Je suis calme et enragé·e (I am calm and angry) by Egyptian-Québécoise Nour Symon is a plunge into strangeness. A musical strangeness carried by an almost noisy score made up of infernal vocalizations and acid sound waves, electronic and acoustic, which support the often intense declamation of expressionist poetic texts by Roxane Desjardins. The result is an existential manifestation of presence in the world, inspired initially by the 2012 Printemps érable in Quebec, the moment of the ‘genesis of the project’, according to Symon. Echoes of Diamanda Galas are perceptible in this demanding and disconcerting work.

Nour Symon is undoubtedly one of the boldest musical voices in contemporary Quebec, one of those who dares to go the furthest. Her creative language is an uncompromising assault on the prevailing conservatism.

It’s the kind of music that sadly drives away the traditional mass media, and makes those like PanM 360 so indispensable.