Freedom according to Tomas Furey

Tomas Furey is a composer of a kind that is quite unique to us. He creates music for dance, cinema or multimedia installations. He does it alone, surrounded by instruments and devices of all kinds.

More recently, he dared to do some for himself. I say for himself, but I add a nuance. Those who went to see him last year at the SAT, as part of MUTEK, discovered the universe of this creator hidden behind the name Twin Rising and… a mask. Clearly, the artist does not want to put his mug in the spotlight. For someone who studied piano and electroacoustic composition, the work must be put forward.

Recently, he published on various platforms the piece Sofia (a tribute to a friend who committed suicide), which is part of an album he produced with his own means. I listened to the whole result. Delight and ecstasy.

The electronic music lover in me was delighted. The compositions, which deal with “love impulses” but also breakups, force abandonment and invite you to travel.

It made me want to meet him. I went to our meeting thinking that young designers are very lucky to have technology. It seems so easy today to complete projects independently.

I came away from my meeting with Tomas Furey with a less idyllic vision of the thing.

Over the past few months, Tomas Furey has tried to contact several production companies in Quebec, without success. “I tried to find help to get my album known. I don’t know how to do that. I arrived super confident. At first, I thought I could choose the label I wanted [il dit cela en riant]. It wasn’t the case at all. It was a big slap in the face.”

The composer acknowledges that the experience was “pretty tough.” Above all, he understands that his era, even if it facilitates the expression of talent and production work, involves a marketing approach that does not suit all personalities. “You have to be on social networks. There is enormous pressure on that level. I should publish a story every day, but I can’t do it. That is the biggest challenge for young artists today.”

Honestly, I have a hard time understanding how a composer who arrives with a very finished record, a turnkey product, can’t find a team to help him take the next step. We like to say that Quebec is a creative and daring territory. It depends on who you’re talking about.

“I am not convinced that this is a Quebec project for the labels from Quebec, continues Tomas Furey. I’m from Montreal. I would like it to start here. Unfortunately, I think that our labels go towards things they know.”

In fact, what Tomas Furey needs is a core that will help him bring to life this music that he wants to offer in an immersive way in a strong visual framework, exactly as he did at the SAT with the Isotone collective. “I think more and more that there is a large part of luck. Sometimes it starts with an encounter or a discovery. A director can hear one of your songs and make it discover to a large audience.”

The music industry has completely changed in recent years. But one constant remains: marginality and originality still have a hard time finding their place. Where is the democratization of art announced thanks to new technologies?

Furey is a name that must ring a bell. Indeed, Tomas is the son of Lewis Furey and actress and director Carole Laure. I broach the subject with him. He is sparing with words. “No, it doesn’t help me any more than anyone else… My parents are part of another circuit.”

At the same time, he cannot hide the role that his father played (he put him in front of a piano at the age of 4) in his encounter with music. “We are a very close family. Of course we follow each other’s projects and encourage each other,” says the man who worked on the mixing of his father’s next album.

On the other hand, he speaks without reserve about his collaborations with his sister, the choreographer Clara Furey. He has written the music for several of her works. “We are working on our eighth show. It is obvious for us to work together. It is my best collaboration, because it challenges me a lot. I like that.”

While waiting for a producer or company to take an interest in his album, Tomas Furey continues to run his training center, which promotes the practice of calisthenics, which consists of using your body weight to improve your physical abilities.

This is an approach that is not far from that of the creator. Except that in the case of music, Tomas Furey works with the weight of his passion.