Piknic Electronik | Planet Giza, en route to the world

With their acclaimed second album just released and set to perform at Piknic Électronik later this month, the members of Montreal hip-hop group Planet Giza spoke to The Press their beginnings 15 years ago, their rise outside Quebec and their limitless ambitions.

their album Ready When You Are has just been published and the specialized media praise it. On the other end of the line, in a call for which the three members of Planet Giza have made themselves available, Rami B, Doom X and Tony Stone seem as aware of their potential as they are down to earth.

“As soon as we saw that there was this potential, it was always our goal [de faire quelque chose qui aille au-delà de la scène locale] “, says Rami B, in an interview.

When we discuss with young artists like the three members of Planet Giza, who produce music with an international vocation with undeniable dexterity, we first want to know if they were always destined to get there. Did they fall into it when they were little? Did they compose melodies before they even knew how to speak?

Since their early childhood

Unsurprisingly, we learn that Rami B, Doom X and Tony Stone have all three been immersed in music from their earliest childhood. In Haiti, Doom had “different style music at home all the time” and received releases from the United States via satellite radio. Rami has always had raï, Algerian music, in his ears. As for Tony, it was R&B, disco music and the rap classics his father introduced him to that rocked his childhood.

And yet, the three companions all explain to us that they decided much later that music would be at the center of their lives. Perhaps because we rarely learn that to embark on an artistic path is the best option. But already in adolescence, their passion develops.

Very young, Doom and Tony met on the basketball court, then found themselves later during the summer of 2008. The first was already making beats at the time and the second got into it right after they met. “He came to my house, I showed him FL [Studio]how to make beats. Later he met Ramy and they formed a band together. They asked me to work with them. We did a first song that did well. We continued to collaborate until we decided that we had to form a group together. »

Planet Giza was born. The group is basically made up of beatmakers. Initially, the three accomplices worked on their productions and invited artists to add their voices. “At one point, we wanted to have rapper Mick Jenkins on one of our songs and we couldn’t have him,” says Tony Stone. The guys told me that I should try to do it. The reception was really good and it kind of started the transition to what we are now. »

Extract of WYDfrom Planet Giza (with Saba)

Tony continues to work on the beats, then add the lyrics, he explains. In their early days, experimentation is the watchword. If the style of their hip-hop, very funk and R&B, is now well established, they first dabbled in other genres. Everyone’s musical interests shaped their essays.

“That’s what we’ve been aiming for for a long time, without having the term to describe it: we’re taking elements from the past and making them more modern, in our own way,” he adds.

From Montreal to everywhere else

The abundant scene underground Montrealer has given a lot to Planet Giza. Today, the group recognizes it while noting that it quickly had bigger goals. “In the beginning, when there were the Artbeat Montreal [une communauté pour la promotion des producteurs québécois]we were into it a lot, says Rami B. Doom and I, we were doing a lot of DJ sets. But after our first album [Added Sugar] in 2019, we no longer wanted to make music for Montreal, but just the best music we could make. And to bring it back internationally. We like living in Montreal, but I don’t think Montreal has an impact on our ideas, we’re really in our bubble. From anywhere in the world, we would have made the kind of music we are making now. »

Rami says it, Planet Giza has global aims. You can hear it when the members talk about their project, but you can hear it especially in their music, which has hip-hop influences from the American West Coast, with a touch reminiscent of Tyler, The Creator, mixed with the R&B of artists like The Weeknd.

There is no formula for making music that is exported, reminds Doom X. “We release our music, we push it as much as possible, we rely on word of mouth. »

Collaborations with international artists are multiplying. On Ready When You Are, Mick Jenkins, femdot, Saba and Sun are among the guest artists. Names that are not familiar to everyone, but which show that Planet Giza has a growing popularity with the American artistic community.

And if we are to believe the reception of the media and fans, Planet Giza is among the Canadian artists whose rise is imminent, if not already begun. Keep an eye on them.

Planet Giza will perform at Piknic Électronik, in formula dj setJune 25.