photo (c) Saty Pratha
Born and raised in Montreal, Poirier has released 10 albums over a span of 15 years, the latest ‘Migration’ came out on the UK label Nice Up! Records in 2016. He remixed the likes of Salif Keïta, Gotan Project, Robert Charlebois and Busy Signal. From tropical riddims to urban electro, the DJ/producer is well-versed into reggae/dancehall, afropop, soca and electronic music just to name a few genres of his large palette, as you can hear in the successful Montreal’s monthly party Qualité de Luxe that he has been running for 3 years now. A kind of diversity you can hear on this « home made » selection.
Boule Noire
La loi de Jah
«This one is a hidden gem from a very popular singer in Québec who died too young in 2007. Boule Noire was mainly known for his soul/funk/disco tunes, but he also did a superb reggae album (6 tracks out of 10 were reggae on it) where he’s so on point. I wish he did more than just one album dedicated to reggae. Boule Noire got the riddims straight from the Tuff Gong studios in Kingston where he went seeking for a collaboration. I’ve been DJing this track and the album since a few years and almost every time somebody ask me what is it.»
Toast Dawg
Fevereiro
«It’s taken from the ‘Brazivilain vol.2’ EP where the starting point is to sample old brazilian records. Toast Dawg is a veteran Hip-Hop producer from in Montréal (Atach Tatuq, Brown) and the last years he did a stretch of EP releases focusing on instrumental cuts. Very well done and musical while keeping the beats punchy.»
Maximus Dan
Be Humble (Dougla Riddim)
«It’s a from a 12” linked with the compilation ‘Lif Up Yuh Leg an Trample’ released in 2004 on Honest Jon’s Records. This was the first time I was really in front of soca music (power soca in that case aka super intense carnival music to make you jump). The fact that Maximus Dan have a ragga flow – think of Bounty Killer – was the key for me to dive into soca and since then I’ve been a soca head, DJing plenty of soca tunes through the years.»
Modeselektor
(Untitle) (Fifty Weapons #001)
«The first release of the Fifty Weapons label started as one-sided bootleg vinyl in 2006 and I’m linked to it in a strange way. It’s a remix/mashup built around 50 Cents acapella “Just A Little Bit” with samples from diverse sources like Dabrye, Public Enemy and including yours truly. Modeselektor sampled my track “Don’t Smile It’s Post-Modern” who came out in 2004. I remember sharing the stage with Modeselektor a few years lated and asking them about it and they were surprised, didn’t know what to say… Ha! I did tons of bootleg remixes too, so I’m naturally cool with all that.»
Robert Charlebois
Tout Écartillé
«This is part of DNA Québécois music. Robert Charlebois was a wild, wild, wild one when he was young. This is a dirty raw anthem fuelled by heavy blues funk vibes with horns ready to declare war to however is near. Still give me the chills when I listen to it. I have to mention I had the pleasure to supervise a remix project compilation about him in 2013 called ‘Tout Égratigné’ with remixes by Kid Koala, Oh No, Fulgeance, Toast Dawg and more.»
Poirier – Kypoli feat. Machinedrum & Aleisha Lee
https://poirier.bandcamp.com/album/kypoli
