Interviews Archive - Page 44 of 111

A student of Dang Thai Son, the great Vietnamese-born pianist and fantastic professor at the Université de Montréal’s Music Department, young Sophia Shuya Liu would be the next local prodigy to make the leap into the international arena. With agents from all over the world interested in her supravirtuoso potential, it won’t be long before her admirers multiply across the entire classical planet.

Born in Shanghai in 2008, Sophia Shuya Liu lived in Japan with her family, and has since settled in Montreal, where she studied piano with Dang Thai Son from the age of 9.

Numerous awards followed until now (she is actually 16) : the first prizes of the Kobe Art Center Piano Competition (Japan), the Hangzhou Competition (China), the 18th Ettlingen International Piano Competition (Germany), the Hartford International Chopin Competition and the Philadelphia International Chopin Competition (both in the United States). In 2023, she won the Thomas & Evon Cooper Competition for young soloists (in the United States), which earned her the opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra and David Robertson, then Second Prize in the first Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano Competition in Brescia, Italy, with several Special Prizes, including the Audience Prize.

Sophia Shuya Liu has since performed on prestigious stages in the Americas, Asia and Europe. Her first CD was released recently. In 2025, she will perform at Chopin Festivals in Warsaw and Duszniki, at the Boston Summer Piano Festival, also at the Festival de la Roque d’Anthéron International Festival. She just made her Paris debut at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, as well as La Folle Journée de Nantes, in Geneva, the Piano à Saint-Ursanne Festival.

PAN M 360 : People talk about you with boundless admiration. How do you live with this pressure to excel?

Sophia Shuya Liu : I am very grateful that people admire me. I think that their enthusiasm turns into a source of inspiration for me and motivates me to always reach new heights.

PAN M 360 : How do you manage your emergence and stay zen?

Sophia Shuya Liu : I am generally not too concerned about what happens around me, especially in the context of my performances. I focus on playing and interpreting music the best way I can.

PAN M 360 : How do you live through all these eloquent stages?

Sophia Shuya Liu : These competitions have allowed me to learn, grow, and gain new experiences. I think they were quite beneficial, but competition prizes ultimately don’t mean too much.

PAN M 360 : How do you see the joy of playing while taking on these extraordinary challenges?

Sophia Shuya Liu : I love music. As I play, I convey messages through this beautiful universal language that people can resonate with. Performing is always a great joy for me, and it is what I was meant to do.

PAN M 360 :Do you have any absolute role models in piano performance?

Sophia Shuya Liu : I have had many different role models and musicians that I admire, and my taste is always changing, so I don’t always have a definitive answer. But if I have to choose one musician in particular, I very much admire my teacher, Prof. Dang Thai Son.

PAN M 360 : What do you think sets you apart from your peers, even at your young age?

Sophia Shuya Liu : I think I have considerably solid technique, thanks to being taught by excellent teachers from a young age which I’m always very grateful for. Having received such education, I have also been fascinated by the depth of music from a young age.

PAN M 360 : We’re living in a time when hundreds of thousands of young musicians want to make their mark on this planet. Where do you want to be? What motivates you?

Sophia Shuya Liu : Of course, I also have the same desire: to leave an important mark on this planet. And I’m constantly working towards this goal. I try to develop my own interpretations as well as techniques used to realize my ideas, but I strive for these slight differences to be approved and recognized by experts.

PAN M 360 : How do you see your multiple cultural identities?

Sophia Shuya Liu : Every culture has its own unique essence, and studying different cultures is very beneficial in expressing music through different perspectives.

PAN M 360 : You’ve chosen to introduce us to the music of the composer prodigies Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Chopin. How do you justify your choice?

Sophia Shuya Liu : First of all, I’m always very touched by the music of these composers and I deeply admire their ability to convey their messages through their own musical language. Every time I play their music, I feel like my mind and soul are being cleansed. Their works are precious treasures of humanity. But of course, I’m constantly learning new music and I will introduce music by many other fascinating composers in the future.

PAN M 360 : Could you briefly comment on your relationship to these works?

Sophia Shuya Liu : It is difficult to explain my association with each one of these works. But, in general, some of these works are orchestral or operatic transcriptions.

* Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite is a ballet transcription, and the story of the Nutcracker serves as important context and background. Within the suite, many of them are dances, and each of their characteristics stand out. Overall, this is a piece that many people are familiar with and certainly a crowd favorite.

* Liszt’s Reminiscences de Norma is an opera transcription. The themes used throughout the piece are all very melodic and have a singing quality. At the same time, the piece is portrayed by a grandiose orchestrational tone. Of course, the work tells a meaningful story and is very narrative.

* Chopin’s Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” is also an opera transcription based on Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. Chopin used this popular duet, sung by Don Giovanni and Zerlina, as the theme of this piece. The piece contains three main parts: the introduction and theme, the variations which are brilliant and attractive, and the “Alla Polacca” (polonaise) which is the final variation and the coda. This final part contains some of the most enchanting elements of this piece. It is important to remember that Chopin wrote this piece when he was only 17 years old!

Publicité panam

Tuesday, February 25 sees the premiere of the musical/multimedia show Il teatro rosso, presented by Montreal ensemble No Hay Banda and the Festival Montréal / Nouvelles Musiques. At the heart of this intriguing project, featuring avant-garde music, video and out-of-the-box staging, is the Montreal of the 1920s-1930s, that of the theaters and cinemas of a bygone era linked to that of the Red Light and its vices and dark deviances, themselves camouflaged behind glittering neon lights. The mystery of this hidden world, which today has the allure of legend, fascinates the work’s creator and musical director Steven Kazuo Takasugi, and Noam Bierstone, percussionist and founding member of No Hay Banda. I spoke to him about this Red Theatre.

DETAILS AND TICKETS HERE

Publicité panam

On February 21, 2025, at McGill University’s new multimedia hall in Montreal, the Montreal / New Musics festival and Ensemble Éclats, directed by Charles-Éric Fontaine, will present the concert À l’écoute du geste. New music indeed, but from a perspective that leaves plenty of room for gesture and movement. Dance, of course, but not only dance. Musicians will be on the move, and we’ll be presenting the creation of a work for orchestra and… three Karlax! But what is a Karlax? Among other things, I talk about it with chef Charles-Éric Fontaine.

DÉTAILS ET BILLETS ICI

Publicité panam

The ONJM continues its season with a remarkable collaboration: singer and composer Malika Tirolien presents HIGHER, her 2021 album reimagined for a large ensemble under the direction of conductor and arranger Jean-Nicolas Trottier. Inspired by the element of air, HIGHER is marked by its ethereal textures and vibrant energy. Now, with the depth and richness of an orchestra, the music takes on new dimensions. Ahead of the concert, PAN M 360 spoke with Malika Tirolien about the process of adapting her work, the challenges of orchestration, and the experience of hearing her music evolve in this new setting.

PAN M 360: Malika, this sounds like such an exciting project! HIGHER has been out for a few years now—what’s it like revisiting it in this new orchestral setting?

Malika Tirolien: Oh, absolutely. It’s been a while since we last performed HIGHER, especially since other projects have come out in the meantime. But bringing it back in this grand orchestral format really gives it another life. It’s incredible to hear it with bigger arrangements, and it just makes everything feel even more expansive. I’ve always loved orchestras, and anytime I get the chance to perform with one, it’s a high point for me.

PAN M 360: You mentioned the word “grandiose,” which is interesting because I already found HIGHER to be so lush and cinematic in its production. With an orchestra on top of that, how do you find space for all these layers?

Malika Tirolien: First of all, thank you! My colleague and I co-produced HIGHER, and from the start, we wanted it to feel airy and expansive. Since the album represents the element of air, we really focused on creating an open, floating atmosphere. But for the orchestral version, we had to rethink some of the synth textures and let go of certain elements to make room for the strings and brass. It was about shifting things around while still preserving the essence of the original sound. At the same time, we added more depth in the vocals, which helped maintain balance.

PAN M 360: That must have been quite the process. How was it working with Jean-Nicolas Trottier on the arrangements?

Malika Tirolien: Oh, it was amazing. Jean-Nicolas is such a brilliant arranger, and it’s been great to see how excited he is about this project. The first time I heard his orchestrations, I was blown away! He really found a way to elevate the music without losing its core identity. I can’t wait to bring everything together with the full band and orchestra in rehearsal—it’s going to be a magical moment.

PAN M 360: Speaking of rehearsals, it seems like they happen really close to the performance date. Is that how it usually works with such a large ensemble?

Malika Tirolien: Exactly. Since there are so many musicians involved, we had to rehearse separately—first the band, then the orchestra. Only towards the end do we bring everyone together. It’s definitely a logistical challenge, but it’s worth it to hear everything come together in the final stages.

PAN M 360: Hearing your songs in this orchestral form, does it change how you feel about them or how you perform them?

Malika Tirolien: Oh, absolutely! There are so many new layers and instrumental lines that weren’t there before. Vocally, I have to adjust—sometimes doing less because the orchestra is filling in spaces I used to occupy. I have to be aware of that and make sure my performance translates seamlessly into this new setting.

PAN M 360: Is there one arrangement you’re particularly excited about?

Malika Tirolien: Yes for sure. Prière is a special one for me. It’s based on a poem my grandfather wrote, and I think it’s probably my favorite song on the album. Jean-Nicolas’s orchestration for this piece is absolutely stunning.

PAN M 360: If I recall, Prière has a rhythmic, almost hip-hop-infused spoken-word quality to it. How does that translate into this orchestral arrangement?

Malika Tirolien: Well it’s very much a spoken-word piece, but with a strong melodic core. My guitarist, Philippe Lalli, composed the music, and his chord choices really highlight the power of the lyrics. At first, the music takes a backseat to let the words breathe, but then it builds—becoming more expansive with a huge crescendo, especially with the drums. Seeing how the orchestra will enhance that transition is really exciting.

PAN M 360: It sounds like there will be plenty of goosebump-inducing moments!

Malika Tirolien: Oh, for sure! I’m just trying not to cry during rehearsals—that would be embarrassing! (laughs) But yeah, that first full run-through will be a huge moment for me.

PAN M 360: Beyond this project, do you have other music or collaborations in the works?

Malika Tirolien: Yes! In November, I released a new project called Gen Y Lens with my duo Gemini Crab. It’s a collaboration with Anash, a fantastic musician, producer, and friend who will also be performing with me at this show. It’s been such a joy creating with him. The album is playful and experimental, and we’ll actually be performing a few of those songs with the orchestra as well, just to give the audience a taste of what we’ve been up to.

PAN M 360: That sounds like such an exciting year ahead for you! Before we wrap up, I have to ask—your vocal performances are always so powerful. How do you get in the right mindset before a show?

Malika Tirolien: Thank you! Honestly, my main focus is staying grounded. With a busy schedule, I try to sing whenever I can, but what’s most important for me is keeping stress in check. I remind myself that it’s not about me—it’s about the music, about love for the craft. That mindset really centers me. Leading up to a performance, I do a lot of breathing exercises to stay calm and connected to the music.

PAN M 360: That’s a beautiful approach. We wish you an amazing performance, Malika. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat!

Ahead of her show at the Sala Rossa as part of the Taverne Tour, we enjoyed talking to singer-songwriter Alexandra Levy, better known as Ada Lea. Deeply rooted in the Montreal scene and its iconic venues such as La Rockette and Quai des Brumes, her music was a natural fit for this festival.

Following what we say in private (2019) and one hand on the sterling wheel the other sewing a garden (2021), in October the artist unveiled the EP notes, a collection of tracks left over from her last album. Following a long tour in 2022, Ada Lea has refocused on writing and creating her third album, due this year. To immerse yourself in the poetry of her lyrics and the sweetness of her voice, head to the Sala Rossa this Saturday, February 8, for an indie/folk evening also featuring Charlotte Cornfield. In the meantime, here’s our interview with Ada Lea.

PAN M 360: In your song come on, baby! be a good girl for the camera, taken from your latest EP notes, you explore the difficulties of life on tour, but also the expectations imposed on women. What do you think is the biggest challenge of being a woman in the music industry today?
Ada Lea: That’s a good question. Of course, I can’t speak for all women, but in my experience, I find travel physically and spiritually exhausting. Flying, driving, changing time zones… it’s all very taxing on my body. Driving is also scary. You don’t always feel safe, and when you have to drive more than six hours a day, the risk of an accident increases. The older I get, the more I realize how fragile we are. Accidents happen. My grandmother was hit and killed by a car on a normal day! What if something like that happened on tour? What if I was in charge of this tour, took my friends with me and we all died? For a few concerts? What’s the point?

Obviously, this is a somewhat exaggerated situation, but in the end, going on tour requires a lot of physical work, for very little reward, and with no real security. The only rewards are the human connections. So if my aim is to share moments with my friends, why not just go and see a film together on the street corner? Of course, playing in front of an audience, sharing a space and experiencing something together is an exhilarating experience, but I’m beginning to wonder: at what price?

PAN M 360: I loved your song “serait-il…? “and was wondering if your writing process differs between a song in French and one in English. Do you enjoy writing in both languages equally, or do you have a preference?

Ada Lea: I love writing in French. I co-wrote this song with Liberté-Anne Lymberiou. She speaks several languages fluently: English, French, Greek, Spanish, and another that escapes me. She even speaks a little Italian, which is funny because my mother is Italian. So we get into absurd discussions between nonna and yiayia, mixing Greek and Italian – “Why you no call me no more?” and things like that. I imagine one of us cleaning the sidewalk with a broom while the other shouts “Bonjour!” from the balcony.

PAN M 360: I’ve read that a third album is planned for 2025. How does it differ from your previous projects?

Ada Lea: It’s more pictorial. After 2022, I took a break from concerts and retired. I needed to reconnect with myself. The visual arts have always been an important part of my life. For this album, I went for it. I wrote songs that, for me, were like paintings. Which went beyond anything I imagined I could create in writing. It felt like a gift from the universe, and fortunately, I was there to seize it.

PAN M 360: When you develop a new project, do you have an established writing routine, or do you leave more room for spontaneous bursts of creativity?

Ada Lea : Moyra Davey dit qu’elle obtient une bonne photo pour cinq rouleaux de pellicule. Je pense que c’est pareil pour l’écriture de chansons et la peinture. J’essaie d’écrire et de peindre autant que possible physiquement. J’aimerais avoir une routine plus rigoureuse.

PAN M 360 : Quelles sont tes plus grandes inspirations musicales en ce moment ?

Ada Lea : Les autres auteurs-compositeurs qui partagent ma méthode. Chaque chanson est un cadeau.

PAN M 360 : Il y a quelques jours, tu as sorti une reprise de Out on the Weekend de Neil Young avec Alex Nicol. Qu’est-ce qui vous a poussé à collaborer ensemble pour cette chanson et comment cette idée de reprise est-elle née ?

Ada Lea : Alex m’a contactée pour me proposer de chanter une chanson ensemble. Je me suis dit que si on passait une journée en studio, autant essayer un classique de Neil Young. C’est l’une de mes préférées de Harvest.

PAN M 360: You’re also a visual artist. How do you juggle your music and your art?

Ada Lea: If I could, I’d do nothing but music and painting all day, every day. It’s such a pleasure. There’s nothing like it. I dream of mixing colors and letting my brush glide across the canvas.

Le plus difficile, c’est de jongler entre mes nombreux emplois, mes multiples casquettes. Travailler sur l’art, ça, c’est la partie facile.

PAN M 360: What can we expect from your show at the Sala Rossa?

Ada Lea: No idea. I’m looking forward to playing with my long-time friends and collaborators, Tasy Hudson and Chris Hauer. For the first time, Chrissy Lawson will be joining us. I’m also looking forward to seeing Charlotte Cornfield. I lived with her in New York, and played bass in her band for a few years, before writing my own songs. I learned a lot from her. Her bass player, Kate Palumbo, was one of my idols when I was studying music in CEGEP.

PAN M 360: Do you get stage fright before a concert? And if so, how do you manage it?

Ada Lea: I almost always get sick before a concert. Sometimes it’s covid, sometimes a stomach bug, sometimes the flu or some other illness. I once had bronchitis because of a persistent cough, and had to have an X-ray and take an inhaler the day before a tour. They thought my rib was broken from coughing so much. I’m so afraid of getting sick and not having the energy to play that I exhaust my body. For example, I’m running a fever at the moment.

PAN M 360: What can we wish you for the coming year?

Ada Lea : World peace. Good health, food, music, painting and love.

Publicité panam

When it comes to film music, the name Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) needs no introduction. Introduced to music by his trumpeter father, Morricone composed over 500 scores for the cinema, many of them among the most iconic soundtracks in film history. Who hasn’t heard the iconic theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, or the lyrical lines from Once Upon a Time in the West, Cinema Paradiso or The Mission? It was only natural that his work should be featured in this latest installment of the L’univers symphonique du cinémade series, with the Orchestre FILMharmonique conducted by Francis Choinière. PAN M 360’s Alexandre Villemaire spoke to him on the eve of this tribute tour, which will make a stop in Quebec City on February 9 before concluding in Toronto on February 14.

TICKETS AND INFO HERE

Nada is the wall we hit, it’s the evocation of the nightmarish void, it’s the shit up to our ears. Nada is also singing, perhaps all that’s left when we reach the bottom of the barrel.Nada is the theme of a new We Are Wolves album, which would seem to be the last, preceding other incarnations of the musicians. After an EP in the water due to the pandemic, after Vincent generated one more member in the extended family, the trio is back in action. We Are Wolves maintains its rock identity, as well as its power trio identity. We Are Wolves nevertheless rejects the status quo of its earlier offerings, the crudeness of the 2000s. Nada is also eclectic and multilingual. Nada was released on Simone Records on November 8. In the context of the Taverne Tour (WAW plays this Thursday at Le Ministère), we bring you this interview with Vincent Levesque and Alexander Ortiz, conducted by Alain Brunet for PAN M 360.

Publicité panam

We’ve known Sheenah Ko since she was a member of The Besnard Lakes. Parallel to her career as an instrumentalist, she has released three solo albums as a singer, lyricist and composer: Nowhere In Time (2020), Future Is Now (2022) and the brand-new Transformation, launched in September 2024 on the roof of the Rialto Theatre. In the context of POP Montréal, Alain Brunet interviewed Sheenah Ko to find out more about the how and why of Transformation, whose material was performed by Sheenah Ko and her musicians. A few months later, she’s back at the Taverne Tour, this Thursday at Quai des Brumes, and that’s why we’re bringing back this interview.

Publicité panam

The Boutique’s shelves are of course set with feelings, but also with rap, funk, or due hip-hop, trip-hop, psychedelic rock, prog rock and the most spectacular krautrock references, the most muscular melodic choruses, and a thunderous feeling for the social and political norms that govern us, as well as for mutating identities. If you need a hip-hop cousin, OutKast and Madlib are it. If you need a more indie pop-rock cousin, you can avoid Kim Gordon or Damon Albarn in Gorillaz mode. Read this interview with its main protagonist, Karim Lakhdar, better known as frontman of Atsuko Chiba, who performs this Thursday at Casa Del Popolo as part of the Taverne Tour.

PAN M 360: Can you tell us a bit about your musical evolution? How did Boutique Feelings come about?

Karim Lakhdar: Boutique Feelings was born out of a desire to explore another part of myself. In fact, I’ve been writing music on the sly for quite some time now, something I’ve been sharing with friends and family. It was really a kind of therapy that I practiced without pressure or any specific goal.

One of the big turning points for me came when I quit my job, after more than 10 years. I didn’t really have any plans, apart from concentrating on music and artistic expression. The only thing that was clear to me was to complete an EP and share it. It was a way of closing this chapter and starting a new one. I don’t think I could have managed without the support of my wife, who really helped me through this transition.

PAN M 360: We first came to know you as singer, keyboardist and guitarist with the band Atsuko Chiba. How does this experience influence your work today?

Karim Lakhdar: I’ve been playing with Atsuko for 13 years. It’s more than a band, it’s my family. I carry with me all the experiences we’ve had together. Whether it’s songwriting, touring, friendship, our conversations… It lives in me, and I can’t dissociate myself from it. I’m always learning from them. So, in a way, it’s an integral part of what I do with Boutique Feelings. Without the support of everyone in the band, as well as the family around us, I don’t know if I would have taken this step.

PAN M 360: The combination of hip-hop, trip-hop and prog-psych can be felt in your music. What attracts you to these genres?

Karim Lakhdar: Honestly, that’s a difficult question to answer. My musical tastes are very eclectic, so the reasons that draw me to these kinds of music are pretty much the same as those that draw me to post-punk, funk, salsa, rboukh, electroacoustic music and so on. They’re all ways of telling a story.

In my case, at the moment, what comes out of my head takes the form of these musical styles. I can’t say it will be the same in the future. I always keep the door open. Music is a manifestation of the self, and as we’re always changing, so does our thinking.

PAN M 360: There’s a visual identity to the project that already seems to be developed and engaging thanks to analog technology. How does this identity develop through your artistic vision?

Karim Lakhdar: For me, visual identity is always important. The relationship between the music and the visual representation of the project must create an atmosphere of intrigue. It’s also something very personal. Images, like words, mean different things to different people. What I understand when I see an image is not necessarily the same as what you understand. I love this aspect: I’m not here to tell you what to think, it’s always a suggestion.

I worked with Rodrigo Sergio on the design and creation. I hope to continue working with him and experimenting to develop a vision that evolves with the project. Each release deserves a different approach, and I’m excited to see what the future holds!

PAN M 360: How do you approach the sampling and audio design of your music?

Karim Lakhdar: For me, each song on this EP is a universe. They are showcases that (I hope at least) invite you to discover the world of Boutique Feelings. In this case, sampling plays a major role in the creation of these worlds. Often, these samples are the starting point for an idea. Three seconds can influence the direction and theme of a song. Sometimes I create my own samples, and other times it’s something I find.

On the more technical side (or maybe not so much), I have fun cutting up bits of audio and experimenting. I modify frequencies, reverse them, add effects and so on. Sometimes I record a guitar phrase, cut it up and play it back using a MIDI controller, which transforms it completely. The aim is really to create without a destination. That’s the general philosophy of the project.

PAN M 360: Your first single, Sundried Autumn, has a psychedelic, atmospheric feel, while Trynna Do focuses on personal development. What was your state of mind when composing these first two tracks?

Karim Lakhdar: These songs were created about two years ago. They were written at the beginning and during the pandemic. Like everyone else, I had a lot of time on my hands and a lot of questions.

A central theme in Trynna Do was trying to look at the world around me with a more objective eye, despite negative thoughts. I know that’s not necessarily possible, but I was trying to be more empathetic towards what I didn’t understand.

Sundried Autumn deals with the theme of self-confidence… since I personally have a lot of trouble with self-confidence. Both songs have an introspective dimension, and I honestly didn’t understand this until I reworked them two years later.

PAN M 360: How do you feel about the Montreal audiovisual scene at the moment? Are there any local artists you follow closely?

Karim Lakhdar: Montreal always has something to say. We have excellent artists in every genre. This is a city with so much diversity and we take artistic expression to heart. In terms of music, I’m really into Zouz, Yoo Doo Right, Narcy and Suuns.

For audiovisuals, I think the work Anthony Piazza has been doing for years is excellent. I also really like the work of Naska Demini, who creates such moving portraits.

PAN M 360: What’s next for Boutique Feelings? Are there any exciting upcoming projects you can share?

Karim Lakhdar: Je travaille actuellement sur un album. C’est tout ce que je peux dire pour le moment. Mais je suis excité de poursuivre cette aventure!

PAN M 360: If the audience had to take away one message or emotion from your music, what would you want it to be?

Karim Lakhdar: I hope that they retain this idea of hope. I think we’re all going through difficult times, and it’s important to come together rather than tear each other down. I really believe in community spirit. Support your loved ones, your family, your local and global community.

Publicité panam

Ahead of his headlining Taverne Tour show, we quickly spoke to Gus Englehorn about his latest full-length album, The Hornbook. Building off of his whimsical garage rock tales found in the albums Dungeon Master, and Death & Transfiguration, The Hornbook is filled with stories about knights, ghosts, forlorn lovers, and other wacky goblins—all derived from Gus’ childlike imagination. Along with his songwriting/drumming/bandmate/life partner, Estée Preda, Gus has also dropped a treasure trove of DIY film music videos to follow The Hornbook. Catch these tales live at L’Escogriffe at 7 pm on Feb 6 with Gus Englehorn supported by Motherhood, and Gondola.

Until then, check out our interview with Gus below.

PAN M 360: What inspired these stories in The Hornbook?

Gus Englehorn: Many things! My dad’s name is Roderick, my brother was in the NYT for metal detecting, my mom has one eye and wears an eye patch (just kidding about that one). It’s only after the songs are about 80% completed that I usually start to get hints about their meanings, which I always assign afterward.

PAN M 360: Your songs always have these wacky, whimsical characters like One Eyed Jack, Roderick of the Vale, and Sweet Marie; do you find it easier to write with a visual character in mind?

Gus Englehorn: I never approach things straight on. Usually, I’m just playing whatever riff is the main riff of the song, and before I know it, words are coming out of my mouth. Just sounds at first. And then after a couple hundred hours, the sounds become words and the words turn themselves into stories.

PAN M 360: And “Sweet Marie” is inspired by a painting?

Gus Englehorn: Two of the songs on the record are inspired by paintings. Sweet Marie and The Whirlwind’s Speaking. Sweet Marie was inspired by a painting I found in a barn. I hung it up in my apartment and I would stare at it as I sat on the couch and played guitar. Eventually, a murder mystery emerged from the fog.

PAN M 360: Why did you call the album, The Hornbook?

Gus Englehorn: I thought of it as my ”Fables de La Fontaine’’. I thought to myself, if I was ever to write a children’s book, what would I call it? And I thought The Hornbook had a nice ring to it. Also, a hornbook was an educational tool for children from medieval times that they used to break over each other’s heads on the playgrounds. They were shaped like a wooden paddle and they usually had written upon them the alphabet, numbers, and a short Bible verse.

PAN M 360: Did you dive into old medieval folk songs at all while writing this one?

Gus Englehorn: I dove into Scarborough Fair, a medieval poem and some medieval French music while driving through the French countryside while starring at the castles and the green pastures.

PAN M 360: You have a huge visual side to your music with the low-budget film music videos. Can you talk about the process of making these videos? Maybe specifically the newest one, “The Itch”

Gus Englehorn: It all started when I read The Barebones Camera Guide, a really amazing book first published in the 80s that has a lot of amazing information about storyboarding, shooting sequences, and working with film in particular. Then I read another book called Lighting For Film. And then we were off to the races. I first start with a big brainstorm with Estée. Then we storyboard it all out as detailed as we can and then by the time we get to shooting we stick to that storyboard pretty closely most of the time. It really is a thrilling experience to pick up a guitar and start playing around with it and eventually to have a song emerge from the nether regions of yourself and for that song to then take on a visual form. Luckily in my case, my songs work pretty well as little scripts.

PAN M 360: Gus Englehorn is you, but is he also a sort of persona on stage?

Gus Englehorn: I think deep down it’s just little old me but that doesn’t mean that I’m not affecting things to get the story across. I’m just excited about trying new things and I love the feeling that art gives you, sort of like waiting through an ocean of possibilities, different ways of singing, and playing, and dressing, and moving, and filming and it goes on and on until infinity.

PAN M 360: Can you talk about your lyrical process, I always find your songs very easy to sing along with because of their use of rhymes. Kind of like a children’s book?

Gus Englehorn: Much like Jay-Z, I actually don’t write down any lyrics anymore. I just come up with them all off the top of my head as I play the guitar. But lyrics are most certainly my favorite part of the process. I don’t always feel like they’re under my control, they kind of just emerge from the murkiness of my subconsciousness and usually, I’m not happy until they tell a story that is easy to follow while retaining an element of mystery that leaves something up for interpretation.

PAN M 360: How do you measure success as an indie artist?

Gus Englehorn: Definitely still trying to piece that one together. But I have noticed that the more I focus on art and all its endless dimensions the more deeply enamored with it I become and the less commercial success seems to matter.

PAN M 360: What can we expect for the Taverne Tour show?

Gus Englehorn: The unexpected. Just kidding, just a really rusty, half a band, having a really good time playing.

The rappers and singers of LaF have been making their mark on the Montreal scene for almost ten years now.

Unique in its genre, the rap collective has always stood out with a sound that is both complex and accessible, navigating through boom bap, pop and jazz. With each release, the three MCs Bkay, Jamaz and Mantisse have managed to renew themselves, and their new EP Soin Entreprise (Vol.2), released last Friday, is the umpteenth proof of this.

Via Disques 7ième Ciel, they offer six new tracks, all carefully concocted by Bnjmn.lloyd, the band’s composer and producer. Compared to their last album, CHROME, LaF is more relaxed and luminous.

On June, the collective’s melodic side comes to the fore thanks to Mantisse’s excellent chorus, while the MCs’ lyrics and rhymes shine on W, a more old-school curtain-raiser. Friendship and a sense of community are two of the EP’s central themes; family is at the heart of Soin Entreprise (Vol. 2).

For the occasion, Pan M 360 sat down with Justin Boisclair (Bkay) and Thomas Thivierge-Gauthier (Mantisse) to talk about the creative process behind the project, LaF’s future ambitions, the collective’s upcoming 10-year anniversary and much more!

From February 21 to May 9, LaF will be performing their new EP live across Quebec as part of their tour. Tickets available here.

At the end of January, French singer-songwriter Laura Cahen launched her third album, De l’autre côté, co-produced with Mike Lindsay (Tunng, LUMP with Laura Marling) and Josephine Stephenson (Damon Alban, Arctic Monkeys). More inspired by British and American culture than French, without in any way denying it, Laura Cahen offers 10 songs. In a world that is regressing and going up in flames, love, desire and sexual identity inspire flight, the quest for a safe place conducive to harmony between beings different from the conservative norms that have become pre-eminent once again. “I imagine a world not far from our own, burning on all sides, with bombs falling all the time, an ecological crisis in full swing, and increasingly conservative and radical governments. In it, two women would fall madly in love and have to leave the city to find a better place where their love would have a chance to exist.” What’s the story? A conversation is in order, because De l’autre côté is a substantial album where poetry prevails over pamphlet, where art and feeling have the last word. For PAN M 360, Alain Brunet virtually reached Laura Cahen in France.