Million-dollar hotel

>> Sonic socialite Thomas Ribeiro jets into the St-Paul for a residency

by GENI P

New York City's Thomas Ribeiro, aka Tommy Turk, is one of those DJ types who'll spin electro at a Donatella Versace runway show in the afternoon and then slum it with his soft rock side-project at a loft gig on the Lower East Side later that night. He's versatile like that. Born in West Africa, raised in East London, Ribeiro now shuffles in style between New York, Paris and London. His first solo album, Jet Set Soirée, sounds like a soulful Rod Stewart meets '80s beach rock mélange, while his next LP will simply be, in his words, "a masterpiece." The Mirror sat down with the flaming fop at this city's new dreamy design hotel, the St-Paul, to talk about his new residency there and how he intends, single-handedly, to "put Montreal on the map."



Mirror: How did you end up so entwined with the fashion world?

Thomas Ribeiro: From making music and DJing, it's hard not to be pulled into it. The first thing I did, I bumped into someone on an airplane who asked me if I wanted to model for Xuli Bet in Paris, so I found myself there, stoned on the catwalk. It was pretty fun, my first foray into fashion. Now, it seems that everything is linked to fashion. I like style and it's all linked, whether it's art, fashion or music. It's all getting a little weird. Like Gucci will sell you the clothes, give you the hotel to stay in and the soundtrack too.

M: Is it fashion that first attracted you to the glam rock thing?

TR: Well, when you come from England, how can you not see things like T-Rex and Bowie? I had a project in New York called the Young Turks with the guitarist from Birdman and a friend from the Quireboys. And for their purposes, not mine, it was about playing to a lot of models and having a lot of fun. We never got around to putting out any records, but it was very straight-up glam rock. We played with the Moldy Peaches and the Strokes, but because everybody lives in different cities, it's hard to get together. I did a solo record, then I did a project with Les Rythmes Digitales.

M: What about your solo projects?

TR: On my own I sound a little more organic, with guitars and drums. With the new project, it's been described as being Lenny Kravitz meets Jay-Z and some electronica elements. I'm going to do some stuff with Puffy's camp and some stuff with a guy from here, Miguel Graça. It's gonna be like a Buddha Bar-type idea, but it's my concept, electronic-based, with some Middle Eastern and different things happening. Now I'm ready to just put a lot of energy into making what I consider to be a masterpiece. If everyone else thinks it sucks, then, hey, what can I say? It'll be the best I can do.

Making Montreal matter

M: So your residency will be the first time you play in this city?

TR: Yes, and I know so many artists who've never come here. I mean, Snoop only came her for the first time just recently. Maybe it's your politics that have fucked things up. I come here and I'm like, wait a minute: New York is right here, Europe is right there. You've got the best of both worlds. There's a lot of vibrant, creative energy here and it's building up. I always get such a warm, beautiful reception, that's what I love. 'Cuz in the world I'm in, the fashion and music world, it can get so fake. I was playing at New York's fashion week on Sept. 11 and suddenly it all seemed so stupid, it didn't mean anything. But in the aftermath, you realize that you still need fashion, you still need music, life goes on. Montreal hasn't quite peaked yet, so when people in New York find out I'm coming here to do a residency, they get curious as to what's going on up here.

M: What can we expect from Tommy Turk at the hotel?

TR: At the St-Paul, it's going to be my flavour on the boulevard. And I want to have a good time. It's gonna be my perception of this place and how it could be. I want to put Montreal on the map. People are looking outside the usual places--New York, Paris, London--it's been done, everybody knows them. Montreal has great, great musical taste; it could easily be the next hot spot. What I like here is that people really pay attention and they're not so fickle.

Ribeiro will be at Hotel St-Paul's Bar Cru (355 McGill) every Thursday starting Dec. 20, 10pm, free