While the effervescent Vancouver has been getting most of the attention thanks to world-renowned stalwarts who’ve made the most demanding dancefloors get down to the chilled sound of British Columbia by the dozen, Montreal has been enjoying a more quiet yet steady ascension that’s well worth highlighting, comforting its position as an equally fascinating hive for up-and-coming talents in search for a welcoming environment.
Amongst a host of choice producers and outlets, we obviously find the prince of coastal house Project Pablo but also Riohv, Forbidden Planet and Temple, the love child of Apron and 1080p affiliate Adam Feingold, R Wong and Variant, which we’ll shed a broader light upon today.
Even though they have just one solo release under their belt – i.e. the excellent ‘Hyperbaric Chamber‘, when Matthew Salaciak and Max Segal sent us their mix it’s taken us little time to be convinced the guys had lots to demonstrate over the decks. Here’s their nervy, hard-hitting contribution to our series alongside a short interview to get a little deeper into their craft.
Interviewed by Baptiste Girou
Hey guys, many thanks for the mix! Please tell us more about it. When and how was it recorded?
We played some of our favourite records, and recorded in my living room in the winter in Montreal.
Your sound’s strongly reminiscent of classic dub techno labels like Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound and Deepchord. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
We’re definitely fans of Basic Channel and Chain Reaction, but those influences that you hear came about more or less randomly from playing with the machines.
You’ve just released one EP as of yet, i.e. the excellent ‘Hyperbaric Chamber‘. Do you guys have any new material in the works?
As Variant there isn’t any new music in the works but keep an eye out on Temple for more sounds from us!
Temple was set up last year by Richard Wenger, Adam Feingold and yourself. What sparked the label’s creation?
We are all friends for a long time and have always worked on music. Temple came about naturally as a means to release our first record and to be an outlet for all of us.
What’s the motto? Is it a platform dedicated to releasing friends’ music only?
Exactly that.
What gave you the desire to produce music yourself?
Max and I have always listened to similar music growing up. The desire comes from just being music freaks and fans.
What’s hot in Montreal at the minute? Which labels and artists should we keep an eye on?
Overall the Montreal scene at the moment is vibrant and we’re extremely thankful for all the genuine folks who make up the community, whether it’s party goers, labels, promoters etc. It’s a gift.
How do you think the city reflect on your work?
Montreal is a city where you can actually have time to focus and reflect on your work. There’s a lot of positive reinforcement amongst each other.
What’s your studio setup like?
We both have our own studios and we like gear. For Variant the setup is as follows:
Prophet 5
ARP 2600
SH-101
Korg ElecTribe ESX1
Dave Smith Instruments Tempest
And a couple of effects units.
What’s the last record store you visited and what did you bag there?
We were at Aux 33 earlier, bagged The Smiths ‘Louder Than Bombs‘. Playing as we answer these questions.
Any book, film, place, exhibition, album… (whatever comes to mind) that you fell in love with recently?
We’ve been mourning the end of season 1 of MDE: World Peace. Totally wacked out, stuff for the heads!
What will you be up to in the coming weeks?
Hanging out, playing music, in the process of figuring out the next few releases for Temple and eating bagels etc.
Discover more about Variant and Temple on Inverted Audio.
VariantTempleDub TechnoIndustrialNoiseTechno