Hot off the back of his performance at Timeless Festival in South Africa on the same stage as Tycho,  Montreal-based electronic producer Clément Leduc aka Hologramme tells us what ignited his taste for music production and how his most recent experiences playing live have influenced the current approach to his work. 

His recently released single, ‘Candide’ is a high-energy, luminous, and fierce track reflecting the artist’s newly acquired taste for nightclubs and dance floors. With this release, you can definitely feel Hologramme’s influences, such as Bonobo or Jamie XX, while also feeling all the fun and disinhibition in which he’s delivering us his new sound.

Get to know more about the musician and composer via the interview below and, if you’re in Montreal, catch him live at Piknic Electronik on the 25th of June, ahead of the release of his anticipated album via the label he founded, Société Holographique de Montréal. 

THE WORLD OF HOLOGRAMME  

Hi, where are you answering these questions from?   

Hello, I’m in my flat in Montreal on a rainy Monday.    

What have you been working on recently? Could you tell us a little more?   

I’ve been working on my DJ Set for Piknic Electronik in Montreal in June. I saw Röyksopp DJ at Timeless in South Africa and I learned a lesson. I have been taking the decks for granted for too long. It’s time to do some push-ups haha    

Which musicians did you listen to when you were growing up? Who influenced you the most? 

It’s wide, my parents were listening to a lot of music. Music from Africa, Jazz, Blues, French Music etc.. I got into electronic music when I started to listen to Massive Attack. Later on, I discovered Infected Mushroom and then Flying Lotus, Four Tet, Bonobo and I was hooked. Every pocket money I had I was spending it at the local Record Shop.  

Why did you decide to get into electronic music? What struggles / successes did you experience at the beginning of your career?  

I started producing electronic music in my bedroom at the age of 14. It was so nice to be able to create every instrument by myself. It’s the core of the spark for me. I then studied jazz and kind of forgot about electronic music for a while. When I finished my studies, I was in front of a void, a life crisis. I started to compose a record, I put everything I had in it and released it. It gave me a lot of opportunities but not enough to live on. I then started to produce for other artists as a job and that led me to another life crisis where I wasn’t producing for myself anymore. That’s when I made a trip to Berlin and came back with Felicity. My favorite record so far. You should never give up and make what matters the most to you.    

What has been the most memorable gig you played? Tell us more.  

Last summer I played a private show for the famous media and entertainment company Moment Factory. They do staging for Madonna (plus they’re from Montreal!), it’s impressive. I was in a birch forest, on a 360 stage, people all around the stage, people were in disguises. I was testing my new songs, playing synths and singing (mostly screaming random stuff in the mic). It was so much fun. I was connected to the crowd, it was insane. Every show should be on 360 stages…    

Do you enjoy playing to an audience or working in the studio?  

The more I play live, the more it changes my approach to music. I think, being an introvert, I like spending a lot of time in the studio, speaking to myself, making music for myself, but I’m not sure it’s the answer. Yes, it’s pure inspiration but I think it’s even better when there’s a conversation with the audience. You have to test songs, refine them, and play with the feedback you receive. For me that’s something new. I think it’s all about learning new stuff and staying as far as possible from your ego. That’s growth.     

THE RAY OF HOPE   

If you could collaborate with anyone for your next release, who would it be? And why?  

I’d love to be remixed by Overmono or Leon Vynhall. Maybe a feature with Skiiifall on my next EP. For now I just want to travel and meet new artists I don’t know yet. It’s not about the name but more about the connection and the moment!    

So, what’s in the pipeline? What is next in terms of gigs, festivals, releases, that our readers should go crazy about?  

For now, I’m promoting my new album coming up next September. I’m playing in Montreal at Piknic Electronik on June 25th. I’ll be launching the album with a live performance in October with a crazy concept can’t say more haha. But I’m working on a tour in Europe at the end of 2023 and 2024. See you soon!!

Photo credit: Jean-François Sauvé