“We stay on good terms / Even at odds / The vibe is damn good there,” raps Akena Okoko, aka KNLO, on Your conspi friend. These few words perfectly sum up the essence of Lait paternal and the state of mind of Alaclair Ensemble.
The family is not only one of the greatest successes of the group, it is also what best illustrates the strength of the bond that unites its members. “We’ve been making music as a family forever and the process hasn’t changed. The name Alaclair Ensemble represents more things in the minds of the public, but we don’t think about it so much, explains Louis-Nicolas Imbeau, alias Vlooper, the collective’s main rhythm maker. We had ups and downs. We got up, we supported each other. For us, [making the album] was therapy after a big family ordeal. »
The ordeal in question is the expulsion, in July 2020, of Olivier Normandin-Guénette, alias Maybe Watson, who later apologized for his conduct which “has often been quite deplorable”.
The fallen rapper is not back, but we hear him for nearly three minutes from the second track, Postcard. “In my head it’s going around in circles / It could be a roller coaster / It’s more of a carousel”.
“I clearly understand why it may be surprising to hear him, but it would possibly be more surprising if he wasn’t there at all, judge Ogden Ridjanovic, alias Robert Nelson. There could have been an unwanted interpretation on our part if the tune was at the end, in mode “if you go that far in your listening, maybe you will realize that it exists”. It is there from the beginning, it is assumed and is an integral part of the album. »
“Something happened. We managed it that way. Now we live with the consequences, for better and for worse. […] What is criticized in relation to what is called the cancel culture, is to want to find a simple solution to a very complex problem, “believes Vlooper.
As usual, the guys from Alaclair gathered a few times in a chalet to develop their new offering. “The cabins are therapeutic weeks. It’s good for the psyche,” says Vlooper. “They’re like sweat lodges. It’s highly psychedelic and flushes out the toxins,” adds Robert Nelson.
Because, in addition to the events concerning Maybe, the group was marked by the years of pandemic which exacerbated some of the worst traits of our societies.
“We don’t really see a debate. What we see always ends up calling one a woke, the other a conspirator or the far right. There is no celebration of “we are different and that’s okay,” says Vlooper. It’s okay that we don’t think the same way and do the same things. We were never the same. We just got into a situation that exposed that. »
“We’re trying to change our eco-anxiety into eco-celebration,” says KNLO, who says it’s “a toned down version of the real album.”
A few times during the album, Claude Bégin sings, a bit like Joe Dassin, short songs, often funny, often biting, which somehow trace the common thread of the work.
“There really was a desire for a movie, a movie. The western stuff is among the first we recorded, says Vlooper. When I listen to what Claude has done, I imagine myself in a somewhat seedy saloon where there is a kind of semi-drunk singer-storyteller who narrates the events of the place. »
And, like in a western, there are gunshots.
On J’ai vu, a cover of Luc De Larochellière – “He gave us permission”, they say – Claude Bégin sings among other things: “And I saw rappers who never came out to announce their back / And I seen all these canceled singers move overseas for a seed in a glass”.
In addition to certain themes addressed and certain personalities targeted, artisans of Quebec hip-hop culture are also mentioned, in particular on Rap de cégep. “We come from a style of music that is a bit sporty. Have the humility to say, “I’m not out of it.” We come from rap, it’s fun to say things that are a bit splashy sometimes, “says KNLO.
“We are comfortable with the way things have been said. A good joke needs no explanation. It doesn’t mean that everyone is going to understand it the way you wanted, but there is a path to understanding it and we believe that most people are able to take it, “says Robert Nelson.
But since the group likes to contradict itself, KNLO insists that “it would take more than 1000 podcasts to explain the meaning of the album”.
While waiting to find their audience, the guys can’t wait to see his reaction, which they compare to a “sociological study”.
“We’ve been releasing albums since 2010. We worked hard, but we got lucky. We had a popular and critical success. We had things to prove to ourselves at some point, to ourselves and to others. But if for some reason X or Y, despite the fact that we applied ourselves, success is not there, I can say that this is the moment when it would bother me the least in my life. , says Robert Nelson.
“Each album is the last, since the previous six. If it blooms, it continues. If we don’t feel it anymore, we move on to another call, ”slice Vlooper. “It’s a miracle of nature,” concludes KNLO.
