Lunice: Wants to Bring Broadway to a Club Near You

Photograph courtesy of The SuperManiak

After flying in from Austin to play a sold out show in Toronto, we had an opportunity to catch up with Lunice. The Montreal producer filled us in on the future of TNGHT, the evolution of the dance music scene in his hometown, and how theatrical influences are going to help him to take live performances to the next level.

THUMP: You were in Austin this week for SXSW and there was a loaded Montreal bill one night. What was it like performing with a bunch of acts from your hometown?
Lunice: That was my third time playing SXSW. It's amazing to see how it's come to a point where we can have a really good lineup of Montreal artists to the point where we can have our own showcase within the States. That's something I've never really noticed as much even when I was playing out there the other two years. It's really coming together now with Tommy Kruise, High Klassified, Kaytranada, you know, those types of artists. We're all really coming up now from Montreal.

Besides that, the festival itself was a great run. That's how I take it, man. Obviously I have fun, drink, smoke and whatever. But I'm the kind of guy who stays really focused. My point out there is to put on a show every single night, tired or not. I really push myself all the time to make sure every show is 100 percent. Even if it's not really well attended I still go all in.

Is there someone you saw down there who really caught your eye?
I finally got to see Kelela perform. She's an amazing singer who works a lot with the Fade to Mind guys. I got to meet her and see her sing. Her vocal range is truly amazing so that was really cool to see. Usually I don't end up having time to check other acts. I was playing a Complex show with Schoolboy Q and I wanted to see him perform but I had to leave at the time when he went on. That's the usual situation.

You started off as a b-boy and we definitely see that side when you DJ. What was the music scene like in Montreal back then and how has it changed over the years?
The scene in Montreal back then was similar to what's happening now. It's just a lot more refined and there are more resources to make things happen these days. Four years ago me, Prison Garde and Jacques Greene used to run a night called Turbo Crunk. That was a night that was really unheard of at the time. We were mixing electro influences with rap music. We wanted to showcase something different. Now, there are more crews starting their own nights around really experimental things.

With that being said, there still isn't that many nights as other cities. But I feel like it's because everybody is making shit in the background. When it's all put together there's going to be night, after night, after night. That's how it builds in Montreal in terms of creativity. It gets to the peak, goes back down because everybody is back in the lab working and then goes way back up again.

You don't just stand there when playing and it's clear you put on much more than a DJ set. It's a full experience.
I'm glad you said that. That's what I'm trying to build towards with my album. Earlier, when I was starting to DJ that was the only thing I knew. To be on stage meant to perform. When I did my first DJ set I didn't know if I had to just DJ, or perform and DJ. I just naturally got into the groove. I'd see my friends getting hyped and I would be with them getting hyped as well. It's starting to get more refined, simplistic and constructive now in terms of how I perform.

I used to do theater back in high school and I got to do film in college. I really want to go back to those elements that I've always been into and try to bridge it through my performances. That's why I've started to experiment and see how much I can push it on stage. I review videos, see what it looks like and determine what worked and what didn't. It's been built up to the point that people understand and accept what I do. It's not a weird thing. I remember when people weren't used to that. They'd say, "This kid is on coke" and "Aw, he's crazy—what the fuck is he doing?" But now it's like, "I can't wait to see how he's going to perform! He's going to be there with me and he'll sing with me." Now they're convinced and I can go full force with the experience.

Does that happen now when you make music? You visualize how it's going to play out in a live setting?
Always. That comes from the Turbo Crunk days. The whole structure behind it was that every weekend we would hear what our colleagues did that was new. That week we would all go back and make new shit to play the next weekend. We had a new production every week. That really helped us develop our style and sound.

From what I understand TNGHT isn't finished but it's on a hiatus. Do you see yourself reuniting with Hudson Mohawke at some point in time?
Of course. That's what we determined was the best way to work together. It's how the project started in the first place. In a typical situation a person would reach another individual and say, "Hey we should do this project." They get together but all of a sudden they're together for too long and become a duo. That was the first thing we established—we are not a duo. To keep it that way we decided to separate after putting out the first record, see how it would blow up and re-evaluate. We had already built a foundation with our own careers. That gave us freedom. It all started when I heard his old remix of Gucci Mane and thought it was the most simplistic beat he's ever made.

It's going to be the same vibe. Hud Mo is going to have his album out. I'm going to have my album out. I haven't heard any of his new stuff and he hasn't heard any of my new stuff. We're going to hear each other's work and get new ideas rather than building off the TNGHT project.

It'll keep it fresh every time. Plus, it's a pretty cool dynamic. Not only do they get the TNGHT shows and projects, they get our solo shows and projects. It's a cool win-win.

With that on break, you must have a lot of free time now. Let's talk about your album.
Ideally, I'm looking for a fall release. I want to use most of the summer to build the concept and campaign. It's going to be the first full-length on Lucky Me. All the other albums were with Warp. This is 100 percent Lucky Me.

How surreal was it hearing Kanye West perform "Blood on the Leaves" in Montreal?
I've waited a long time to finally be there and hear it in my hometown. It was definitely a hell of a feeling. The anticipation kills me but when it happens it's like "Ok, that's real." That's how I felt when it played. I was on the VIP risers at the ground level since that's where he put us. When he played that song I was looking around the Bell Center being like, "This is my shit playing in the fucking Bell Center right now and everybody is going wild!" It's the biggest part of the show too. It's established now. It's real.

What time is last call in Montreal?
2:45 AM I believe.

It's 2:45 AM in Montreal and you're a bit faded, perhaps finishing up a studio session. You're starving as well. What do you get?
Well obviously poutine would be the first thing.

Traditional or with toppings?
Normally I like a traditional one. I usually eat extravagant poutine sober but when I'm drunk as shit I need a sloppy-ass poutine.

Sasha is on Twitter, trying to rank late-night snack options. @sashakalra

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