“Stop being such a bunch of whinging limeys” is probably what residents of Canada’s second-largest city, Montreal, said of the UK’s pathetic snow and ice-related shutdown earlier this year. Montreal winters annually produce regular temperatures of -15°C and blizzards – what do the city’s residents do about it? They wrap up warm and get the hell on with it, which includes donning ski-suits to attend what must be the coldest outdoor festival on the planet. It is, as David Macklovitch – one half of local electro-funk novices Chromeo – puts it, “one of the very many paradoxes of Montreal.”
But despite the arctic conditions – “an unliveable giant igloo in the winter” as he describes it – David has much love for the city where he and Patrick Gemayel, Chromeo’s other half, met at school and bonded over a shared love of funk and hip-hop. Chromeo – who have described themselves as “the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture” – was thus born several years later. Unashamedly indebted to the disco and synth sounds of the Eighties, Chromeo’s sleek brand of beats, keys and talk-box vocals has always stood out from the electro-pop hordes due to its humour, sharp musicality and deep funk undertones – a combination which found the duo major success after the release of second album ‘Fancy Footwork’.
“It changed everything for us” says David. “I’m not sure how it happened but we got some support from DJs and specialist radio. It was a really pleasant surprise.” Since then the duo have gone from strength to strength, due in part to the continued popularity of the synth scene. But, David explains, it wasn’t always so easy: “I don’t know if it was popular when we started out. When our first album came out we were touring, opening for Bloc Party, and nobody really liked our music. I think now there’s more of a scene for it, and God I hope it doesn’t go away. I don’t think it will, because the catchiness and feel-good aspect appeals to a lot of people.”
Chromeo’s last release, before a new record later this year, was a mix album for the acclaimed DJ Kicks series, which saw the duo wearing their Eighties electro heart on their sleeve and also contains the only decent song ever recorded by Leo Sayer (‘Easy To Love’, if you’re interested). “We took a very ‘no compromise’ approach to that record,” says David. “There was no effort by us to captivate a new audience. You either like that kind of music or you don’t.”
Many of the album’s tracks were also recorded in Chromeo’s hometown of Montreal, where a big disco scene took hold in the Eighties. The Nineties then saw raves and electronica become popular in the city – an influence which still resonates in a significant electronic and hip-hop scene, led by the likes of Tiga, A-Trak (David’s little brother), Kid Koala, and the recent wonky dancehall stylings of Poirier. And let’s not forget that in the early 2000s a little band named Arcade Fire would permanently stamp Montreal’s influence on the musical history map. Thanks to all these acts, a burgeoning underground scene still exists in the city, with acts like Duchess Says, Omnikrom and Beast leading the way.
But there is also much more to Montreal than just music, as David explains: “What I like about it is that it’s architecturally beautiful, almost like Berlin, and it also has a very dynamic arts scene. The cultural scene is largely subsidised by the government. There’s so much respect for the arts in Canada.”
When asked about the atmosphere of the city, David pauses thoughtfully before offering the stoic response, “French”. Indeed it is, and then some. English is very much a second language in Quebec’s largest city, and the influence of French culture (Montreal was a French colony until 1760) runs deep, especially in its cuisine – an area of particular fascination for David: “That’s what I do a lot of now – I get my gastronomy on.”
“There’s one restaurant you have to try,” he continues. “It’s called Au Pied de Cochon – The Pig’s Foot – and it’s kind of a gourmet take on traditional Quebec food. Like comfort food but with a sort of over-the-top, buttery, fat, decadent approach.”
On the subject of food, it would be criminal to write about Montreal without mentioning Poutine – a peculiarly Quebecian snack consisting of chips covered in thick gravy and cheese curds. Makes the doner kebab sound fairly healthy, but it’s staple late-night munch throughout Montreal. There are also numerous variations and dedicated restaurants, as David explains: “Some places do a gourmet version – they put foie gras in it, which is brilliant. Poutine’s like the Montreal thing – it’s people’s hangover food or the three-in-the-morning-after-the-club food, but it’s truly great and sort of nasty at the same time.”
Another paradox that gives this wonderful city its lifeblood, as well as indisputable proof that chips and gravy can indeed exist within a highbrow cultural framework. Amen.
Words by Tristan Parker
Montreal – the tourists’ guide
“You’ve gotta take people to the strip clubs, that’s a big tourist attraction and they’re really funny. Some of them have a buffet and you can eat Chinese food while watching girls pole-dance. Only in Montreal. Then I would take them to have poutine and bagels, and to Open Da Night [coffee shop], and I’d take them to a couple of really good restaurants. I would bring them back either in the peak of summer or the heart of winter, so they could see how much the weather changes throughout one year. So, maybe I would show them round in the winter and then freeze them by leaving them outside, and then I would wake them up in summer and keep the tour going.”
Proper bagels
“Bagels are huge in Montreal. I now live in New York, where people eat them all the time but the bagels in New York are disgusting, and Montreal bagels don’t even look the same way. In Montreal there’s two old-school bagel bakeries on two parallel streets and basically you can judge a person on which one they go to. There’s one called Fairmount Bagel, and the other one is called St. Viateur and I’m a very big fan of that one – that’s where I like to get my bagels. I think that people that go to the other place are idiots, despite the fact it’s actually more popular.”
Bars
“There’s a bar called Blizzarts. That’s where P [Patrick] and I used to go every single Friday when we were in our early twenties – we were literally there every Friday. And our friends would DJ and it would be a mix of funk and hip-hop and other Eighties stuff. Tiga would DJ there on Saturdays, we would be there every weekend, and that’s how everybody came to know who we were, because we hung out there so much.”
Your A-Z Guide To Montreal
Arcade Fire
Immense indie-rock act that took the world by storm.
Igloofest
Freezing but very fun dance festival in the height of winter.
Jérôme Minière
Electronic/folk hybrid solo artist with some lovely tunes.
La Banquise
Renowned diner which serves over thirty variations of poutine.
Gatineau
Brilliantly weird alt. hop outfit.
Open Da Night
“Old Italian café which serves the best coffee you’ll ever have. People will drive forty-five minutes to get a cup of coffee there.”
Mutek
Electronic music and arts festival, full of weird and wonderful sights and sounds.
Pop Montreal
Alternative festival similar to The Great Escape in Brighton.
Poutine
The ultimate make-or-break food when drunk: chips smothered in gravy and cheese curds.
Restaurant Holder
Amazing restaurant serving delectable contemporary French food.
SAT
Nice little electronica/gig venue – grimy but classy.
St-Viateur
Authentic bagel bakery, open twenty-four hours. Best in the city, apparently.
Tiga
Unashamedly sexed-up purveyor of slick bleep-house.
We Are Wolves
Ruffed-up, raw indie-rock.
