Composer and multi-instrumentalist, starting with this trumpet, whose lines recall the late Roy Hargrove at the service of D’Angelo, Nic Boulay is one of the ligaments of the Quebec jazzy hip-hop appendage inspired by the scenes in Los Angeles, Chicago and London. In Montreal, this all-round musician follows in the footsteps of Misc, Bellflower, Urban Science, Les Louanges, in short, he’s part of the extended family of millennials who are fed up with modern jazz and inclined to merge with groove, R&B, and hip-hop. Nic Boulay works here with keyboardist Jérôme Beaulieu, drummer William Côté, rapper D-Track (David Dufour), bassist and keyboardist Jérémi Roy, singer and musician Caro Dupont, bassist Pierre-David Girard, double bassist Olivier Hébert, and producer Félix “Felp” Petit. Boulay’s compositions bear witness to the culture acquired by a new generation of Quebec artists who have been expressing themselves for more than a decade now. Whether sung or rapped, the lyrics are also part of this rap keb aesthetic that is itself part of a larger whole, without really transcending it. It’s all very cool, it’s all very contemporary. We’re waiting for the album!
