You are invited at Casa del Popolo (Montréal) Saturday March 8, 2003 for an aural event of epic proportions: the head on meeting of parasites (the duet of turntablist Martin Tétreault and samplist Diane Labrosse) and morceaux_de_machines (Érick Dorion and A_dontigny, computers) in a sonic clash of beautiful patterns, uncompromising noise, surprising acousmatic movements and — yes! — even beats, scratches and pop samples! Although they have worked together before, it is the first time the four of them actually play as a quartet. Érick Dorion and Martin Tétreault are currently collaborating together on a forthcoming album, Diane Labrosse and A_dontigny will release theirs on No Type in april 2003, Télépathie, recorded live last year.

More than a technical challenge, Machines 08: “Le chemin des machines” is a wonderful networked improvised composition. 4 musicians live through the internet, 8 others scattered in strange places in the Méduse complex and 4 electroacoustic composers to spatialize the result on a loudspeakers orchestra. A prowess you don’t want to miss! With participating artists Diane Labrosse, Alexandre St-Onge, Steeve Lebrasseur, A_dontigny, James Schidlowsky, Julie Rousse, Raphaël Simard, Mathieu Lévesque, Jocelyn Robert (California), Kevin M Krebs (British-Columbia), the Frequenza_Minima duo (Italy) and in the main room composers Jean-François Denis, Gilles Gobeil, Marc Tremblay, and Louis Dufort. February 14, 2003 at 8:30pm.

One of the most fundamental trio of Québec’s new music, Les Poules are musicians and producers Joane Hétu, Danielle Palardy Roger and Diane Labrosse. More than 15 years after Les contes de l’amère loi they have a new full-lenght for us, the intriguing Prairie orange full of brand new tracks which paints a landscape of electronic and acoustic sounds, cracklings and rustles.

Nominated for “Album of the year — actuelle, contemporary and electroacoustic music,” Parr(A)cousmatique by guitarist and composer Arturo Parra and Parasites by Diane Labrosse and Martin Tétreault.

The concert by Diane Labrosse (sampler) and A_dontigny (computer), recorded on April 20, 2002 at Casa del Popolo, will be broadcasted by Radio-Canada’s Chaîne culturelle on Sunday September 8, 2002 at 10 pm (EST).

Born out of the Montréal-based avant-rock group Wondeur Brass, Justine pushed further the ideals of challenging, thought-provoking feminist rock established in its previous incarnation for another ten years. The group released three albums during the 1990s and toured Canada, the United States,and visited Europe twice. Three of its musicians are members of the collective Ambiances Magnétiques, so the label released all their albums.

Wondeur Brass started as a sextet in the early ’80s. By 1987 the group had been scaled down to a quartet. Bassist Marie Trudeau had joined the three original members saxophonist Joane Hétu, keyboardist Diane Labrosse and drummer Danielle Palardy Roger. That line-up released Simoneda, reine des esclaves in 1987.

Upon starting work on a new opus in 1989, the girls decided it was time for a change. The new music taking shape was turning out to be more complex, intricate, and driven by a stronger will to improvise and make things interestingly dangerous. Thus Justine was born. The first album under the new name, (Suite), came out in 1990. It included guest appearances by Japanese singer Tenko and American harpist Zeena Parkins. In 1992, Hétu, Labrosse and Roger brought them back for a quintet project, La légende de la pluie. Although it doesn’t include Trudeau and sounds softer, more introspective, it can be considered as the second album by Justine. Around the same time the “real” quartet appeared on stage in an Ambiances Magnétiques showcase which yielded the live CD Une théorie des ensembles.

In early 1994 Justine toured Europe, visiting many former communist countries. Back in Montréal in June they recorded Langages Fantastiques “live in the studio” — the recording of (Suite) had stretched over ten months. After its release later that year things slowed down as group members focused on individual projects: Roger on the children tale L’oreille enflée, Labrosse on a solo album (La face cachée des choses) and a duo with Michel F Côté, Hétu on a new group called Castor et Compagnie. Justine stayed together for another three years and performed at the 1997 Ring Ring festival in Belgrade (Yugoslavia) alongside Ground-Zero, Palinckx, and Kampec Dolores (a previously unreleased song was included on the commemorative compilation Ring Ring 1997). After that tour the group disbanded. Hétu, Labrosse and Roger have continued to contribute to one another’s projects.