Re:Conceive - raising money for the Native Women's Shelter and the Just Solutions Clinic in Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal)

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Image Credit: Nick Castonguay

Re:Conceive is a collection of tracks from artists living in Tiohtiá:ke, so-called 'montréal', and is raising money for the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal and the Just Solutions Clinic. It aims to activate solidarity between indigenous peoples, settlers, immigrants and refugees alike. Electronic music is a potent conduit in this process, in reclaiming space where just realities might be cultivated or imagined. With the arrival of the rising global tide of right wing politics in 'québec', and the unaddressed history and continuance of colonialism and structural white supremacy in 'canada' at large, it is high time that we reconceive of our history, our present, and our way forward.

All revenue generated by this compilation will be donated 50/50 to The Native Women's Shelter of Montréal and The Just Solutions Clinic.

Re:Conceive est une collection de pièces d’artistes habitant Tiohtiá:ke, appelée «montréal». Le but de cette initiative est de lever des fonds pour The Native Women's Shelter of Montreal et l’organisme Clinique des Solutions Justes.

Ce projet à pour but d’activer la solidarité entre les peuples autochtones, les colonisateurs, les immigrants de même que les réfugiés. La musique électronique est un conduit puissant dans ce processus, en réclamant l’espace où les réalitées équitables pourraient être cultivées ou imaginées. Avec l’arrivée d’une vague globale de politique de droite au «québec» ainsi que l’histoire et la continuation du colonialisme et de la suprématie blanche au «canada» qui n’ont toujours pas été adressés, il est grand temps de reconcevoir ensemble notre histoire, notre présent et notre chemin vers l’avant.

Tout revenu généré par cette compilation seront donné 50/50 entre Native Women's Shelter of Montréal et Clinique des Solutions Justes

Listen to / buy the compilation on Bandcamp

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festive moment, tragic and playful neurosis -
celebration of a past event
festive moment as a celebration of a memory
festive moment – marginal, multiple, anti-idealistic,
more counter-monument than
monument

our frail and sick incandescent bodies
coming to celebrate
towards ecstasy
towards ecology and social justice

ghosts will re- main, lurking in new and old buildings, in the voids where buildings used to stand, and in the psyches of those who walk the streets

whatever their origin or reason for being there

it's dancing, disorganized
crowd high on amphetamines
they are coming to celebrate the victory (post-war celebration)
police is gone, prisons are closed
festive moment, they shot the monuments

explosion-like shocks
in which we
gather together - softening together

spending lavishly in in the economy of the underground
the event is a founding disaster
memory is kept in the stones of-
in the economy of the underground
epitaph of our amphetamine-fueled black-outs

How long can we last? What has to be remembered?

The hidden gathering spaces as resting places for souls exhausted by repetitive and alienating work, exhausted by the coercive and violent systems, looking for the feeling of belonging to a group, of being alive. Active destruction of bodies, waste of energy and production force.

How long can you last?

Our microscopic stories at the scale of History that will be, at worse, unknown, at best, vague feelings of an event.

If, under the sun, we endeavor to be part of history, under the moon we remember our purpose is to rot.

a festive moment to feel that we belong in a community in a given space and time – a capacity to negotiate with otherness
festive moment, initiatory and vital praxis
the event is a founding disaster
the festive moment is not entertainment

Writing by Ariane Gagné

Released August 21, 2020

Mastered by Cristobal Urbina

Art by Nick Castonguay

Logo design by Kristian Spears

Additional mixing on track 12. 'AK47' by Joaquin Sabat
Vocals on track 19 'Hallowed Utterance' performed by Odile Myrtil
Cube Life is a project between Fengir & CMD

Thanks to Andy Poblete for his evocation of political issues in 'québec'.

Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal:
Since its incorporation in 1987, the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal has provided shelter and support to First Nations, Inuit and Métis women and their children. Our clientele are self-referred or referred by community resources. The shelter provides an environment where women can focus on their various challenges and rebuild their lives. Our in-house programs combined with our outreach services help in the healing process of women, while assisting them in re-establishing a balanced lifestyle. The Native Women's Shelter works within an Aboriginal framework. We incorporate many different teachings from the various cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. We combine traditional healing techniques with contemporary approaches to give the women a multitude of options to address their immediate needs and issues.

Depuis son incorporation en 1987, le Refuge pour femmes autochtones de Montréal a fourni un abri et du soutien aux femmes des Premières Nations, inuites et métisses et à leurs enfants. Notre clientèle est auto-référée ou référée par des ressources communautaires. Le refuge offre un environnement où les femmes peuvent se concentrer sur leurs divers défis et reconstruire leur vie. Nos programmes combinés à nos services de proximité contribuent au processus de guérison des femmes, tout en les aidant à rétablir un mode de vie équilibré. Le refuge pour femmes autochtones fonctionne dans un cadre autochtone. Nous incorporons de nombreux enseignements différents des diverses cultures des Premières Nations, des Inuits et des Métis. Nous combinons des techniques de guérison traditionnelles avec des approches contemporaines pour donner aux femmes une multitude d'options pour répondre à leurs besoins et problèmes immédiats.

The Just Solutions Clinic:
Service d’information juridique, défense des droits sociaux et accompagnement, s’adressant aux personnes vulnérables et marginalisées, dans le domaine du droit des réfugiés et de l’immigration. S’adresse aussi aux professionnels de la santé et des services sociaux, ainsi qu’aux intervenants communautaires. Accessible gratuitement, sous réserve des frais exigés pour certains formulaires et selon certains critères.

The Just Solutions Clinic provides free legal information and assistance, rights advocacy and accompaniment to vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals in the domain of refugee and immigration law. The majority of the people we assist are refugee claimants and other newcomers with a precarious immigration status. We also help social and health professionals and community workers understand their clients’ immigration situations. Available free of charge, except for the fees required for certain forms and based on certain criteria.

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Artist Spotlight: Active Surplus talk creativity, friendship, and releasing their first EP on Pacific Rhythm

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Image Credit: Michelle Chiu

“We were always just chillin - we were homies. Homies first, and then we just happened to love jamming.” 

Active Surplus, the collaborative project from Toronto duo Evan Vincent (Emissive) and Ian Syrett, is a product of friendship. As most good things do - one of the most exciting new electronic projects began completely by chance. The two met at a house party in 2014, while studying in London, Ontario - they happened to be the only people in the room who listened to techno. After many years of hanging out and jamming together - they’re convinced to now be approaching thousands of hours of face-to-face time (re: the 10,000 Hour Rule) - this May they released their eponymous first EP on Vancouver label Pacific Rhythm. During a Zoom call one warm quarantine evening, I chatted with Evan and Ian about everything from the ins and outs of producing music with a friend, to piecing together years of work for their debut record, dreaming of hazmat suits to bring back clubbing, and their parallel love for both Baltimore house and roti. 

The EP is a compilation of four tracks weaving together groovy, chilled-out electro melodies with chopped breaks referencing the percussion of Jersey club Bmore house. The intro track, “Yaye”, sets the scene with an addictive vocal chant over very danceable, choppy drum samples, and gentle chords characteristic of the West Coast sound throughout. 

This unique combination of influences was what turned years of jamming and experimentation into a distinctive voice. “We got to the point where we realized we had a LOT of music - and we just sat down one day and we were like, okay, let's actually start putting all the loose ends together. Who does this energy speak to - what sort of cultural movements are inspired by this and are informed by this?” One particular movement seemed to really resonate with them - and suddenly the rest of the pieces fell into place.

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Evan: “We started chasing down the Bmore [Baltimore]  sound pretty heavily. Finding ways to flip that into what we were already doing. And I think that's really the one thing. It's really hard to have cohesion - especially when you have a lot of ideas. Having something that's the glue that puts it all together as a theme can be really hard to grasp.”

“So yeah, looking towards Jersey club and the Baltimore sound, it was a really nice way to get a lot of the tracks gelling together conceptually. But it’s something that we kind of jumped on to - we really started absorbing it later. Initially [the tracks] had more of an electro vibe.” 

A good thing about working with a sample-heavy sound is the ability to move the samples around and change the direction of the tracks - and upon receiving positive feedback on “Yaye,” the duo figured they were onto something. 

“We can take different worlds and combine them. It's kind of like collaging - that's usually how I think of it. You're taking all of these different elements and finding ways to get them to say something as a collective whole.”

Ian: And this is our first EP, right? So this was our first crack at sending a message out there - and we've got tons more material that we're going to keep working on. The theme for the first EP was definitely very B’more heavy, for sure - that was the vibe that we were feeling at the time.”

When asked why they decided to release on a Vancouver-based label, Active Surplus described working with their friends at Pacific Rhythm as a natural fit for this record. 

Evan: “My favorite labels are the types that have a narrative. We were racking our brains thinking, what's our influence, what are our favorite labels? And then who do we also have a connection with? You know, because you want it to be natural. It's awkward when you're shopping records and you don't know [the label] - music's a very personal thing.”

Good news! Pacific Rhythm is once again connecting game with one of Toronto's most promising young duos, Active Surplus. Active Surplus is the collaborative project from Evan Vincent (AKA Emissive) and Ian Syrett, who also appear on this past winter's fourth volume of Rhythms Of The Pacific. Their new self-titled EP is their love letter to the house music sound that first sprouted from the West Coast. It's laid-back, groovy and touched with lovely instrumentation, like the plucked strings on "Meera," a heartfelt tribute to a loved one. "Meera" and the billowing groove of "Ambrosia" might remind you of early Pacific Rhythm releases, with dainty arrangements and chords that waft across the rhythm section. But Active Surplus put their own spin on things. The EP was heavily inspired by the stuttering drum patterns of Baltimore club, which undergird each track in subtle but noticeable ways, making the grooves that much skippier and slippier. "Yeye" calls to mind the feeling of early Walt J material and delivers a devastating earworm that will stick with you long after the lights have come on at the end of a late night Dance Opportunity, while the looped woodwinds and cool-blue keyboards offer a sweet melodic hook on the irresistible "One Beyond." There's a confident, naturalistic quality to these rippling grooves and silky sounds, which the duo credit to an obsession with water. After all, in their words, "we might not live by the ocean, but we're all H20 on the inside." Thanks for listening!

While Evan works as an audio engineer and producer, Ian’s day-job is that of an audiologist. I asked Ian what it’s like to be so immersed in working with different aspects of sound - both hearing and music:

Ian: “It's definitely influenced the way I think about sound, for sure. It has more of an influence on some of the experimental stuff - I've tried a few things as far as more out-there sounds. I studied psychology when I was in undergrad and I was going to go into research in psychology. I was really interested in music, and I deejayed when I was younger - a lot. So [audiology] was a logical step for me to combine my love for sound and music with my background in psychology. As far as whether it influences actual musical material, maybe in some subconscious level - of just incorporating things that I've learned in school and in work.”

“I'm thinking about sound at work all the time, so I'm never that far away. There's similar language going on - both professionally and in my creative pursuit. It definitely makes it easier for me to work at the hospital, and then afterwards Evan and I jam for like - seven hours. Evan comes over, we jam and eat a roti, get back in the studio - eat lots of roti (laughs).”

“I love jamming and working with Evan because he's really proficient and creatively [he’s] really fun to work with. When I work on my solo project, I can sit there and work on the same sample for like three hours - whereas when I'm with Evan, I'll work on it for five minutes, and I'll look up, and he'll just be on his phone and I'll be like, ‘Oh yeah, shit, somebody else's time matters too’. It's easier to keep track of what the goal is when you're working with somebody else.”

Evan: “I'm guilty of the same thing - I'll be tweaking a filter for 45 minutes and it's like, you have to think about what the end pursuit [is], especially when you're with somebody else. I think it's easier to reach a manifested concept when you can be like, ‘this is working,’ or ‘maybe let's try this,’ and you can kind of work back and forth instead of just going in blind.”

Ian: “And lately, like for the past like two years, every time we jam we're making a track - or at least finishing something. So you spend enough time together, and eventually you finish each other's sentences. You don't have to go searching for the medium where your interests meet. It just sort of happens. It's more intuitive.”

Of course, what’s a Zoom call these days without mentioning something about the pandemic - I asked Active Surplus what advice they’d give creative people to stay motivated during this time of isolation:

Evan: When you find yourself with all this time, remember to take care of yourself and be easy on yourself. Also, this is an opportunity to actually just really explore the creative ideas that you're into because there's no more impetus to do just what's cool, or what's what people want. Now's the time to do exactly what you want to do and figure out what your voice is, and what your message is and what speaks to you.”

“Even if you're just making music for your own enjoyment, good. Find the thing that makes you feel amazing. As much as I love going to a club, and dance floor material, producers will feel like they need to make stuff that will get played to get out there - and to have their stuff in mixes. I think we'll see a lot more music of people just exploring sounds, trying new things. Exploring new directions, expressing themselves, expressing their frustrations. And getting into new ideas.. We'll see a lot more albums in the next little while.”

“You have time and you sit home; you can sit and listen to a record for an hour - it’s not like you are strapped for time anymore.”

...and then the conversation went a little beyond advice...

Ian: “You have to build a club where there's a tunnel that goes from your house to the club, but you're in your own little thing, and everyone's in there, and you can dance, and then there's another tunnel that brings the drink or whatever into your hands. And then you can jam with speakers inside each tunnel. And then when you're done, you're just back in your house.  

Evan: “I think I saw this thing online -  hazmat suits for clubbing - like you have your little cigarette…”

Instagram Soundcloud

Check out Vitamix on n10.as radio and catch Active Surplus’ guest mix with House of Delancey on Noods Radio on August 29th at 20:00 GMT

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Janette King Debuts New Track "Mars"

Janette King by Adam Nigro

Producer, vocalist and DJ Janette King is back with "Mars." This lusty pop-RnB track produced by Jonny Tobin marks the launch of the record label Hot Tramp.

Founder/owner of Hot Tramp Sarah Armiento has been managing Janette since she launched her company in 2019. "Janette King is one of the most talented, creative and positive people I've ever met who matches that with an equally impressive work ethic, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit". This track is a taste of Janette King's forthcoming debut LP to be put out by Hot Tramp in May 2021. 

Imagined through sex, longing, and lust, "Mars" is a song about overcoming your fears to explore a deeper connection with someone who seems to be from a different planet than your own. This dreamy soundscape with catchy melodies and powerful vocals will definitely take you around the galaxy. 

We caught up with Janette over the phone to talk about the out of this world track, Hot Tramp's launch as a label, and her thoughts on the contemporary creative process. 

Dan MacDiarmid for Also Cool: This will be the first single on Hot Tramp as a label. Hot Tramp started out just last year, but I quickly heard it come up as a big name for show management and promotion, and now it's becoming a label.

Janette King: Yeah! I think it is really cool about Hot Tramp because you don't see a lot of women-led anything in the music industry. Hot Tramp is entirely run by Sarah. She tries really hard to be intersectional, inclusive, and diverse in the work that she does. I think that it's demonstrated in the shows that she puts on and promotes, even within her artists.

Also Cool: Let's talk about the song itself. "Mars" is Hot Tramp's debut single, and it's a celebration of Black queer sexuality. What does the song mean for you? 

Janette King: I had an intimate experience where we played with the idea of being on a different planet. I thought it was really cool because,  sometimes, as a Black artist in general, you kind of just feel like you're from a different world. I don't know, I also just feel like Black artists... they're kind of hypersexualized in certain aspects. It's nice to say "fuck it" to all of that (laughs) and explore sexuality and sensuality regardless. 

AC: Yeah, in your own voice. 

Janette King: Exactly, and as an artist, I haven't really written a lot about my sexuality, so that was kind of a new avenue for me. Exploring it within my own art. It was kind of a challenge, I wanted to expand a bit in terms of what I write about.

AC: What do you usually write about?

Janette King: I would say that I usually write about love. People breaking up, getting together. 

AC: Can you tell me anything more about the upcoming album? What's the vibe going to be, and what's in store for you?

Janette King: I always write about love, and it's a compilation of love songs, to various degrees. But more so, I was focusing on loss in terms of relationships. It expands into loss of oneself and loss of life, and mental health. 

It's an album about love and loss, just like all my other ones (laughs), but it kind of dives more deeply into the loss aspect and different ways you can lose.

AC: Did you write the song this summer?

Janette King: My friend who is the producer of the song, Jonny Tobin, created the beat and the soundscape. I wrote the lyrics, the melodies and the harmonies, and then my friend Alex mixed the vocals together. We did it in our own respective bedrooms.

Janette King by Adam Nigro

AC: It's really cool that with technology and different ways to connect, you can do all that stuff even if you can't get into a recording studio.

Janette King: In this day and age, with the pandemic, it has to happen that way.

AC: Well, that's getting to the obligatory question, "How are you doing in quarantine?" Has it had influence over this song and your upcoming debut full-length album? Do you have any thoughts about its impact on Hot Tramp and artists and the disadvantages and potential new avenues?

Janette King: Personally, I've been creating a lot more than I usually would. It's given me a lot of space and time to just be an artist. However, I would say on the business side, it was devastating. We had a whole East Coast tour lined up, and a bunch of shows we wanted to do in promotion of the album. We had meetings with various industry folks... there were a lot of things that fell through because of COVID, small heartbreaks.

AC: Summer is when all these independent festivals and shows happen. All of a sudden, artists can't tour, and DIY local venues are shuttered. It's a weird transition phase because everyone has time to make new work, but there are limitations on how they can share that with other people. 

Janette King: Totally. People who didn't think certain things were possible, like producing an album with somebody over the internet, are now realizing, hey things are actually easier than I thought that they'd be. You're going to see a lot more producers pop out of the woodwork, you're going to see a lot more video editors too. When people have a lot of creativity and have a lot of time, magic happens, you know?

You can listen to "Mars" on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Tidal, Soundcloud and Youtube. Keep an eye out for the official music video to be released in September, highlighting Black queerness and celebrating Black people's sexual freedom and expression, and make sure to stay tuned for what's coming up in the future from Janette and Hot Tramp. 

Hot Tramp

Instagram / Facebook

For Inquiries: Sarah@hottrampmanagement.com

Janette King

Instagram / Website

Dan MacDiarmid is a 24 year old writer and reality television scholar originally from the suburbs of Southern Ontario, now living in Ottawa. You can follow their cat on Instagram at @archieisfromriverdale.

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Premiere: Freck's "Alone Again" is the Perfect End of Summer Anthem

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You know that feeling? The one you get when you're biking around in August, stopping to pick wildflowers and long grass, and watching the sun go down? That feeling that makes you admit that summer is ending, but you're holding on to it anyways?

Portland-based Freck's latest release, "Alone Again," is precisely that. It’s an anthem for the end of summer, and perfect for your main character playlist.

For fans of Current Joys, and Yumi Zouma, Frecks is easily your favourite new up-and-coming artist. “Alone Again” is the first single off her upcoming bedroom pop EP, "Scorpio Sun," which is set to be released later this year. "Alone Again" explores the fear of being abandoned and the process of navigating codependent partnerships.

It's the perfect dreamy bedroom rock ballad to dance to in a field of flowers, to cry to, or maybe both at the same time.

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Hot Tramp Launches Label, and Announces Jannette King Release

It's a good day in Montreal when not one but two of your favourite music scene creatives announce new projects. Hot Tramp debuts as a record label alongside the announcement of Janette King's latest single 'Mars.' Stay tuned for an interview with Janette for her release on August 21st.

In the meantime, the label, run by Sarah Armiento in Montreal, is focused on raising the stage for womxn artists. So far, three artists have been set to release albums through the label in 2021: Janette King, Maryze, and Alicia Clara. Partnered with Outside Music as a worldwide distributor and The Diving Bell Social Club as its home venue, Hot Tramp is poised to make 2021 a breakout year for its artists.

Janette King by Adam Nigro

If you don't know her already, Armiento launched Hot Tramp in 2019 as an artist management company with Maryze and Janette King on the roster. Hot Tramp soon expanded into show promotion, tour booking, and PR, working with over 20 artists in the first year. The inaugural and iconic Hot Tramp Fest was the year's highlight, showcasing 25+ womxn artists across five days. They received festival support from Grolsch, Vans, MOOG, and more.

Regarding the switch over to a label, Armiento explains, "I'm launching Hot Tramp as a label because I think it's a necessary pandemic-adjusted pivot from my former format of a management company and show promotion. Secondly, I think that the industry needs more womxn-run labels to create safer spaces for artists, especially in the wake of all these industry call-outs.

There seems to be a cleanse happening in the industry right now that is dusting off some old cobwebs and clearing up space for newcomers like Hot Tramp." Launching the label alongside Janette King's latest single 'Mars' is the perfect start to making this year in music the Trampiest one yet, and we can't wait to see what Hot Tramp does next.

Hot Tramp

Instagram / Facebook

For Inquiries: Sarah@hottrampmanagement.com

Janette King

Instagram / Website

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