We recently spoke to cinematic Canadian producer and arranger Hologramme after the release of his kaleidoscopic track ‘Slow’, shared on the 30th of August 2023 via his own imprint Société Holographique de Montréal. Hologramme has garnered over 5.2 million streams across all platforms, appearing at the likes of Piknic Electronik (Montreal), and Timeless Festival in South Africa, alongside heavyweights such as Royksopp and Tycho, as well as Montreal Jazz Fest in 2022 where he headlined to over 3000+ attendees. In addition to this, he’s toured in support of the likes of Fakear and Mome, and is currently showing no signs of slowing down.
Walk us through your creative process?
For me, creation is about leaving my routine, hitting the road and creating a new environnement. It’s hard for me to lay down new ideas in my studio, I need to be secluded and alone. For SOLEDAD opus 32 no.1, I chose a remote location in Quebec province in front of Saint-Lawrence river, it looked as if I was in the arctics or somewhere on another planet. I usually setup a temporary studio with a few synths, I meditate and start to dive into introspection and self reflection. It usually start to become interesting after a few days alone. I try to be as vulnerable as I can and try not to judge anything at this point. I just let it flow and analyse later when I get back in Studio in my hometown in Montreal.
What has been the most defining moment of your musical career?
When I had my first interview in a magazine 6 years ago. I was working at a musical instruments retail store in Montreal and I had just release my first album, I was on the store computer browsing for some gear when I received a phone call from an editor that had just did a piece on Mac Demarco. I decided to quit my day job straight away and never looked back ever since.
What equipment or software are you using the most?
I use a lot of analog synths. My main guy is the Prophet 6 but I really like to replace it in the mix with a Juno 106 or a Moog Opus3 sometimes. I do most of my basses with a Mini Moog Model D or a SH101 and I love creating weird clouds and arpeggios with my Modular synths. I also use a lot of outboard FX like the Roland Chorus-Echo RE-301, the infamous AMS reverb used by Phil Collins, a lot of different spring reverbs and a SSL G Bus compressor. You can find most of these in plugins but it’s too polished…haha
What’s your performance setup looking like?
It’s pretty simple. I control Ableton Live using the Push Controller. I have my Prophet 6, a small Doepfer Dark Energy for drones and stuff, sometimes a Moog Little Phatty for arps and leads and a NI Maschine.
Who are your biggest inspirations at the moment?
Floating Points is definitely somewhere on top next to Nicolas Jaar and Caribou. Floating Points is such a master, the way he creates his live setups is art by itself, is stuff with Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra is something I would bring on a desert island. Caribou, I had the chance to saw him at Osheaga last year and the way he remixes is material for his live shows changed my way of thinking about live forever. Finally, Nicolas Jaar, what is there to say? It’s the definition of no compromises in art, it’s what I’m aiming for.
What’s your favourite way to pass the time? Any hobbies?
I love photography, travelling, cooking, reading, having friends over. Outdoor is also something really important for me, I try to leave the city as often as I can. I think Nature is definitely a source of inspiration. Having a break is also something that makes your art better.
What’s next for you as an artist?
I’m really excited for my new album!! It’s coming out September 29th and I worked really hard on it. For the future I’m also really looking forward for my new sound, I just came back from a creation retreat where I created while performing on my synths and it changes everything. It’s not about browsing samples anymore, it’s about playing, performing and finding the emotions as you go. It’s so fun and refreshing. I’m also looking to move to Paris for a few months to meet new people and perform in Europe. I feel like there’s a limit to electronic music in Canada, I need to push boundaries and I’m up for new challenges.
Follow Hologramme:
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify
