Ghislain Poirier Takes 'Karnival' Cruise to Caribbean

"Slow down" is a phrase that doesn't generally fit into Ghislain Poirier's lexicon. After exhaustively touring the US, Canada and Europe in support of his speaker-smashing 'Soca Sound System' EP, Poirier returns with 'Run the Riddim,' the second release in his three-EP series on Ninja Tune that mashes-up electro with bass-heavy Caribbean sounds but turns down the beats-per-minute, if only a bit.

"While I was doing 'Soca Sound System,' I had a certain idea of what the album was going to be and what the three EPs were going to be," Poirier tells Spinner from his Montreal hometown where he's launching his new Karnival club night this weekend at Pop Montreal.

"But the moment I finished 'Soca' I was like, 'OK, now I have a better idea of what I want.' Making this EP wasn't easy because I was trying to follow a certain sound or idea. I wanted 'Run the Riddim' to fit with 'Soca Sound System' and they're not exactly the same style. But musically, the texture and the aesthetic do fit."
While the BPMs might not be as intense as they were on the last EP, 'Run the Riddim' still maintains that bass-rumbling feeling of being in a sweaty dancehall somewhere in Jamaica or Trinidad. Poirier definitely goes for authenticity not only in his production, but in his collaborations. This EP includes veteran Digital-Dancehall DJ Burro Banton, UK vocalist YT and longtime collaborators Face-T and MC Zulu.

"I do like the idea of having a couple of MCs that I can work with, as a producer," Poirier says. "Working with the MCs is always a challenge because we don't always have the same, let's say, riddim."

Poirier has been pushing the boundaries of Dancehall and Soca by bringing in a more electro feel to the productions, a style he calls "Karnival." The third EP in the series, 'Low Ceiling,' is already in production, with a slated release date for November. All three EPs will eventually be released as a full-length album, including a bonus CD with new vocal versions, riddims and remixes.

"By making the album in that Caribbean-Karnival-Electro style, the third EP is more like 4 instrumental tracks," Poirier says. "Some of them are more instrumental and some of them are more Caribbean style. So right now, I'm leaning slowly towards a more early-'90s techno style with some new [Caribbean] flavours in it."