Photo by Mayxme G. Delisle

Decision-Makers: Béatrice Martin

Story by Claude Côté | Tuesday March 2nd, 2021

Who would have guessed? It was a bold move. In the wake of the #MeToo movement that led to the hasty departure of record company Dare to Care/Grosse Boîte’s founder, one of the artists on its roster decided to buy the business. That’s unprecedented. Such a move has never been seen among Québec independent music labels.

Taking advantage of the professional lull caused by the pandemic, Cœur de pirate, a.k.a. Béatrice Martin, decided to dive in head-first. Is she a businesswoman? She’s been a businesswoman since the very beginning of her career in 2008: “All artists are freelancers and entrepreneurs,” she explains to Words & Music. “Now I’m on the other side of things, and I’m really enjoying the challenge. I’m really happy.”

Bravo MusiqueRe-christened Bravo Musique, the label owns the catalogues of (among others), Émile Bilodeau, Maude Audet, Jean Leloup, part of Fred Fortin’s, Chocolat, Jimmy Hunt, Gab Bouchard, Jérôme 50, Malajube, and… Cœur de pirate. A transaction worth its weight in gold.

Béatrice Martin has surrounded herself with new associates, but the Dare to Care personnel already in place aren’t going to change anytime soon. “It’s still a company that’s been around for 20 years,” says Martin. “For sure, some of the people who were at Dare to Care are no longer with us [General Manager Laurie Boisvert has just left], but they were extremely loyal and showed me a lot of empathy when I needed it. I kept what’s good and moved on towards a mindset that’s closer to my own.”

In any case, that loyalty and empathy are among the cornerstones of its corporate culture. Obviously, a clear code of conduct regarding the behaviour of its employees is in place. The cause seemed to have been heard after the departure of Les soeurs Boulay. “Some of my values are different from what Dare to Care used to be,” says Martin.

Hence another challenge that was missing from Martin’s universe: Artistic Director. “I won’t be there every day, but I intend to go to the office as often as possible,” she says. “I’ll finally learn how to create a proper Google doc! I do intend to closely monitor the Artistic Director, and supervise the planning, and I have a super-fun team that’s there to support me. I provide my feedback for all the aspects of the business!”

Singer and dancer Naomi is the first new artist to sign with Bravo Musique. “We’ll keep paying homage to the artists who are already part of the company’s DNA,” Martin confirms. “And to look after their interests. I’m confident that we’ll discover artists who will take us into this new decade.” In other words, Bravo Musique intends to carry on recruiting Québec’s best Francophone talent.

“2020 was horrible for artists in development; we have to find solutions now”

Although it’s not teeming with new finds, Bravo Musique, the flagship, has changed flags. To start with, Bravo is more festive. And the offices will move to 513 Saint-Joseph, in Montréal, says Martin. One thing is certain, the revenue linked to the different playlists and streaming will also be at the heart of the company’s priorities. “We’re facing some unexpected and challenging things right now, it’s forcing us to re-think certain structures; I find it more exciting to find solutions,” she says.

Coeur de Pirate

Photo: Caraz

But don’t you go believing Cœur de pirate is putting her own career on hold. “I’m still very active as a musician: I don’t have a choice,” says Martin. The year 2021 already sees her playing several dates in the U.S. this spring and in Europe in October… “It’s not about conquering new markets as much as it is returning to cities who are anxious to have you back!” she says. “Just to give you an idea, I played in Mexico City and the crowd knew every single lyric of my songs. Obviously, as an artist, you want to live moments like that over and over again.”

Her fifth album, En cas de tempête ce jardin sera fermé (2018), marked a clear musical evolution for the singer-songwriter and pianist. Her international stage experience and understanding of these markets reflect positively on her knowledge of the music industry. There’s no doubt that Bravo Musique will benefit from all that.

“I’m anxious to see when we can start doing live again, especially for the musicians,” says Martin. “2020 was horrible for artists in development. We have to find solutions now, and I’m actively involved in that process.”

It’s clear that Cœur de pirate is closely monitoring her investment. We should never lose sight of one thing: she intends to take care of Bravo Musique’s roster on a human level, too… and that’s excellent news.

 

 

Photo by Yannis Davy

Malika Tirolien: Aiming Higher

Story by Olivier Boisvert-Magnen | Thursday March 4th, 2021

Nothing on Québec’s music scene sounds like Higher, Malika Tirolien’s sophomore album. Alongside renowned NYC composer Michael League (of Grammy-winning jazz-fusion band Snarky Puppy), the singer-songwriter lays the foundations of her “high soul,” an airy mix of soul, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop.

Malika Tyrolien “If by ‘clash’ you mean ‘a fresh sound that we rarely hear here,’ then you’re absolutely right. It’s exactly what we were aiming for,” says Tirolien when we point out the unique character of her project. “With ‘high soul,’ we wanted to create an original and unique sound that was ours.”

Despite its lack of roots in Québecois musical culture, this hybrid genre has deeply American sources, as evidenced by its similarity to the work of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Erykah Badu, and other artists who cross Black music with more ambient and psychedelic overtones.

In the studio, “high soul” is crafted with a great deal of precision. “We placed the microphones and instruments in a specific way,” says Tirolien, also a member of the band Bokanté, as is League, her New York accomplice. “Michael decided to use only three mics to record the drums, which yields a more ‘oval’ and enveloping sound. We also recorded everything at a frequency of 432 Hz, which gives a more natural sound than the 440 Hz typical of pop music. That frequency is supposed to bring us into a state of relaxation, and connection with nature. It’s quite an esoteric belief – you either believe in it or you don’t – but to me, it fit with the album concept.”

The second part of a four-elements-themed quartet of releases, Higher represents the air. Hence its ambient and spiritual themes, flowing logically from the more down-to-earth, rooted concept of Sur la voie ensoleillée, her first album.

This time around, the Guadeloupe-born singer-songwriter invites us on “a psychedelic trip from anger to forgiveness.” The first three songs are a clear warning that this will be an intensely emotional trip. “It’s a suite in three movements,” she says. “First, on ‘No Mercy,’ you have anger, fire, and the urge for revenge. It’s important to go through those feelings if you wish to let go of them, instead of repressing them. Then, once you’ve dealt with all that, you can think about changing. That’s ‘Change Your Life.’ Finally, on ‘Better,’ you’re in the realm of my life’s mantra: mindful thinking. I consciously choose my thoughts so that they remain positive. The idea is not to be toxically positive, but to remain in control of our thoughts when things aren’t going so well.”

And although Higher is an “aerial” album, Tirolien still tackles very real, earth-bound topics. “Prière” re-visits a poem written by her grandfather, Guy Tirolien, challenging head-on the the falsified (and very white) history that’s been perpetuated for centuries in America. “It’s one of the direst consequences of colonization,” she says. “It should be a matter of fact for Black people to learn and know where we’re from. We must be proud of our history,” says the adoptive Montréaler.

Elsewhere, on “Sisters,” she advocates for greater solidarity between women. “Women have competed against each other for a very long time,” says Tirolien. “Reading anthropological writings that dealt with the subject, I understood that it dated back to the time when we had to try to please men, and compete to be protected by the strongest man. It’s in our cultural DNA, but we don’t need it anymore! I’m happy to see that, lately, there’s slightly more unity among women, especially thanks to the mobilization behind the #metoo movement. It’s important to stick together, ’cause we still have a lot of challenges to face.”

Malika TyrolienThe creation of the 11 songs on Higher required a full three years. In their New York studio, Tirolien and League fine-tuned and arranged their musical direction for two of those three years. It was a long-haul endeavour that allowed the artist to learn a lot about herself. “I tend to be a perfectionist and to focus too much on the result rather than the process,” says Tirolien. “I sometimes have a hard time enjoying the present. Thankfully, Michael is there to pull me in the opposite direction.”

Nearly a decade after meeting in a Montréal venue, where she was opening for his band Snarky Puppy, Tirolien says she’s especially happy to have found in Michael League a musician who complements her so well and makes her evolve so much.

Last year, a Grammy nomination for Bokanté (for Best World Album) reminded Tirolien of the importance of going international rather, than limiting themselves to the Québec market. “A lot of change has to happen in Québec for R&B/soul music to be truly accepted,” she says. “Just trying to find a label for myself here showed me how much work remains to be done. I was told, word for word, that my music would never work,” she laments, noting that there’s still no Québec musical gala that rewards her musical genre. “So, while we wait for things to change, I still want to produce myself. I have no choice but to aim higher.”

 

 

Photo by Matthew Brevner

Konrad OldMoney’s hard work earns 27 placements on Cyberpunk 2077

Story by Kerry Doole | Monday March 1st, 2021

He goes by the artist alias Konrad OldMoney and his music company is entitled Vintage Currency, but there’s nothing retro or old-school about the creative process of Konrad Abramowicz.

From his current Vancouver base, the Polish-born producer/composer/songwriter tells Words & Music, “I’m all about staying on top of new technology and new movements we have in music. Nowadays, I’ve been really diving into AI-guided music. I’ll probably end up putting myself out of a job,” he laughs. “I just need a way as a businessman to own a piece of it, and then I’ll be fine – ‘OK computer, you think it up and I’ll take the credit!’”

Over the past decade, OldMoney has made a serious splash, placing his music in internationally renowned video games (including many EA Sports titles), films, TV series, and commercials. He also produces other artists and releases his own music in various forms, resulting in a well-balanced current career that’s both prolific and highly successful.

A recent coup has been contributing music to the highly-anticipated video game Cyberpunk 2077 (regardless of the its ultimate reception by gamers). ”I have 27 placements on the game, and I believe that makes me the highest-placed producer on the project,” says OldMoney. “Getting that gig was interesting. I had just signed on with my Vancouver agency, Core Agency, and at an L.A. meeting we had, they said, ‘There’s a Cyberpunk thing happening.’ The way I pitched was to take the one game trailer online and remove all the sound. I redid all the foley and sound effects myself, so it’d have a nice bed, then re-composed the music in two different ways, and submitted it.”

To boost his chances, OldMoney seriously researched the music of the game’s three core composers, Marcin Przybyłowicz, Paul Leonard Morgan, and P.T Adamczyk. “I noticed there are a lot of edgy, harsher sounds in their work, so I wanted to ensure my mixing style and choice of sounds complemented that. You’re doing that out of respect for what they do, but also because you’re competitive. That extra five percent of energy exponentially increases your chances.”

OldMoney has also dominated on two of the game’s associated radio stations, 30 Principales (Latin) and The Dirge (hip-hop).

“The Cyberpunk project was fun, but very labour-intensive,” he says. “I made sure to document the process, so when the game dropped, I released behind-the-scenes videos for every song I contributed, and used that to launch my YouTube channel. There are 27 high-quality videos, of six to nine minutes each, on there.”

“I see myself as a Swiss army knife, genre-wise”

A potent weapon in OldMoney’s arsenal is his proficiency in a wide number of genres. Old-school ‘90s hip-hop was his first passion, but he quickly expanded his range.

“After moving to Canada in 1993, I became a voracious consumer of cultural influences,” he recalls. I wanted to learn all kinds of music from all over the world. At the beginning of my career, people doubted my acumen. They think if you do four different genres you can’t be that great at any of them, but then they’d listen to the music and give me a chance.”

“One of my biggest assets in the studio is that I can go in there with punk, dancehall, Korean, or Latin artists. I see myself as a Swiss army knife, genre-wise.”

That versatility helped him score spots in last year’s Justin Bieber YouTube documentary series Seasons. “I have 10 songs placed on that. I’ve done lots of both pop music and tropical crossover, so that was perfect for me.”

OldMoney continues to collaborate with other artists, including fellow British Columbians Johnny4Graves and Cerbeus. As well as working together on Cyberpunk 2077, OldMoney and Graves recently recorded “We Got The Spin,” selected as the opening theme for Beyblade, a famed Japanese animated TV series with a large global following.

Since 2018, OldMoney has carved out time from his busy schedule for a solo project, Single Friend. He describes its focus as “lo-fi underground hip-hop, music to chill out or study to,” and the material he’s placed on Spotify has generated millions of plays per month.

“Single Friend is basically a passion project for me, so I make a very concentrated effort on it – so I’m not neglecting my other focuses,” he says. “My multi-media music for videogames, movies, TV, and commercials is still the majority of my work. Still, Single Friend is on my mind constantly, as it’s a rather weird reflection of who I am. I do it on my downtime, so instead of riding my motorbike I’ll spend an hour on it.”

Over his two-decade-long career, OldMoney has worked on projects with such notables as Future, The Roots, Run The Jewels, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Illmind (in the acclaimed band Smokey Robotic). He singles out his interaction with RZA, of Wu-Tang Clan, as a life-changer.

“I programmed Wu-Tang-inspired music for RZA’s line of Boombotix speakers,” he says. “I told him I’d spent my formative years idolizing what he’d done. He advised me, ‘Get out there more, travel more, keep re-defining things, and push forward.’ That was super-inspirational.”