Mosaic Music Festival - Grimes

There is a powerful harmony in Grimes that lulls the deep listener into a phantasmic state, sourcing the long forgotten spells that run alongside humans for centuries and forcing them through a hyper-futuristic filter. Claire Boucher weaves together the arts of 2D, performance, dance, video and sound to a strong rhythmic effect, “the marriage between the voice of a human and the heartbeat of a machine” (Bullett Magazine).

Since moving to Montreal in 2006, Boucher’s experience as a performer has been deeply embedded in the illegal DIY loft culture of Montreal where her stage moniker, Grimes, is one of the prominent figures in the scene surrounding Lab Synthèse—¬a reappropriated textile factory. She developed in a scene where punk ethos and pop music collide, resulting in a distinct sense of community, religiosity and psychedelic revelry.

In less than two years, Grimes has had four releases, each tackling different influences and styles. Geidi Primes (2010) was initially a limited 30-cassette run and free download, followed by Halfaxa (2010), arguably one of the first witch-house or lo-fi R&B releases. In Darkbloom (2011), Grimes began taking her first steps as a producer, bringing together the experimentation behind her early work and a cutting edge pop aesthetic.

Last year’s Visions incorporated influences as wide as Enya, TLC and Aphex Twins, drawing from genres like New Jack Swing, IDM, New Age, K-pop, Industrial and glitch—a record that was both otherworldly and futuristic. This approach has marked Grimes as a curator of culture, allowing for a flexible and ever-evolving project.

“[It is] the only means through which I can be fully expressive,” she says, when asked about her music. “It is both an ethereal escape from, and a violent embrace of, my experience.”