Au naturel
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Freeworm takes the bait
by RUPERT BOTTENBERG
"I'm doing stuff using animal sounds now," says Vincent Letellier, "and we're thinking of shooting a video where the concept is breakdancers imitating animal movements." Leave it to Letellier, better known as Freeworm, to construct his electronic music not in contrast to the natural world, but rather as an extension of it.
Freeworm's made a splash in the e-music scene, both here and abroad, with his release Vegetation=Fuel. It's on the Indica sublabel Hydrophonik, but this is some serious outdoor shit. Combining non-militant eco-awareness with informal worldbeat tendencies and a taste for live musicians and he's becoming the Marlon Perkins of the mixing board.
Last year saw some props from the Interchill label, also good for some global warmness. "Back in '93 or '94, they were about the only Montreal label doing electronic music. They were kind of my reference, because I was really into ambient then. I'd always go bug them with these shit tracks I'd done on a cheap beatbox, to find out what they thought. Then suddenly, one time, they called me back and said they wanted a particular track. It was like my test to see if I was ready, production-wise."
He was, and has since remixed a number for Interchill's Ekkocentric comp. "I'm going more into remixes now, to build more of a name. I'm getting a lot of requests, which will help me expand internationally. Sending my album is one thing, but remixes for artists all over is a good way to crack it open." Something's in the works for Bran Van 3000, and Freeworm has already got the ball rolling with Moussa Diengala, a Senegalese singer with whom he intends to release a collaborative track this spring.
"I'd really like to reach out and get people in the States and Europe, whose music I find amazing, to remix my tracks as well. I'm just gonna pitch--I have nothing to lose."
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