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Quebec fans of electronic music will know Odile Myrtil for her fiery DJ sets all over the underground scene and her long-standing collaboration with the Moonshine collective. A discreet presence on social networks, you won’t find much information about her, and yet there’s a lot going on in the life of this producer, lyricist and multidisciplinary artist. Whether it’s collaborating with local musicians, launching Paradis Artificiel, an experimental music group, or composing music for film and television – there seems to be no stopping the Montrealer.
A few days before her appearance at Piknic Electronik 2023, PAN M 360 spoke to this multi-talented artist, as she prepares to heat up the Sunday Scène du Boisé audience with a carefully selected set, blending timeless influences with contemporary discoveries.
PAN M 360 : What is the musical heritage you grew up with and cherish today?
Odile Myrtil : I grew up in a multicultural family with many different styles of music. My mother comes from Cambodia and my father from Haïti. We played a lot of traditional music from their countries, but these are also territories that were colonized by France, so I also have a big heritage of French music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. I’ve got two brothers who are older than me, one of whom listened to a lot of ’90s rock, while my other brother and I listened to a lot more hip-hop and R&B. There was always music playing in our house. I feel really lucky to have grown up with such a wide range of musical styles.
PAN M 360 : Do you think it was being immersed in so much music that led you to a career as an artist?
Odile Myrtil : I think so, because for me, it’s also having grown up at a time when my parents brought their brothers and sisters from their respective countries, and there were important family gatherings. For me, music is a representation of that feeling of celebration, of being surrounded by family. I really associate it with time spent together and sharing.
PAN M 360 : What other memories do you associate with music?
Odile Myrtil : When I was very young, I developed a taste for researching music, for archiving, really for collecting music. My brothers and I used to record the music we liked on the radio and play it back in the car, and we did the same with the VHS connected to the television. When I was a teenager, we used to burn CDs, and then there were the piracy platforms, thanks to which I discovered a lot of mus
PAN M 360 : Did you also collect vinyl?
Odile Myrtil : After CDs, I started collecting vinyl, but at first it was thanks to the money I received from my parents, because, well, it’s an expensive hobby. It’s interesting because it was this interest in vinyl collecting that led me to DJ culture. That’s how I learned to mix. It came at a time of transition when things were becoming more accessible, burning CDs, playing in clubs… I think that’s what allowed me to move forward in my DJ career, because there was this specific moment.
PAN M 360 : You’ve also been involved with the Moonshine collective for several years.
Odile Myrtil : I think it was about 8 years ago. It came about after I’d been working as a party organizer and felt less attracted by the business and administrative side of things. I was in a moment of transition where I had to choose between setting up a company to continue organizing parties or going down the artist route. I really wanted more to be an artist, to play music. I met the people at Moonshine and really realized that I’d rather be part of a collective.
PAN M 360 : We’re familiar with the DJ side of your career, but perhaps a little less so with your work as a lyricist and multimedia artist. Can you tell us more about that?
Odile Myrtil : Through DJing, I’ve met several music producers with whom I’ve collaborated, and these work experiences allow me to say today that I compose music for advertising, cinema and television. I kind of fell into DJing by chance, at a time when there weren’t many girls DJing, especially not women or non-white people. I’d reached a plateau as a DJ, and above all I wanted to write and compose. That’s what I’m doing right now. I’m currently doing music for a friend’s film, and I really love the world of cinema.
PAN M 360 : How do you approach the exercise of composing music for film?
Odile Myrtil : I really like ambient and experimental music. Personally, when I compose instrumental music, I go for those sounds, not a lot of percussion or minimal. It’s what I do naturally, what I want to create, and it’s in line with TV and cinema. I’ve started working with an agency in Toronto to create music for TV shows that haven’t been released yet. In the last year there’s been a real sense of validation. Before that, I didn’t really feel in control. But now, getting recognition from a company outside Montreal, and at the same time having a little more stability in my creative projects, changes my state of mind and I’m able to project myself into the future.
PAN M 360 : In the very near future, you’ll be appearing at Piknic Electronik this year, alongside Ouri and Frankie Teardrop. Does the event have any particular significance for you, and musically, what can we expect on Sunday?
Odile Myrtil : Ouri and Frankie and I have worked together on different projects, so it’s really cool that we’re together. It’s also important to have a local girl headlining. When I was younger, I used to wonder why Piknic didn’t have this kind of “agenda”, and now that I’m a bit older, I understand that these are processes that take a bit longer, like the underground to reach the mainstream. Piknic is a really important platform for me. It was my first big opportunity and I really admire what they’ve done for the local scene. To have this angle that’s still very mainstream, but also to really make a reference to the underground every year, which is getting closer and closer to current events, I find that really inspiring.
I’m going to open the day, so I’m sure I’ll be playing appropriate music for the moment. I’ve already had my little collection of music specially for this purpose for a few months now. That’s why I love DJing, to be able to do that research, to touch things, to pick up CDs at Renaissance, listen to Mix Party CDs, go to Death of Vinyl to see what’s there. I also like being able to share this research with the public afterwards. Piknic is the kind of opportunity that gives me the freedom to do a set that’s really edgy, but also to do a lot of research to come up with a timeless set.
PIKNIC ÉLECTRONIK MTL #6: PLANET GIZA (DJ SET) / OURI (DJ SET)
