Hazy Montagne Mystique

ຄ່ໍາຄວນ / BACCAM, LAOS 1979.
10.27–12.03.2016

Hazy Montagne Mystique has developed a sonic universe of organic sounds (field recordings, cassette tape manipulations and amplification), analogue sounds from vintage/modular synthesizers, and others from effects pedals that he uses as is, or which are modified by him. Drawing on his training as an experimental sound artist, he has created a unique sonic language by tinkering with a mixture of original and invented sounds. The result is vivid music that he sees as sonic landscapes, lunar atmospheres or meditative sounds conceived for underwater breathing.

For this project, the artist explores his Laotian roots. Through his quest for identity located between Laos and Québec, Hazy Montagne Mystique presents an experimental symphony inspired by the relationship between South Asian culture and his experimental practice developed here. These audio pieces stem from his research on the language used in Molam music, a Laotian song dialect practiced by his ancestors. The artist also draws on his own family archives: cassette tape recordings of Molam songs recorded in Laos by his grandparents, and music compilations recorded in the 1970s. It’s also a way for him to pay homage to his grandparents, who left Laos in 1979 to settle with their family in Québec. According to the artist, much like his ancestors’ lives, Molam music is often contemplative and very emotional. Long after establishing roots in Québec, he is left with memories that trigger vague images, which he has translated into sound for the Poste Audio.

This project was composed for Centre Clark’s Poste Audio and recorded on cassette tape through the Jeuness Cosmique label, with silk-screened cover art by Philippe Gaumond.