[Interview] MFC Records – Strangers In Their Own World
* Pour lire la version française de cette entrevue cliquez ICI!
Last month, we learned the creation of a new label in Montreal, BitterCaress stimulating project, MFC Records! Now that we are a few weeks away from the launch of its first release entitled Strangers In Their Own World, which will be released on January 29, we had the privilege to ask a few questions to the artists who participated in this dazzling compilation. Calling on the overflowing talent of Aahan, Alexa Borzyk, Inside Blur, KORVN and ottoman.grüw, the album will make us explore different themes and the rich universes of each of the producers. Notice to all techno fans, it’s possible to pre-order the compilation HERE, and it’s important to note that all profits will be donated to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an American organization fighting for the rights of people of color.
Aahan
Toronto’s Aahan has seen his following from techno listeners the world over grow, along with massive support from the industry’s biggest and best artists. Already landing dream releases with his favourite labels Monnom Black and Clergy, the future looks bright for Aahan, who brings his relentless take on techno to MFC Records
Theme of his track on «Strangers in their own world»: isolation.
MFC Records mission is clear, to conciliate techno and activism. How do you see the role of music in social struggles and why is it important for you to carry a connotation of community in your music in addition to the artistic aspect of it?
I think it’s important not to be ignorant of the techno music’s roots and the communities that have historically contributed to and supported it for decades. Most of the music I make is up to the individual listener’s interpretation, as I believe that’s one of the integral aspects of the genre. However, as an artist I do hold the conviction that as a community we should support each other and support the marginalized communities that have contributed to the music and the scene for a long time.
The track you produced for the compilation deals with the topic of isolation, a situation that many people have been experiencing since the start of the pandemic. How did the current global context influence the creation of this song?
The track itself is not a reflection of my experience during the pandemic but it does reflect some new production techniques I have been working on over the last year. I wanted to balance heavy drums/percussion with melody and atmosphere, along with haunting vocals. In that sense, it does reflect the general theme of the compilation overall.
On January 15th, you’ll release an EP called Unholy Empire on the famous Berlin label Monnom Black, can you tell us more about this release which promises to be quite brutal and which we can’t wait to hear?
I’m very excited for that release. It’s still surreal to be releasing a solo EP on what’s been my favourite label for years. I wanted to make four unique, yet cohesive tracks that deliver similar themes and atmosphere. Hopefully, listeners feel the same way.
Alexa Borzyk
Alex began her musical journey at the age of 8 as a violinist and playing guitar since she was 15. After many years in Montreal’s psychedelic trance scene, her journey towards techno began when she started collecting tracks during her time in nursing school. Her trademark; high energy, spikes of 90’s techno. Alex’s style is born deep in the crate where she digs up her Belgian/Polish Roots and many travels. Having played Illusion Festival, the SATosphere & Salon Daomé, MTL’s techno scene is familiar with Alex’s sound. She also played alongside acts like Stephanie Sykes & VTSS in Self-produced events at Le Livart & Entrepôts Dominion. She presently is working on music production with goals set to release her debut EP in the coming year and a scheduled single track release in early 2021. Stay tuned & make sure to wear proper kicks.
Theme of her track on «Strangers in their own world»: mental health and homelessness during COVID 19.
MFC Records mission is clear, to conciliate techno and activism. How do you see the role of music in social struggles and why is it important for you to carry a connotation of community in your music in addition to the artistic aspect of it?
Techno is like the punk rock and anarchy of electronic music. It carries anger, hope and sorrow. The feelings very much felt when addressing social struggles. I feel it’s important to carry meaning and feeling in a song. What words cannot describe, music can express.
You began your musical journey by practicing violin and guitar, then you became a DJ and you present your very first production on this compilation. Can you tell us how the evolution of your musical practice orchestrated itself over the years?
I started off playing violin at a young age. It evolved onto guitar and song writing in high school. Over the years I’ve experimented with various musical instruments including ukulele, harmonica, bass guitar and piano. I was always very musically inclined and always envisioned a musical path for myself. I was first introduced to DJing and electronic music after being involved in planning psytrance parties. My best friend from high school was a psytrance DJ and promoter, after discovering techno I was inspired to take the path of growing the scene in Montreal as a promoter hosting techno events in the same fashion. It didn’t quite work out the way I wanted to and I was encouraged and inspired to get into production at the end of 2019 which got me back in touch with my musical side.
Being a DJ used to play big shows and who’s now presenting a track that makes us frantically want to dance, how do you manage to survive far away from the dancefloor? Are you working on a special live set for your comeback?
I survive by living a fantasy because reality can be too difficult. I dream of the day I get the opportunity to play a show like Piknic or STEREO if that day ever comes. I’m currently working on my EP called Reflection inspired by my event I threw in 2019 of the same name. I would like to put out my experience of the past few interesting years in the story form of a 4 track EP.
Inside Blur
Raised free-range around Toulouse, Inside Blur has chosen Montreal, a city that hasn’t asked for anything in return. Since their encounter, as fortuitous as it is beautiful, the multifaceted girl has never ceased to flourish. Techno, Acid, EBM, New-Wave, Trance, her entire sonic universe exists to make people dance, with a healthy hint of French derision. After releasing her first EP on the Parisian label INTERVISION alongside DJ Varsovie, she is now focusing on her next releases as well as her digital music studies. She recently started throwing bizarre parties on unused grounds and other parks of the big island, inviting along her friends and other talented local artists. Her motto: sweat it out!
Theme of her track on «Strangers in their own world»: police brutality.
MFC Records mission is clear, to conciliate techno and activism. How do you see the role of music in social struggles and why is it important for you to carry a connotation of community in your music in addition to the artistic aspect of it?
Music has always been a great way to reach out, to bring people together and to unite, and for that reason I think it’s important to take advantage of that to promote causes that are close to our hearts. Even if in techno the message isn’t always as clear as in punk or rap for example, there are other ways to induce change. It can be by raising funds with musical outings like BitterCaress does here, or by organizing/participating in parties whose profits would be donated to charities. Beyond raising money, these social struggles can take place within organizations and collectives. I am thinking, for example, of Rebeka Warrior‘s new label (WARRIORECORDS) which clearly displays trans, queer, feminist and anti-racist values. The shows, when they resume, will be mainly made up of women, with entrance fees adapted to all budgets and above all pay equity for all organizers, artists, bartenders, security, etc. On top of that, all of their merch will be vegan. They bring new hopes into a techno scene too often capitalized and devoid of social and political initiatives. For me, they understood everything and I find their approach very inspiring.
When Camille told me about her project with MFC Records, I immediately agreed. Because I find it important that my music supports community values and that it doesn’t exist just for artistic purposes or personal development.
Your track Brain To Body tackles the theme of police violence with intense and repressive rhythms. Can you explain the idea behind this creation, what led you to choose this subject and your state of mind when producing it?
Brain To Body echoes everything that we have seen in the media recently, and which is only a narrow part of the reality, about police violence. Whether in my native country where the police are trained, like hunting dogs, to be brutal when they have nothing to feed on, or in my host country where the police too often displays racism against First Nations and non-white people in general. You need to vibrate higher, that’s to raise your awareness and realize that not everyone goes through life with the same privileges. A person who doesn’t have the same skin color or did not grow up in the same socio-cultural background as us isn’t inferior. They just need to be listened to, included and respected, from an early age. The one who accuses, strikes and kills because the difference bothers him is the one who should feel stranger in this world. We can offer more than a simple balance of power and hatred, especially coming from a society where the values of freedom and equality are advocated.
© Photo: Sihame Assbague
You organize the TRANSPIRE events alongside Tom Bonheur, we had the chance to attend an edition at Parc Jarry and this is one of the best memories of last summer. How did you experience the organization of events under such special conditions and what does the future hold for the series?
It was amazing to be able to dance and forget, or rather remember what it was like haha. We’ve been talking about doing this with Tom for a while, before the covid actually. It was precisely the cessation of all musical and cultural activities that gave us a little kick. We saw a generator on sale at Rona and we thought, come on, let’s do it! Some friends have helped us to move the equipment before and after the DJ sets, we thank them again. The police came to visit us several times but were lenient, seeing that the vast majority of the dancers respected the sanitary rules. We can’t wait to do it again as soon as the gatherings are re-authorized. Both outdoors and indoors. Club Pelicano had also given us a few dates when we planned to invite DJs to mix with us. Finally we were able to do one with Tom and Roll Le Barge from Kizi Garden Records, just before it all closed again. It was really very cool but it will be even more so when people can dance without restriction!
While waiting to be able to redo evenings, we will start in a few weeks to publish mixes on the fresh SoundCloud of Transpire. You can follow us here: https://soundcloud.com/transpire-mtl
KORVN
Originally from the French West Coast, KORVN lives in Montreal since 2016. It was here that he began to explore the possibilities of musical creation and then it was the extraordinary persons that he met that gave him the desire and the motivation to get into production and DJing. Jumping from machines to computers, KORVN tries to narrate the sorrows of his heart and the thoughts of his raving brain. His inspirations are multiple, nevertheless, his music is tinged with a raw and dark techno style, with sharp and sometimes brutal percussions, but also by heady melodies and ambiance.
As a fervent defender of Montreal’s techno scene, he has studied in the cultural productions field and participates in organizing major events within OCTOV collective. His encounters with artists from the European scene and the countless hours spent listening to them gave KORVN only one desire: «to give people the opportunity to escape their daily routine, in a spirit of communion, while listening to a track or a high-octane set”. He recently signed his first tracks on a promising Montreal-based label, Secret Knowledge, and tirelessly think about how he could present his musical universe in the form of a live set.
Theme of his track on «Strangers in their own world»: homeless people.
MFC Records mission is clear, to conciliate techno and activism. How do you see the role of music in social struggles and why is it important for you to carry a connotation of community in your music in addition to the artistic aspect of it?
I think that music and culture in general play several roles in our society and especially in terms of activism. Music has regularly made it possible to defend causes, and this through all eras and all musical trends combined. Music helps to carry voices further, thanks to its popularity in all spheres of our society. On the other hand, it’s not always easy for techno to play the role of activism simply through music, because it generally doesn’t have the weapon that other music possesses: words. Without voice or text, in my opinion it’s more difficult to transmit strong messages as we can see in conscious rap for example. We must therefore redouble our efforts to accompany the songs with a good communication on the subjects which are important to us so that the intention isn’t transmitted only while we’re listening. Thus, nothing prevents techno from playing this role and it’s even more important in my eyes that it plays this role to raise awareness in its own communities. In itself, techno allows me to escape and emancipate myself, but also to express myself on important causes. This is why I see the MFC Records project as auspicious, because it can allow young artists, and others already well established, to bring their voice further, to be heard and especially to give back to organizations that fight for it every day. On the other hand, I think that the artists who have the most influence should use their voice to reach the widest audience possible and to echo these struggles in our society, so they don’t sink into oblivion.
The title of your track, Street Strangers has a heavy meaning and addresses the theme of homeless people, a particularly topical subject with the pandemic and the dismantling of the Campement Notre-Dame. What did you want to evoke with your song more specifically?
With this track, I wanted to tell the suffering that can be felt by the ignorance of others and the rejection of society. From the introduction, you can put yourself in the shoes of a homeless person who walks in the city center of a large metropolis and who feels alone despite crowded streets. Nobody speaks to them, the looks are fleeting, we ignore them to avoid facing reality. Then, we hear the passage of a train and we can imagine the protagonist alone, near a railway line and under a bridge. We can also hear them screaming their rage and despair during the break of the song. I chose this subject because I have the impression that it’s too easily forgotten when it’s in front of our eyes and we can all do something. Even though the small gestures we make, they can make a big difference when put together. Every human being has the right to the protection of their dignity and the ignorance of others is by no means a solution. In addition, the number of homeless people has drastically increased because of the pandemic. So now is the time to let go of our primary individualism, at least for a moment. Last summer, I regularly passed the camp on rue Notre-Dame and watched it grow up. I have the impression that it has grown and that there has been a certain enthusiasm, because people could help each other in a common and centralized place. It also seemed well accepted in the neighborhood. This is a phenomenon that already exists elsewhere and I have the impression that it’s likely to gain momentum in Montreal and that it’s one more indicator of the ill-being of our society as well as the passivity of our public authorities to find lasting and dignified solutions.
You’re part of the organizing team of the Montreal collective OCTOV which presents major techno shows and you are now one of the resident DJs. How is the current period of inactivity going for you and what can we expect when the dancelfoors come back to life?
We are all volunteers so we at least have the chance to preserve a united team and more than ever motivated for a future resumption of events. We also thank our loyal public very much who gave us some donations to be able to pay our expenses which didn’t stopped during COVID-19. We have made the choice to remain active at all costs and are trying to stay on this momentum. We had the RAVE’IN project which allowed us to continue to promote our culture and mainly local artists. What we notice is that it has become complicated to attract a lot of people online. It’s difficult to experience an event through a screen, because an event is also and above all an experience that is lived fully and a great place of exchange. I think what we lack the most right now is socialization. In any case, it is very important for us to continue to keep our scene alive and to promote the artists who bring it to life until we can resume the real events. When that moment arrives, we want to have as many people as possible so that we can experience something extraordinary together. We hope to feel some excitement at our next events!
© Photo: Clementine Martin
ottoman.grüw
Trapped between flesh and electronics, in a cybernetic alien entity, ottoman.grüw is a multifaceted live-performer and producer. Mystical voices, coupled with hardware drum machines and synthesizers, are resulting in an immersive live performance through the solar system. Performing and producing since 2017, ottoman.grüw’s tracks are emotionally rich; composed with abrasive textures, industrial percussions and sounds from another dimension. At the crossroads of punk-techno, electronica and rave, the sound of ottoman.grüw contains a disorienting vitality, blurring the lines between underground dance music and experimental. Atmospheric and at the same time characterized by relentless rhythms, ottoman.grüw’s body music offers to who listens a metaphysical journey with a deep emotional response.
In short time, ottoman.grüw has released varied material on several record labels around Europe, oscillating between harsh and more polished sounds. Last EPs have been supported by established artists from the scene, such as Dax J, Thomas P. Heckmann, Marcel Fengler, Remco Beekwilder, D. Carbone or Hadone.
Theme of his track on «Strangers in their own world»: a better future.
MFC Records mission is clear, to conciliate techno and activism. How do you see the role of music in social struggles and why is it important for you to carry a connotation of community in your music in addition to the artistic aspect of it?
In my opinion, we live in a society that is too chaotic to make meaningless art. Depoliticized/apolitical music no longer has its place. Regarding techno, although this style of music has become gentrified, is affected by capitalism and therefore fits into the economic logic of cultural industries, but we must not forget its original values, which are based on principles of inclusion and solidarity.
Your track is called Visions Of Tomorrow and rekindles hope for a brighter future. What does a better future look like for ottoman.grüw and what place does music play in this change?
Music must be an engine of social change, whether through its content or through the moments of «living together» and solidarity that it cover. This kind of projects, like MFC Records or Montreal Dances Across Borders whose Volume 1 was released in September 2020, must remind (even if it may sound “utopian” to say it like that) that this music is above all made to bring together across all types of borders.
ottoman.grüw’s music is very spatial and space-oriented. Where does this interest in astronomy come from, which makes your universe so unique and immersive, and what do you want to communicate to us?
On one hand there’s the poetry of a rational scientific dimension linked to astronomy, with a form of cold and structured rigor. On the other hand, there’s science fiction which covers a certain mystical, uncertain, dystopian, disorderly, and therefore very topical beauty. The dream of otherness, of an emergency exit.
© Photo: Sabina Roman