by SCOTT C

Hitting the road to dip their toes in Montreal summertime bliss, Big Dada signees Cuizinier and DJ Orgasmic, from France’s TTC, roll into town for a show at SAT this week. Live and direct from Paris, Cuiz is set to lace his Quebec fans with selections from TTC’s Bâtards Sensibles, and from both volumes of his popular Pour les filles records. The Mirror caught up with Cuiz right here in Montreal.

Mirror: How would you describe the state of hip hop in France right now, and does it affect the way that you guys make music?

Cuizinier: I’m not really able to say what’s going on in hip hop in France, because I’m not really following and listening to the new stuff that’s coming out every day. The last good sensation to me was Booba, if you’ve heard of him? There’s a few cats who are good, but I’m not really into French rap music.

M: So what do you spend most of your time listening to?

C: I’m more into Southern rap music right now, actually.

M: Oh yeah? You like the dirty South sound?

C: Yeah, a lot. You know, Atlanta, Houston, whatever. We always listen to rap music from America more than we listen to French hip hop anyway. When I started listening to rap music, it wasn’t really in French. It doesn’t really affect the way my music is made because we always try to have our own style, and it’s not made in comparison to French rap music. We’re just trying to make the best original rap that represents us.

M: Who were you listening to when you first started listening to hip hop, and do you have the same respect for those people now?

C: Oh, I will always have love for De La Soul and the Beastie Boys, because that was a big part of my life for a long time, but I’m not really listening to any of that music these days.

M: How do you feel about the music of Ghislain Poirier and Omnikrom, and are they well received in France?

C: There are a lot of people in France who are very interested in a lot of the music coming out of Montreal, and many people in there think of Montreal as a music city because of A-Trak, Chromeo, Ghislain and now Omnikrom. I’m speaking about Omnikrom now, but they are new and people need to get to know them a little bit better, and if we can help with that, it’s fine.

M: What do you like best about Montreal, now that you’ve been here a few times?

C: It’s the people. People are very friendly and always make us feel welcome, plus we know that we can communicate our music to people who can understand it. I’m playing in Ottawa and Toronto this time around too, and I don’t know how it will be, but Montreal is always great.

M: Where were you when Zidane got ejected?

C: I was at a restaurant meeting a girl for the first time. I was so stressed that I had to leave. I arrived home during the penalty kicks. We already knew that Zidane was aggressive because of other incidents in the championships and the World Cup that we won, but you really have to remember, it is only a game.

With DJ Orgasmic, Omnikrom and Ghislain Poirier at SAT on Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 p.m., $15

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