Alaclair Ensemble
Alaclair Ensemble | |
---|---|
Origin | Montreal, Quebec City |
Genres | Canadian hip hop |
Years active | 2010s |
Labels |
Google Records Disques 7ième Ciel |
Associated acts | Accrophone, Movèzerbe, Rednext Level, Karim Ouellet, K6A |
Website | www.alaclair.com |
Members |
Ogden a.k.a. Robert Nelson Maybe Watson a.k.a. Produit Laitier KenLo Craqnuques Claude Bégin a.k.a. Claude Bégin Eman a.k.a. Explosion Lyricale Vlooper a.k.a. NRV Cantaloopa Mash a.k.a. Thomas Gagnon |
Alaclair Ensemble is a Canadian hip hop musical collective.[1] The band's concept is based around an alternate history in which the Patriotes won the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1838 and established a state based on the Declaration of Independence of Lower Canada. Their musical style draws on traditional Québécois folk music as well as contemporary hip hop and electronic music.[1] In the band's Bas-Canada mythology, the nation suffers none of the linguistic tensions between anglophones and francophones that exist in contemporary Quebec and Canadian society, and the band performs lyrics in both languages.[1]
The group consists of Ogden "Robert Nelson" Ridjanovic (rapper), Olivier "Maybe Watson" Normandin-Guenette (rapper), KenLo Craqnuques (rapper & producer), Claude Bégin (rapper, singer, producer, musician), Eman (rapper), Vlooper (producer) and Mash (producer).[1] Although the collective was initially principally based in Quebec City, most band members now reside in Montreal or Toronto.[1] Like several other hip hop collectives, the members also release music with their own side projects in addition to their collaborations as a band.[1]
The collective released their debut album on Bandcamp in 2010. The group's 2013 album Les maigres blancs d'Amérique du Noir, whose title is a satirical pun on Pierre Vallières' Quebec revolutionnary manifesto Les nègres blancs d'Amérique, was a longlisted nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.[2] Their follow-up album, Toute est impossible, was released in 2014.[3] In 2016, signed to Disques 7ième Ciel, the band launched their first priced album, Les Frères Cueilleurs.
Discography
- 4,99 (2010)
- Les maigres blancs d'Amérique du Noir (2013)
- Toute est impossible (2014)
- Les Frères Cueilleurs (2016)
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Alaclair Ensemble rewrites history through hip hop". The Gazette, July 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2013 Long List". Exclaim!, June 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Alaclair Ensemble dévoile une pochette « très conservatrice » pour Tout est impossible". Voir, June 15, 2014.