate that the musical director, Andrei Feher, is not only a colleague, but also a very good friend. I think if there’s anything that comes out of this, it’s that we have to keep fighting to show people that we have a place in society.
The L’âme slave concert will be presented at Salle André-Mathieu, on Wednesday September 27 at 7:30pm.
Programme :
Mikhaïl Glinka – Rouslan et Ludmilla, Overture
Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski – Piano Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor, op. 23
Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski – Symphony no. 4 in F minor, op. 36
Composer Nicole Lizée is a regular at the OSM: several of her compositions, some specifically commissioned by the orchestra, have been performed at the Maison symphonique. Not so with her Concerto pour percussion, whose title, Blurr is the Color of my True Love’s Hair (a wonderful pun on a classic song, don’t you think?), refers to the intrinsic character of the work and its sound universe. Not that the song itself is quoted (at all), but rather that the transformation of Black (in the original title) into Blurr corresponds quite vividly to what can be heard at several points in the score.
The Concerto, premiered by the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa in 2022 with Scottish soloist Colin Currie (who will also be in Montreal), and performed at the BBC Proms in London a month later, has already had a more extensive career than most contemporary creations. With good reason: Nicole Lizée is an inventive and original composer, whose palette of sounds never ceases to amaze and delight music lovers the world over. Blurr… is a tour de force of writing for both soloist and orchestra, and Montreal audiences, who will be able to hear it on September 27 and October 1 in the company of Gustav Holst’s Planètes at the Maison symphonique, will be treated to a truly astonishing experience.
I spoke to Nicole Lizée about this Concerto, performed for the first time in Montreal.
Pan M 360 : Hello Nicky. So great to speak with you again! So, about that Concerto for percussion, what’s the story behind it? What is it about?
Nicole Lizée : It is inspired by certain techniques found in stop motion film and photography. For example freezing, extreme and misuse of zoom and blur, dropped frames, image burn-in/ghost images, light leaks, and multiple exposures. I love the potential for creativity hidden in those ‘’unwanted elements’’ of procedure. So here, the orchestra and the soloist are used to sonically represent and embrace these erroneous ‘events’.
Pan M 360 : Can you explain what exactly is stop motion technique again?
Nicole Lizée : Stop motion is an animation technique where objects are physically manipulated in small increments between photographed frames to create the illusion of independent motion. Today, CGI renders the results slick and smoother, but I find the earliest forms of stop motion the most fascinating.
Central to creating stop motion is the black frame where the ‘trickery’ is carried out, unseen. Motion or animation is made possible by interruptions in the chain of images. During this interruption the animator modifies the objects off camera in tiny increments, which the audience does not see. The darkness is necessary to create the illusion of continuity. But the goings on during those unseen moments, which can extend for an indefinite amount of time, can be the most interesting. This work celebrates that darkness or ‘black frame’.
Pan M 360 : That is the technical side of it. Is there a more metaphysical aspect of this exploration of the relationship between visual and sound?
Nicole Lizée : Yes of course. The piece is ultimately about exploring the unknown, taking risks, and embracing the ‘blurry things’ – using malfunction-based visual effects as a jumping off point (dropped frames, misuse of blur and zoom, etc.) while using percussion as a vehicle.
To me, percussion – and the percussionist – represent the infinite possibilities of writing music with the idea that all sound is music.
The piece is set up as a concept album in that it runs in continuous sequence. Once the downbeat hits, the soloist has to perpetually navigate the obstacle course of percussion as one track morphs or blurs into the next.
Pan M 360 : Colin Currie is the soloist, also the creator of it on stage. How would you describe is contribution and your response to it?
Nicole Lizée : Colin Currie can play anything – I wanted to embrace his virtuosity and artistry while offering an interpretation of percussion music and ‘the concerto’.
Part of the performance is Colin’s running to each percussion station in the nick of time – each station is a different entity; its own ‘candy shoppe’ – with surprises at each one. Part of the excitement of the performance is to watch him move!
Pan M 360 : Not your first time with OSM. How do you feel, still after many years, working with that orchestra?
Nicole Lizée : When I was given the news that the OSM was programming the work I was elated. It is such a thrill and honour to work with this incredible orchestra.
Pan M 360 : Thank you again Nicole. Can’t wait to hear it live next wednesday
Nicole Lizée : Many thanks again for being in touch!
After more than ten years in the music business, Quebec DJs and producers Charles Cozy (Charles Cadieux) and Fruits (Gabriel Cyr) decided at the start of the pandemic to join forces under the name Or Bleu. Under the Disques 7ième Ciel label, the two men recently unveiled Beaucoup, a first offering of eleven collaborative tracks with local and international artists such as Fouki and Mike Clay. For the occasion, PAN M 360 spoke to the duo to find out more about the creation of their new project and their future ambitions.
Over the years, Charles Cozy and Fruits have carved out a place for themselves on the Montreal scene. The two men have DJed at numerous festivals in Quebec and internationally, while also collaborating solo with numerous artists. Although the idea of joining forces had interested them for some time, it was only when their schedules were freed up by the pandemic that they had the time to create more together. Over the past three years, the two protagonists have worked hard to build up an impressive catalogue of over 200 productions, so that they can approach different talents and eventually bring their first project to life.
With Beaucoup, the two artists showcase their talent as producers with carefully crafted instrumentals in symbiosis with the various collaborators. From trap to boom-bap to R&B, Or Bleu gives its artists everything they need to shine and offer the best of themselves, one of the duo’s great strengths. Admittedly, this great sonic diversity somewhat detracts from the album’s coherence, but can we really blame them for choosing to demonstrate their great versatility for their first calling card? I don’t think so!
PAN M 360: Let’s talk about the birth of your duo. When did you become Or Bleu and why?
CHARLES COZY: Gabriel and I are childhood friends and have known each other for many years. We’ve always maintained a strong bond of friendship, and we’ve worked together before. At the start of the pandemic, we had more time to work as a duo, and that’s when we started producing a lot. The pandemic helped us a lot because we were able to create together on a more regular basis. Once we’d accumulated a lot of beats, we thought it was time to send some to different artists with a view to starting an album. That’s how Or Bleu came about.
It’s always been a wish to be able to do something like this. To be able to create a project like this with your best friend is really something incredible. It’s really motivating to get involved with someone you’ve known for a long time because you know it’s going to go well and we have similar ways of working.
FRUITS: That’s exactly right. We knew that the chemistry was there between the two of us and that we had the same visions. Let’s just say we complement each other really well.
PAN M 360: Last May, you announced your signing with Disques 7ième Ciel. How did this come about?
FRUITS: It’s always been a goal for Charles and me to sign with Disques 7ième Ciel, it was our dream label. 7ième Ciel really reflects our values and we love the community aspect of the label. Most of the artists on the label are our friends and part of our circle. When we approached 7ième Ciel, our album was about 80% complete and there were already several of their artists involved. That was certainly a good argument for Steve Jolin and his team to sign us.
CHARLES COZY: Also, we know Sam Rick, the manager of Clay And Friends and Jay Scøtt, and he was the first person we presented the project to. At the time, he was Steve’s right-hand man. That’s how Steve heard about us.
PAN M 360: How do you create as a duo? Do you have a certain way of working?
FRUITS: The way we work changes from time to time. Often, one of us will take control technically and sit in front of the computer while the other comes up with ideas. We like to alternate our roles. One of Charles’ great strengths is coming up with ideas. He really knows the trends and has an excellent musical culture. We don’t necessarily have a miracle formula, but that’s the way we usually work.
CHARLES COZY: We know each other so well that we’re not afraid to defend our ideas and disagree. There’s no ego in the room when we’re creating, everything we do is with the aim of getting the best music possible. Sometimes we start with a sample, drums or a composition. We don’t always start from the same place, and that’s very motivating. We approach each track differently and we’re never tired of creating.
FRUITS: I’d even add that often our best productions come to life when our opinions are opposed. We’re both ready to defend our ideas, and that’s what produces the best results.
PAN M 360: You mentioned that the productions on your debut album are versatile. What are your respective musical influences?
CHARLES COZY: We’re big hip-hop fans. We grew up listening to boom-bap and underground hip-hop. Those were certainly our primary influences. Through that, we discovered the art of sampling, jazz and funk. We grew up in musical families. I’ve also been a DJ for 10-15 years. My DJ career is more in electronic music, house, techno and Brazilian music. Let’s just say that my musical influences are very scattered. I listen to both indie music and rap tracks in my car. I try to listen to new music as often as possible. For us, good music is good music, whatever the style. So we don’t put up any barriers when we’re creating. The sounds on our album are very disparate. We wanted to show that we’re influenced by a multitude of things and that we’re versatile producers.
FRUITS: As Charles said, I grew up in a musical family. When I was young, I played a variety of instruments. My first influences were certainly Chet Baker, Mile Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and the great jazzmen of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. I was immersed in all that, and it certainly shows in the way I produce. Then there’s hip-hop, which has been very important for me. I was greatly inspired by guys like J Dilla and Madlib.
PAN M 360: Let’s talk about your album Beaucoup. What was the creative process like for this project?
FRUITS: When we started creating together in February 2020, we did studio sessions twice a week. Each time, we spent 10 to 12 hours in the studio, so we were making almost twenty hours of music a week, rain or shine. For several months, we worked non-stop. At one point, we had between 200 and 300 productions done. When we were interested in working with an artist, we would prepare a personalized collection of some of our productions and send it to them.
CHARLES COZY: The way we operated was almost military. We never missed a creative session, and there was nothing that could change our plans. I’d arrive at the studio in the morning with coffee, then leave in the evening when it was dark. We made two or three beats per session. The more we did, the more motivated we were because we realized the quality of our productions. As Gabriel explained, we had production files prepared for different artists. When we felt confident enough, we started sending them to people like Lary Kidd. After that, we received several demos and positive responses. The more beats we sent out, the more responses we got from different artists.
FRUITS: It led to a certain ripple effect where at a certain point some artists would write to us directly to be part of our project. They’d say, “Hey, we hear you’re working on an album, could I be involved? There was a buzz around the project, as we had a lot of talented artists already involved. The Quebec music scene is a small microcosm. Everyone knows everyone else. It’s not like American rap, where there’s a lot of violence and drama. People help each other and like to collaborate. That’s certainly worked in our favour.
CHARLES COZY: I think we’ve managed to cultivate our connections over the years. Even though we hadn’t released an album, we were still known by several artists, because we’d already spoken to them or even collaborated with them. That definitely helped.
PAN M 360: What’s the biggest challenge in creating an album with so many collaborations?
CHARLES COZY: The biggest challenge was that we had dates and deadlines to meet on our side. From the moment an artist agrees to collaborate with us, we’re waiting for their verse(s). For half the artists on Beaucoup, we were able to be with them in the studio, so it was easy for them. For the rest, we either couldn’t get together because of the pandemic or because they simply weren’t in Quebec. For example, Gabe ‘Nandez and Illa J are American. It was sometimes difficult to get the verses. They tell you they’ll send you their part in a week’s time, but it ends up taking several months to get the whole thing. That’s really the challenge with a project like this. There are about 18 artists on our project, which is a lot. Sometimes we have to go through the managers rather than the artists directly, which makes the whole thing even more complex. Otherwise, it’s also a challenge to make tracks that appeal as much to the artists as they do to us. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved – there’s a lot of work behind it.
FRUITS: There was a lot of managing to do, from coordinating our schedules with those of the artists to producing and promoting our album. Fortunately, we were able to count on the best record company in the business to support us throughout the process.
PAN M 360: Which of the eleven tracks on Beaucoup are you most proud of?
CHARLES COZY: For me, it’s Kiss you right with falcxne. My favourite artists are Erykah Badu & D’Angelo, and this is a song that’s kind of in that style. It’s very soulful. falcxne is a guy I went to high school with in Toronto. He’s younger than me, and I had the chance to run into him again in Montreal a few years later.
One day, we went into the studio with Pops & Poolboy, two musicians from Clay and Friends, and created the music for “Kiss you right”. It’s probably one of the songs closest to my heart and musical tastes. We decided to send it to falcxne and I was so happy when he sent back his vocal track.
There’s also the track with Eman and KNLO that I’m really proud of. They’re rappers I really like and it’s always been a dream of mine to have a track with them. It’s something I’m very proud of. Both of them were really nice, they came all the way from Quebec City to join us at our studio. It was great.
FRUITS: The song with falcxne is the one I’m most proud of too. If I had to name another one, it would definitely be the one with Mike Clay and Kallitechnis, simply because there are so many people involved in the production. I think it’s the one where we did the best job. The track is well put together, the bass line is solid, the drums are crisp and the harmonies are good. I think the lyrics are catchy and everything is really good. We had Mike and Kalli in the studio at the same time. It was really good to see them working together and to be able to observe the creation of the track.
CHARLES COZY: You can hear in “You can have it all” that both sing the chorus at the same time in the studio. It’s great to have been able to do that, and it makes the whole thing even better. In fact, that’s what we’re most proud of, producing a project and not just acting as beatmakers. I think there’s a distinction to be made between the two. When you’re a beatmaker, you create an instrumental on your own, whereas when you produce, you’re in charge of all the creative stages. You try to put the best elements together to create the best tracks. You have to be able to find the artists who are going to take your art to the next level.
PAN M 360: As a producer, what’s the best feeling you get when you’re creating?
FRUITS: Personally, the best feeling is when we’re in the studio and the artist nails the verse perfectly on the first try. When everything is perfectly in tune with the production, the feeling is indescribable.
CHARLES COZY: Oh yeah, definitely. If not, it’s probably when the rapper looks at you in the studio and you realize that this recording is the one. There’s also the moment when you finish a track and listen to it seven or eight times in a row in your car. That’s when your track comes to life and you realize what you’ve created. You feel so good.
It’s also an incredible feeling that our project is finally available. We’ve listened to it over and over again over the last few years to perfect it, and it’s like bringing a long-awaited child into the world. It’s great to finally be able to weigh in on play on online listening platforms and share it with the public.
PAN M 360: What’s next for Or Bleu?
CHARLES COZY: With this first project, we wanted to “put ourselves on the map” as a producer duo. What we want to do next is get artists to contact us and produce for them. We want to work with as many people as possible and explore different styles. We’re definitely going to make a second album, and we’re going to start on that right away. We’ve been very focused on getting our album out, and it’s been a long time since we’ve been in the studio together to create. We’re certainly looking forward to getting back out there. Also, we’re going to be doing some shows, so we’ll be able to tour a bit with our project!
FRUITS: We’ve already talked about the second project, and we’d like to collaborate with European artists. It’s one of our goals to have French, Belgian or other rappers and artists on our next project.
PAN M 360: You mentioned that you wanted to broaden your horizons and work with European artists. Do you already have any names in mind?
CHARLES COZY: Right now, I’d love to do a collaboration with Swiss rapper Makala. We’re big fans of French-language rap, and the Swiss are gaining in popularity. We listen to a lot of Swiss artists.
FRUITS: That would be along the same lines as Charles. I’d love to work with Gracy Hopkins, an artist who works with Makala. Over the years, he’s become one of my favourite rappers. If we can have Makala and Gracy Hopkins on the second Or Bleu project, it wouldn’t be a problem at all!
Photo credit : Louis Robitaille
“Is it a woman, a man or even a duo?” This was the question that swirled around social networks before Vacra, the French artist with the androgynous, honeyed voice behind the hits Tiki Taka and Plan séquence, showed his face for the first time at a concert last February. Even after revealing himself to his public, the rapper remains enigmatic and bets everything on his music, which has helped him accumulate over 100 million online listens on various platforms. A few hours before his appearance at Off Piknic, part of the MEG Montreal festival, on Friday evening, PAN M 360 spoke with him about his rise on the French scene, his Galatée project and his future ambitions!
Last year, Vacra’s track Plan séquence went viral on the TikTok social network, even though the song was released in 2021. From then on, Vacra quickly gained in popularity, and listeners wanted to know more about him. The only drawback was that the artist wasn’t showing his face on social networks or in his music videos at the time. As a result, rumors abounded on the various networks, and fans did their utmost to find the person behind this success. The mystery surrounding his identity and a succession of excellent releases, including Nunchaku and Tiki Taka, enabled him to make his mark on the French rap scene.
In February, Vacra released Galatée, an eight-track offering, followed by an enhanced version with three additional tracks a few weeks later. In this danceable project, the man explores a multitude of avenues, offering rap tinged with influences as much Afro as pop. Often compared to Belgian star Hamza, Vacra has a world of his own, with polished lyrics and infectious energy. One thing’s for sure: the French artist’s progress is breathtaking, and he’ll be one to watch closely over the coming months!
PAN M 360: Welcome to Montreal. Is this your first visit to Quebec?
VACRA: Yes, it’s my first time here. We’ve been made very welcome and the city is beautiful. The people here seem great and I’m very happy to be in Montreal.
PAN M 360: Do you know anything about the Montreal rap scene?
VACRA: When I arrived two days ago, I had the opportunity to listen to some music by local artists, and I must say it was very good. Otherwise, I’d never had a chance to listen to much Quebec rap.
PAN M 360: You’ve enjoyed a meteoric rise on the French scene over the past two years. For Quebecers who aren’t necessarily familiar with your art, could you briefly summarize your career path?
VACRA: At some point last year, my track Plan Séquence went viral on the TikTok social network, even though it dates back to 2021. My song Tiki Taka became popular, I unveiled my first project Galatée and went on tour all over France and even Canada.
PAN M 360: How did you cope with this extremely rapid growth?
VACRA: Very, very well! It was fulfillment from A to Z. Everything that’s happening to me at the moment is bringing me great happiness. I’m very happy to be able to meet my public. I’m very well surrounded, so I didn’t feel any pressure or stress. Everything came together naturally, and it was perfect.
PAN M 360: Of course, it’s impossible not to mention the unveiling of your face at a private showcase last February. Why did you choose to remain in the shadows until then?
VACRA: I wanted my music to speak for itself before people talked about my image and person. I also wanted to continue to be able to walk the streets in peace and quiet. It was very natural. We made music videos and visuals in which I didn’t appear, and the mystery gradually built up. This anonymity gave us time to work on the visuals for my Galatée project. What people appreciated was my music, and that’s all that matters.
PAN M 360: Why did you decide that the time had come to reveal yourself?
VACRA: The time had come to show myself when I had a project to defend and was ready to take it on tour. Before, I didn’t necessarily want to show myself and be in the limelight, but as soon as my project was ready, it was certain that I had to meet my public.
PAN M 360: Following the evening’s event, reactions abounded on social networks. How did you deal with the aftermath?
VACRA: There were all kinds of reactions. I think most people were pleasantly surprised, while others were disappointed. It takes all kinds of people to make a world. One thing’s for sure: I got a lot of love and good feedback. It’s been great.
PAN M 360: Do you want to continue to be mysterious and reveal as little as possible about yourself?
VACRA: I’m sure people will get to know me over time, but I’ll always remain mysterious. I’ll always be discreet, that’s how I am in life. I’ll be seen more in the public sphere, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be discreet. I’ll continue to put music first. You won’t hear anything about my private life.
PAN M 360:Let’s talk more about your music. For an artist who is just starting out, your music is really well-crafted. How many years have you been creating?
VACRA: I’ve been a music lover since I was a kid, so I’ve been in the music business for a very long time. I’ve been making music for a very long time, and it’s taken a lot of hard work and hours in the studio to get where I am today. I’ve been creating for many years.
PAN M 360: You mention that you’ve been in the music business for several years, and this is reflected in your music, which is a happy blend of different styles and sounds. What do you listen to?
VACRA: In general, I really listen to everything. I like to discover new things and draw inspiration from different worlds. I don’t necessarily have a favorite style, I’m very eclectic in my listening. I love everything!
PAN M 360: Last February, you released your project Galatée, and enhanced it two months later with three additional tracks. What was the creative process like?
VACRA: I already had a good base with Tiki Taka and Plan séquence, my two most popular tracks. My team and I locked ourselves away in the studio to work on the artistic direction of the project and come up with a coherent whole. It was important to me that my first project be solid. After all, it’s my first calling card. The creative process went fairly quickly, so we didn’t necessarily have to put any titles on the back burner. That’s how we ended up with Galatée.
PAN M 360: Where does your inspiration for writing come from? What are the recurring themes in Galatée?
VACRA: My inspiration comes from the people around me, what I observe, the human encounters I have and what I feel. When I’m in the studio with my team, we talk and reflect on different themes and subjects. It comes very naturally. I never write at home; I do everything when I’m in the studio. It’s a very fluid process and it goes really well.
For Galatée, I’d say that feelings, love and joie de vivre are at the heart of the project. It’s inspired by what I was experiencing during the creation. There’s also a nostalgic side. There’s a certain contradiction between happiness and nostalgia.
PAN M 360: The collaboration with Ronisia, “Non c’est non”, stands out from the other tracks on Galatée for its committed lyrics about consent. Do you want to take more of a stand on issues through your songs?
VACRA: I don’t think the subject of consent should even be up for debate. For me, it’s normal to respect someone’s choice, you shouldn’t even have to ask the question. So, I don’t know if I can say that I’m going to take more of a stand in my future songs, it was just normal to do so. I’m definitely going to continue to say the things that make sense to me in my songs. It’s normal for people to think I’ve taken a stand with “Non c’est non”, but I think it should just be natural. Unfortunately, it’s not natural for everyone, and if this piece can help awaken some people to stop doing stupid things, so much the better. No, it’s not, it’s simple though. I’m really happy with the result of this collaboration with Ronisia. Every time I sing it on stage and see people singing it, I’m very happy.
PAN M 360: As you mentioned earlier, you’ve released several videos in the past in which you don’t appear. In each of these clips, the dancing comes to the fore and is very important. Why did you make this choice?
VACRA: Over the years, I’ve received a lot of videos of people dancing to my songs, and I’ve always liked that. Personally, I can’t dance, so I’m always very impressed by their performances. For the videos, we made this choice because it went very well with the music. There’s something crazy about having someone dance to my music, and I love music videos. I’m very fond of dancing and I don’t think it’s ever going to leave me.
PAN M 360: There are a ton of people dancing to your tracks on the TikTok social network, which has been an integral part of your recent rise. What is your relationship with this app?
VACRA: First of all, I’m very happy with everything that’s happened to me, and a big thank you to TikTok. I’m very happy with the public reception and the fact that they like my sounds. After that, I think it was more my music that spoke to this network. For my part, I don’t really have anything to do with this platform, I hardly know it and I don’t have an account on it. Basically, I’m not really into social networking, I don’t understand anything about it. I don’t know how to make videos. When I used TikTok in the past, all I could see was cats and useless stuff, it was like I couldn’t understand anything. Anyway, it’s made a huge difference to my life, and I’ve gained a lot from it. Over time, I’ve proved that there’s real artistic work behind my music and that I’m not just a popular rapper on this network.
PAN M 360: You’ll be taking the Off Piknic / MEG Montreal stage on Friday night. What can we expect from your performance?
VACRA: We can expect the revelation of the mystery haha! No kidding, we’re in for a really good show. I can’t wait to meet the Canadian public and defend my different songs. As usual, I want to connect with people, dance, sweat and have a great time. I hope to be able to convey the emotions that can be heard in the project, and I hope to delight the people who will be there.
PAN M 360: If you had one song in particular to share with Quebecers before your concert, which would it be?
VACRA: It’s definitely Tiki Taka, because it’s my most popular song and the one I play on every stage. Canadians tell me that there are only three months of sunshine in Quebec, and they have to make the most of it. I have the impression that this song is the best for dancing and getting in the mood. Otherwise, I invite them to discover Galatée‘s various tracks.
PAN M 360: From what you can tell, what are you planning for the future?
VACRA: Right now, my team and I are working hard to produce the best music we can. When I have that, I’ll be back with new material. That could take six months, a year, two years or more. I’m going to take the time I need to create a logical follow-up to Galatée. One thing’s for sure: an album is in the works, and people won’t be disappointed!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
