Certainly, the snow missed our holiday season, but it was still not going to miss the opening of the 16e edition of the now traditional Igloofest. From January 18 to February 11, electronic music will resonate at the Old Port of Montreal thanks to selections and performances by Torontonian Rezz, veterans Stephan Bodzin and Armin van Buuren, dance stars Kaskade and Eric Prydz, among others , and a handful of local artists, such as this couple of musicians and entrepreneurs formed by Gene Tellem and Kris Guilty, beacons of the Montreal underground electronic scene.
Gene Tellem is a composer, musician, producer and founder of the record label Bienvenue Recordings; Kris, a former graffiti artist who turned to music because he was tired of having to run away from the police with his paint cans, is a DJ, record dealer and programmer, notably at the Sans Soleil nightclub (under the restaurant Fleurs et Cadeaux, in Chinatown), of which he is also co-owner.
Theirs is the poster for the second outdoor stage of the first evening of Igloofest, presented by La Rama, name of the record company founded by Guilty and its record store located on rue Bernard, near the Main. A “drop-off point” for the underground scene, illustrates Kris Guilty. “It helps the community. I often come across musicians who are discouraged or who don’t know how to move forward with their projects. I tell them : just do it ! »
Gene describes him as hyperactive. “I became an event promoter at a very young age, then I opened a store, without really knowing what I was doing,” explains Kris. But I’m a hard worker, I put my energy into what I believe will yield results, both for him and for the scene in which he operates.
At the time of the visit of DutyKris was finishing packing a shipment, bound for Europe, of vinyl from the brand new mini-album Lost Dialogs, published by La Rama Records, release by Montreal techno composer Rig Thrall. All this will leave within the hour for Glasgow. “I have to say that everything we do remains very underground,” emphasizes Guilty. There is no money for marketing; I think, in the long term, of promoting music that will last over time. It’s the deal that I suggest to the artists I work with: don’t create too many expectations, and if you’re OK with that, we’ll release your record! »
Gene, for his part, fell in love with electronic music before he came of age. A well-known DJ, she composes, solo and within the group Secret Witness, which distills a soft melodic pop song carried by suave house rhythms — highly recommended!
Microcosm
The group’s first mini-album was released in 2022 on the Bienvenue Records label: “In Australia, I met a Belgian living there; we played at a party in Adelaide, it clicked,” she says. The musician, Gratts, signs the next release on his record company. Most of the artists published by La Rama Records and Bienvenue Recordings, however, are established here: “Thanks to the record store, Kris and I discovered a lot of new talent. Someone comes to us with interesting music or, on our own, we discover something exciting. There is often a connection made with artists that goes beyond music, a bond of friendship. »
As a director, Gene Tellem works with singer-songwriter Laroie (her microalbum Tragedy was published last March; the next one will arrive this year). Their new French-speaking electronic pop project, named En stereo, will be revealed in the coming weeks. “When I DJ, I play house — that’s a very broad description,” she admits. By that I mean house, but also techno, disco, anything that grooves, in fact.”
By multiplying their projects, Gene and Kris offer an invaluable contribution to the Montreal underground scene. “Honestly, I have the feeling that the Montreal scene is healthy and still growing,” says Guilty. I note that our scene, unlike that of New York, for example, is made up of what I call a “working class”: several musicians and DJs have jobs on the side, in bars, in kitchens. They are all friends or acquaintances outside of music.” Gene also notes the diversity of music professions within the scene: “A lot of people have their specialty, for example in web radios, like Shift or N10.as, or in the promotion of events”, thus contributing to the development from the scene.
The lineup of local artists at Igloofest is somewhat a reflection of the dynamism of the scene. Under the stars in Old Montreal, these two lovers of vinyl (joined by friend DJ Hidi, acolyte of Sans Soleil) will however have to resolve to broadcast audio files: “Playing records outside, in mid-winter is not ideal,” Gene summarizes, after his friend explains in detail how fine water particles in the air can turn into crystals on the surface of the record and distort the sound, in addition to damaging the needle.
Igloofest, as well as its indoor après-ski component, takes place at the Old Port from January 18 to February 11.