DJ Champion Follows Up Chil'em All
After a Successful Debut, the Montreal Musician Starts Over.
The Debut - Chill'em All
After a decade spinning in clubs, Maxime Morin, aka Montreal-based DJ Champion, released his first album of original music, Chill’em all, in 2004. The electronic dance pop disc was a success, selling over 50,000 copies in Canada.
After multiple tours in support for Chill’em all, as well as the release of remix and live albums, Morin finally headed back into the studio to record a follow-up. But some of the guest collaborators that had helped make Chill'em, including vocalist Betty Bonifassi and bassist Maron Chaput, had gone on to pursue other projects (Bonifassi formed her own electronic dance pop project, Beast).
Evolution is Never Easy
Besides having lost some valuable talent, Morin encountered another problem when he set out to record a follow-up to his debut. He found himself making, if not the same record, then a pretty close facsimile.
"When I started recording for Resistance, I was still too much in the energy of Chill’em all, and of the tour," says the DJ/producer, interviewed over the phone from his home in Montreal. "The music I had was just the B-side of Chill’em all. I play music and I wish to evolve with it. Evolution is never easy and it always hurts. So I had to put myself at risk, and take chances and question myself."
The Follow-Up - Resistance
After realizing what he'd recorded wasn't progressive enough, Morin scrapped the tracks and started over. He kept some of the fundamentals—808 drum machines with guitar. But for Resistance the guitar tones are crunchier, the songs heavier, and the vocals courtesy of a male singer, Pilou Cote.
Originally, Morin was thinking about tapping the talents of Vancouver singer Piper Davis. But Morin wanted something different. "I thought going with Piper would have been like trying to replace Betty, where as going with Pilou was like, f*** it all," says the DJ.
Champion Live
Naturally, the energy is different with an all-male band, especially onstage."It's a little bit more rock," he says. "But also, the music, the album itself is more rock. So it’s interesting, the change is interesting. But I’m very comfortable with it."
Morin, a genuine and enthusiastic talker, is committed to the idea of performing. "I take great responsibility with the fact that, okay, the people are coming to the venues, they’re paying, I don’t know what, 25 dollars, for some people that’s a lot of money, plus your beer, plus your whatever-you-need, so I want to give them a good time." One thing the personable musician does to prepare is go into the audience beforehand.
"I go to just hang around and say ‘hi’ to people and get in touch, get connected with who I’m going to play for."
The Changing Role of the DJ
Champion realizes that the role of the DJ has changed in recent years, with people like Greg Gillis (Girl Talk) and Dan Deacon taking their performances into the audience, or at least inviting people onstage to be part of the show. And with his goodnatured energy and commitment to risk, Champion is poised to take his place alongside the premiere DJ performers of the contemporary dance music scene.
Maxime Morin, aka DJ Champion
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles