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On November 4, the Altitude collective presented their filmed live performance project at the Cinéma Moderne, in collaboration with three artists, Dioleor, Icxr and LeBlaze.
Altitude was born of a reflection between Martin Boutaud and the rapper Dioleor almost 1 year ago, in November 2023, on the importance of rooftops for Montreal. According to the former, he has the impression that the city lives on several levels, with underground galleries during winter, and rooftops during summer, a place and a space for freedom and creation. From there, the two friends began, that very night, to make the first sketches in notebooks, as well as the first measurements of the balcony.
Martin and Dioleor wanted a collective project. So they went looking for other people with similar visions or values to their own. Two other artists and two other sound engineers/producers joined the adventure to produce the EP for live performance. This mutual support was even seen in the collaboration between the artists, who helped each other during the writing or creation process, each sharing their experience. The result is a qualitative project in terms of both musicality and lyricism. It’s a well-mastered sound experience that touched everyone through the speakers of the Cinéma Moderne.
For the visual side, Martin called Paul Mathoux, who was very enthusiastic about the project and recreated the roof on Unreal Engine to visualize the various possible layouts.
“When I heard the finished project for the first time, the pressure went up a notch for me to be on their level,” he says of the first EP demos he received. And it was a successful challenge for him, since the visual production and shots present in the final project match the musical quality superbly. In particular, the low-angle shot of the three artists lends a highly original dimension to the Altitude project. The director was able to exercise this freedom thanks to ATYPICAL PRODUCTION and Valentin Ragot, who provided the necessary equipment.
Two sold-out sessions were scheduled for this evening, each with an introductory speech by part of the team, which was almost at full strength that evening. A success the collective is delighted with. And the project seemed to please everyone, as the audience spent the rest of the evening thanking the organizers and those involved in the project. Everyone seemed to have understood the vision conveyed. “Artistically, it’s powerful and you can feel it,” says Martin. This quality is also due to the pre-production, which took time to ensure that everything was set up on time, and that there were as few unforeseen events as possible.
The project is now available on Youtube and will soon be available for listening on all streaming platforms. A sequel is not to be ruled out, according to the organizers, but nothing has yet been decided.
