Louis Dufort

Connexion gathers four acousmatic works that Louis Dufort composed in Montréal between 1996 and 2000, in the studios of the Université de Montréal, the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and his own studio, Control. Dufort introduces each piece with a few spare lines rather than an explanation, and the disc moves from places in and around the city to music bound up with dance.

Pointe-aux-Trembles, in five sections, is an impression of the glittering refineries of east-end Montréal at night; first heard in 1996, it was a finalist at the Noroit-Léonce Petitot prize in 1997. Transit, premiered by ACREQ at Usine C in 1998, works with “continuous discontinuity” and owes something to night recordings on Mont-Royal that gave the composer, in his words, the fright of his life. Zénith, premiered at the first Elektra festival in 1999, is built on rupture and catharsis, with vocals by the choreographer Marie Chouinard and Luc Lemay of the band Gorguts.

Décap, the longest piece at 24 minutes, is described as “a study for wrists and ankles”. It is partly taken from the music commissioned by Compagnie Marie Chouinard for Le cri du monde, again with the voices of Chouinard, Émilie Laforest and Lemay, and received an honorable mention at Prix Ars Electronica 2001. The album was a finalist for the Prix Opus 2000-01.

Born in Montréal in 1970, Louis Dufort works in fixed media, mixed music with live processing, visual music and installation, and has collaborated with Compagnie Marie Chouinard since 1996. He teaches composition at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and is artistic director of the Akousma festival.

CD in OGpak, empreintes DIGITALes IMED 0051, 2000.