Back in the 90’s, Montreal’s François Lebaron, a rave promoter, young label owner and dj was a regular at the legendary DNA Records store where Frédéric Laurier aka DJ Pfreud was co-manager and music curator. Whit his unique approach and style, Pfreud quickly established himself as a Canadian resident at Sona, the 1st large scale after hours in North-America (Tiga is the co-founder of DNA and Sona). In 2000, Lebaron proposed Pfreud to release the first mixed compilation on his new label Trigger Recording.
A decade later, in 2013, Lebaron was djing in Mexico and bumped into Felix Da Housecat (no intro required), they connected right away… well after a few mezcal shots! By August 2013, Lebaron had Felix play in Montreal at Club Peopl for the Blackkout Tour. A huge success. By 2015, on a hot summer night, Felix was back in Montreal with François and Fred for a BBQ at the studio. Good food, laughs, mezcal, drum machines and synths, ideas flowed and Thee FFF was born.
We had the chance to talk with Thee FFF aligned to the recent release of their debut EP ‘Contradiction’.
Electronic Groove: Hello guys, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We’re very excited about this new project. Can you elaborate on how did Thee FFF come together?
Thee FFF: Thanks 🙂 Well, while playing at the same time in Mexico a few years ago, François and Felix bumped into each other. Later that year, François booked Felix for his Blackk Out Tour in Montreal and from there a friendship emerged. Felix came back a few months later for a session at the studio where he met Fred (the other ‘F’). Good times, food, synths, ideas flowed and Thee FFF was born.
Electronic Groove: Your latest EP is titled ‘Contradiction’. Can you give us some insight on the experience working together and the inspiration behind the release?
Thee FFF: It was pretty natural. I mean, the way we work is quite simple: one of us chooses an instrument, starts a groove and plays some keys or drums, and whoever hears something to add comes on board and so on… After trying a few ideas, we realized we should put our work out. The song ‘All This’, as heard on the Contradiction EP was the first track we made.
Electronic Groove: In regards to equipment, do you guys have any preference on what you use, maybe some old school synths or are you hand on with the latest tech?
Thee FFF: We use lots of hardware. Rarely software synths, but software audio FX and audio processing.
Electronic Groove: Are there any remixes planned for this EP?
Thee FFF: Not for now, but, you never know!
Electronic Groove: We’re expecting to hear this in some at some big rooms during the season. Are there any plans on touring together or performing as a live act?
Thee FFF: Yes there are plans, but nothing that we can announce at the moment. Stay tuned!
Electronic Groove: As we approach the end of the year, what plans do you have in store for the NYE celebrations?
Thee FFF: So far, half of Thee FFF (Hoopalaï) are playing at Stereo in Montreal, while Felix will be in Australia. Our individual schedules are difficult to merge.
Electronic Groove: Can you name a few tracks that have been on repeat during the last season?
Thee FFF: Sure. Axel Boman’s ‘Purple Drank’, Ellen Allien’s ‘Call Me (Kyoka Remix)’ and Felix Leifur’s ‘Universal Rim’. Just to name a few.
Electronic Groove: Finally, there any special plans for 2018 you would like to share with our readers?
Thee FFF: Stay Tuned for some new stuff from Thee FFF and Hoopalaï. Many cakes in the oven 🙂
Thee FFF’s ‘Contradiction’ is out now on Victims Music Company. Grab your copy here.
Follow Thee FFF:
https://www.facebook.com/theefffmontreal
https://soundcloud.com/theefff
