BBC Interview

I8U

around the world in 80 labels
I8U
Located in: Montreal, Canada
Operating Since: 1999
Key Contact: i8u
Released On: Piehead, Mutek
E-Mail: muse@i8u.com
Website: http://www.i8u.com/
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ListenI8U: Cattail Furnace
(I8U)

About I8U
Playing with Martin Tétreault for instance, directed me away from low frequency drones and on to explore other frequencies.I8U has had an interesting musical journey to say the least. Pursuing various styles of music from early classical training to blues, it was a chance meeting with David Kristian that would prove to be the inspiration for her move to experimental music.Excerpt from a feature article from Incursion Publishing May 2001 Interviewed by Richard Di Santo.”David suggested I try something different considering the equipment I owned at the time, so we planned for a jam session.

What I discovered during these sessions was very simple, this music flowed effortlessly, I didn’t have to think, just play, I thought “This is what I’m supposed to do!”. David was instrumental in my move away from “traditional music” in the sense that he introduced me to the art of creating sounds, and listening to what he was doing simply made me realize that this is where I would be most happy because the possibilities are endless and only defined by one’s own limitations.

So, I embarked on a journey of learning and un-learning, learning about sound art and the precision in programming sounds, learning to listen to what I don’t want to hear, un-learning years of traditional music structures, acceptable melodies , chords and rhythms, therefore pushing my own limitations of what I expected to hear, and listen for the unexpected.

This quest for learning I guess is what brought me here, once I learn something, I want to move on to the next thing, not knowing necessarily what that will be, but pushing my own boundaries, I never know what the trigger will be, but I recognize it when it manifests itself. Playing with Martin Tétreault for instance, directed me away from low frequency drones and on to explore other frequencies.

IDM in a funny way has had me explore beats, not as in 4/4 kind of thing but as how they can occur within sound itself and how they can be layered in such a way that you will feel a pulse but you won’t be “cutting the rug” so to speak.

What I fear most is stagnation, one must never get so comfortable in one’s abilities.”

I8U has participated in various new music/new technology festivals and events, Studioxx web jam (Montreal/Tasmania Feb 2002), VoltAA (Montreal 2001), Silophone(Montreal 2000) The Opera House (Toronto 2000).

She has cd’s released on Canadian and European labels including a collaboration with Goem (Gast, Netherlands 2002).

She performs regularly and collaborates as well with Martin Tétreault (Mutek 2001) David Kristian, Guylaine Bédard (photographer).

A new release is planned for May 2002 with Piehead records. She will be performing at the Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in May 2002 alonside gigimatique (Ælab) who will be providing visuals for this project entitled “Obstacle Phase 2” and is planning a small tour in Europe in June 2002.

(special thanks to Richard Di Santo and incursion.org for their kind permission to reprint the above text.)