Marc Houle
Marc Houle (born 1972 in Windsor, Ontario ) is a Canadian live act and producer of electronic music. He is regarded as a live act and not as a DJ, he used elements of his own productions for his sets, and he produced remixes. Houle is best known for his album " Bay of Figs ", released on Minus Records. He belonged to the style-defining core of minus artist before he and his friends ( and also minus artists ) Magda and Troy Pierce founded his own record label ' Items & Things ".
Houle was largely influenced by the techno scene in Detroit and Chicago house scene, as well as new wave and the first generation of video games that supported the proliferation of electronic sounds. He himself describes his music as a hybrid of the musical styles of the cities of Chicago and Detroit. But other artists such as Prince, Depeche Mode, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, he is one of the formative influences. One could his sound with a good measure described as a mixture of his Detroit and Chicago influences of New Wave synth sounds. Powered by seeking futuristic sounds and the simultaneous love of 80s synth music and video games, are Marc Houle's productions for a distinctive style in the electronic music scene.
- 6.1 albums
- 6.2 EPs
- 6.3 Remixes
- 6.4 tracks for compilations
Biography
Houle was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and grew up in a musical family. He started early in order to practice on instruments like piano or guitar and got his first drum when he was four years old. At fourteen he began to explore on his first Casio keyboard synthesizer and noted the results finally. Ten years Houle played in a local rock band, with smaller gigs across Ontario. In 1991 he bought his first Roland JX -3P Synthesizer.
Attracted by the new sound of electronic music drove Houle as often as it was possible to nearby Detroit to witness the legendary there warehouse parties. There were playing selected DJs a mix of Chicago house and Detroit techno. 1997 Marc Houle organized and his friend Scott Soulliere the computer game night "Atari Adventures " Richie Hawtin in Club " 13 Below" in Windsor. There he met Magda, also a regular DJ at 13 Below. The two became friends, and went to all the parties in Windsor and Detroit. At this time, Magda began as an opening act with Richie Hawtin to tour, where they played stripped-down versions of Houle's tracks. Shortly thereafter Hawtin invited him to publish on its minus label. While they lived together, Magda Houle helped make Houle productions "club - friendly " to where he always kept to himself nevertheless also a separate synth version on the backhand.
Although Houle's first EP was released in 2004, he produced up to that point, in his native Windsor, already continuously music. He began to collect synthesizers and new equipment that he landed in Detroit pawn shops. Houle was like about it to produce music that sounded like a mixture of electro and techno, triggered by his great passion for New Wave synthlines. At this time produced Houle and video game music. His stage name for it, " Run Stop Restore" was inspired by a combination of keys of the Commodore 64.
Career
Houle began his career as a graphic designer. In 1992, he threw his studies in order to take care of his own company " Outputs", one of the first web design companies of its time. By its second company " Redchalk " he worked for the automobile industry around Detroit. His offering consisted Graphic, animation and even music productions. To date, he produces his own videos and much photographed. His two brothers work to date as a graphic designer. Dave Houle worked for many years as a designer at minus.
During his time as a resident in Richie Hawtin's Club " 13 Below" in Windsor, Ontario, put Houle, on the sense of a radio DJ, electro and new wave music; mentioned in an interview once, however, that he was not a " DJ " and also could not imagine to work as such. Magda was at this time resident at 13 Below. They became close friends and Houle and Magda began to be interested in Houle's music. Finally, they played his productions in their sets, followed by Richie Hawtin informed about the author of these tracks. Because, at the time Hawtin began to work on his second label: Minus. Soon after Houle's tracks were released in freezing and he was part of the artists who make the label sound so distinctive and strongly influence.
Minus
After Houle's first record, " Restore" was published in 2004 to minus, he began touring as a live act. One of his first performances took place in Detroit, followed by a performance at the club " Happy Ending " in New York City, along with Mike Servito, on 28 August 2004. In April and May 2006 Houle participated in the comprehensive 50 gigs " min2MAX Tour " in part to the minus " min2MAX Compilation of minimal Techno " to celebrate on the track also Houle's " Simpler " was published. He played on six shows of the 25 European tour dates, including one as a headliner in Belgrade, Serbia. The second half of the tour ended with a bus across North America, in a total of 11 cities in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S. cities Houle played at all meetings, Magda, Troy Pierce and Richie Hawtin. Two years later, in 2008, Houle decided to move to Berlin to continue working on his music and touring as a live act. For the tenth anniversary of Minus, he participated in the CONTAKT tour. With him were a total of six minus Artists on Tour: Richie Hawtin, Magda, Troy Pierce, Marc Houle, Heartthrob and Gaiser. The tour was considered a visionary, because here for the first time DJs and live acts playing at the same time, connected by a master mixer and a spectacular visuals and light show coupled.
During his time at minus Houle was one of the principal designers of the monomials ( midi controller ) LIVID CNTRL: R, which was developed jointly with Minus artists and the company Livid Instruments. The minus CNTRL: R, which came on the market as Houle had already left the label, was a modification of the original design of Houle.
Items & Things
Items & Things began in 2006 as a sublabel of decline, with only one publication per year, until the year 2009. During summer 2011 Houle, Magda and Troy Pierce decided to separate the good guys from Minus to Items & Things with their own musical ideas to realize. The sound of the label is characterized by productions between disco and techno. In addition to regular publications of this label owner also support newcomers. With his constant musical creativity and a variety of unreleased tracks on his computer Marc Houle can bring out of his music by the label is now more. Houle 2012 published his latest album "Undercover ", which at the same time represented the first album release of the label. For album and a remix EP was released with the bonus track " Triple E " and the first label compilation " Variables" (Vinyl Box Set ) he contributed the track " Villains on the Dance Floor ". As an independent label Items & Things also has its own booking agency and label - event series "Down & Out". Those parties are characterized by the Underground prescribed, slightly dark mood and put on simple lighting effects and fancy decorations to help promote our own artists. By April 2013, not only the label founder Houle, Magda and Troy Pierce to be part of the artist collective the booking agency, but also the artists Nyma, Madato, Click Box, Bruno Pronsato and Danny BENEDETTINI.
Marc Houle Remiix App
In addition to his album "Undercover " (2012) published a Houle Remiix app that was developed by the technology and online businesses Liine. Liine, located in the minus headquarters in Berlin, had previously developed Remiix Apps for artists such as Dubfire, Joris Voorn, Plastikman and Oliver Huntemann. Houle worked with the developers at Liine together by already contributed tracks for the minus Remiix app, and later for his own app. The Marc Houle Remiix app allows users, loops or parts of Houle's tracks to rearrange and add effects such as reverb ( reverb) or to prove delay ( time delay). The finished " remixes " can then export it to a social network of choice. The app contains both old and new Marc Houle productions, including " Bay of Figs ", " Edamame ", " On It ", " Porch ", " Triple E ", " Mooder " and " Undercover". The Marc Houle Remiix app can be purchased from the iTunes Store. In April 2013 there will be an update, with a new look with 28 additional bass lines and 32 new drum loops.
Production
With great passion for analogue synthesizers in the production area Houle once mentioned these top 5 favorites for his productions: Roland Juno -60 for bass lines and pads, Korg Mono / Poly for leads ( freely translated: " senior melodies ") and the Arp 2600 and the SH -101 for synth surfaces, as well as the DX 7 In his own productions he tend to minimize middle frequencies of sound and justified it with the fact that his musical influences also tended.
Other Projects
Marc Houle was involved in addition to his solo career also in some other projects. One of them, " 2VM " was a brief collaboration with the artist Veronica Vasicka. Together they produced the EP " Placita " (7 "). Houle 's other project, "Raid Over Moscow " is really more of a band with musical influences from the late 70s / early 80s, their EP " Rush To The Capsule" on Turbo Recordings has been published.
Discography
Albums
- 2012: Undercover IT012
- 2010: Drift MINUS98
- 2008: Sixty-Four MINUS64 ( 2x12 " )
- 2006: Bay of Figs MINUS42
- 2004: Restore MINUS23
EPs
- 2012: Zorba EP WYS 015
- 2012: Undercover Single IT011
- 2009: Salamandarin MINUS88
- 2009: Licking Skin MINUS78
- 2007: Techno Vocals MINUS50
Remixes
- 2012: Brickwall Alexis Raphael ( Jackathon ) HPJJ002
- 2012: Computrfnk Vector Lovers Soma355D
- 2012: Erma Remain & Electric Rescue IDEAL22
- 2012: Very Bad Marc Houle IT015
- 2011: All I Can Think About App WYS008
- 2011: Michael Jackson, Phil Kieran & Green Velvet PKRD009
- 2011: Head Case Plastikman MINUS100
- 2011: The Night Terence Fixmer TURBO105
- 2009: Battant The Butcher, Butcher, Bruise KTDJ016
- 2008: Subtle Midimiliz SONICULTURE009
- 2008: At Alloy Mental SKINT145D
- 2008: Modern Walk Gesaffelstein GL31
- 2007: Nimrod Matt Tolfrey LEFTCD001
- 2007: Ardorant tractile MINUS PROMO
- 2006: Asteroid Compound Louderbach UND/009
- 2006: 150 Reasons To Bite You, Jorge Savoretti ESPERANZA003
- 2006: Turbo Dreams Ellen Allien & Apparat BPC124
- 2006: 25 Bitches Troy Pierce MINUS39
- 2005: Strawberry Dream Imiafan 4MG1201
- 2005: Kill The Pain Slam feat. Dot Allison SOMA180
- 2005: Sequential Circus Actual Jakshun MINUS27
Tracks for compilations
- 2012: Villain Of The Dance Floor Variables Compilation IT016
- 2011: Slowpe Down & Out Vol 1 IT07
- 2009: Helen Keller Helen In The In The Cellar EP MINUS80
- 2007: Porch Expansion | Contraction MINUS58
- 2007: A-Sides For Life Contact | Min2MAX Tour MINUS: K3
- 2007: Extreme Spies & Lies IT02
- 2006: Turtle Feet Contact | RTW KONTAKTRTW
- 2006: Simpler min2MAX minus 40
- 2006: Kicker Spaceships And Pings IT01
- 2005: Ranchor Keeper DE9 | Transitions MINUS32
- 2005: East To West Minimize To Maximize MINUS25
- 2004: Geometry Geometry EP MINUS20