Etienne de Crecy is one of the old guard of Parisian house and electronic dance music. His contemporaries included Air and Alex Gopher, both of whom he collaborated with in the 90s. His song Prix Choc, one of his housier numbers and for me one that really reflects the essence of his music, remains one of my favorite songs. The lush production overtop what seems to be a dusty piano barperfectly illustrates the pre-millenium tension in electronic music of the day. Getting back to your roots was important, and clean, perfect audio production wasn’t so interesting any longer. The mind-blowing video above is from de Crecy’s performance at the 2007 Transmusicales de Rennes. Electro is the feature here, with a sultry, housy bass line intact in the background. The stunning visual design is by the Parisian VJ crew Exyzt. AntiVJ has some more background on Exyzt and some drama about how this set design was copied for a Killers concert without consent. Tsk tsk.
Well the people (in Canada at least) have spoken, and they have named their top ten favorite live venues in a recent poll on CBC Radio 3. Apparently nobody in Toronto or Montreal checks out CBC Radio 3 or could be bothered to vote, as not a single venue from either city made the list. That’s surprising, considering some of the iconic audio temples they can lay claim to (Lee’s Palace, The Horseshoe, La Sala Rossa). At any rate, here’ s the final list:
So whaddya think? What should’ve made the list and didn’t? Personally, being from Toronto, I’m surprised the clubs I mentioned above didn’t make it. I’ve seen some pretty spectacular shows at those places, and I’m taking into consideration not just the acoustics of the venue but also the vibe, location, and staff. Either way, these top ten make a good place to start when planning the next cross Canada tour.
I seem to know a lot of gearheads, people who obsess about their equipment and who are always getting something new or trading up for something new. While there are obvious exceptions (people like Oliver Ackermann from A Place To Bury Strangers, who makes those mind-bending Death By Audio pedals and who is the one making things himself), the rank and file gearhead is easy to spot. When asked what they’re up to, the response is a list of newly acquired flotsam. When asked how the music’s going, the response is…”Ummmmm……” and then they talk about what they are GOING to do with all their new toys. I am in no way suggesting that having good equipment is something to look down upon. What I am suggesting, by way of the video above, is that it really doesn’t matter what you have, it’s what you are doing with it. A good idea goes a long way, and sometimes it’s better to be productive than to worry about production values and what people will think about it. In the end the work speaks for itself.
I was talking to another musician today about the idea of spreading yourself too thin with your time. Sometimes it’s hard to find the time to do everything you want in a day, and at the end I often find myself saying “if only the day were 25 hours long!” I work during the weekdays, and when I get off work I go to my second job, which is working on music. I think the difference is that I actually like both of these jobs. Some people have asked how I find the time to do it all, and the answer is simple. I don’t do anything else. No tv, no killing time, no down time. Not that I don’t make time for friends, relationships, socializing, etc. All work and no play… It’s just that I am driven by the knowledge that time is finite and I have a lot to do, so everything else falls by the wayside. Now that this way of thinking has become a habit it’s easy, I get off work, go home, plunk down at the computer, switch on the monitors and it’s back to work . Not with a sense of burden or dread, but with a feeling of excitement and potential. It’s just getting to sleep on time that’s the hard part….
