Introducing Liquid Love: A label for the Montreal underground
Liquid Love Records is a new project by Montreal-based producer and DJ, Martin Cadieux (AKA Liquid Love Angel). “Boundary Condition” marks the label’s second release, embracing the spirit of local collaboration and paying tribute to the city’s underground scene. Two original tracks by Cadieux are accompanied by remixes from Toronto-based Korea Town Acid and Hesk. The EP features original artwork by Francois Beauchesne.
“Boundary Condition” features a hammering acid bassline with a vocal sample of Stephen Hawking discussing his theory of the universe before the Big Bang, “My motto is there are no boundaries.”
Representing the local scene’s diversity and no-boundaries versatility of sound, what begins as a 160 BPM, drum and bass hard-hitter transforms into to a slower, more club-friendly house mix, until it’s finally reworked as an emotional IDM-flavored jam with Korea Town Acid incorporating sustained pads and emotive chord progressions. Meanwhile, Hesk is recognizable for his footwork productions - and his stuttering remix keeps the essence of the style’s rhythmics while simultaneously pushing its boundaries with elements of acid and techno.
Pursuant to the label’s essence, the record was produced with an improvisational style to it, using live hardware - representative of how Liquid Love Angel and friends organize and play live analog shows around the city.
Martin: “Detroit, New York and Chicago - they have their own sound. I wanted to start a label to represent Montreal. We have such a beautiful and diverse city, and we have a lot to offer in terms of music, producers, and DJs... We have a very vibrant city.”
Attending Concordia University’s Electroacoustics program, Cadieux developed an interest in experimenting with analog synthesizers. Being around so many people with a similar passion inspired him to build his own platform - giving exposure to an unfailingly innovative underground dance music scene.
Martin: “I got tired of always listening to other people's music. We have great artists in Canada. I know a bunch of them. I went to school with them. I'm going to shows with them. I'm playing shows with them.
It did take time - but now that I have all these people, I'm putting everything together, and I only plan on releasing more music. Just seeing where it goes.”
In the spirit of improvisation (we’re all winging it, right?) Martin recounted how the collaboration came to be:
Martin: “I didn't know how it was going to turn out. Jess [KTA] checked it out on Instagram in a 10-second clip and she asked, ‘What is that?’ - she made a comment on one of my posts and said she was going to be playing in Berlin in a few days, at this club called Wilde Renate. She wanted to play the track - and I hadn't finished it yet…
Then she hit me up like two weeks later and said, ‘Hey, I'm going to play in this club - I want your track where is it? What's going on?’
It's hard to put yourself out there - the more I'm doing it, the more I'm impressed with other people. Constantly releasing music - yeah, it's for the love, but also it takes concentration. It takes effort.”
Korea Town Acid by Colin Medley
From the producer, to the remixer, to the sound engineer, to the cover art, putting out a record is a collective effort - it takes a lot of coordination, a lot of synergy. It’s exciting to see a DIY project come to life and shed light on the lesser-known gems in the city.
Martin: “This is the beginning of something important for me, and I'm hoping to bring out other artists I find interesting on the scene through this.”
All proceeds from “Boundary Condition” will be donated to a local organization dedicated to supporting POC in Montreal - get it here.
Liquid Love Records
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Liquid Love Angel
Korea Town Acid
Bandcamp I Soundcloud I Facebook
Hesk
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