Habitat Canada is an electronic feast for the ears from Montreal, Canada. Inspired visually by the concept of the noir movies of the 70s and 80s, and sonically by the dusty whaling groans of the infamous Prophet Synthesizer. Since his debut in 2021, Habitat Canada’s work has been well received by tastemakers all over the world and he continues to land on a broad range of playlists and online blogs, his music was featured in New York Post’s news docu-series and a Ford Motors commercial as well as other film projects.
Influenced by artists including Vangelis, Kavinsky and HERO, Habitat Canada continues to create his synthwave sound, exploring the realm of retro futurism in his upcoming EP, ‘Lunar Spectrum’.
Hi Habitat Canada and thanks for joining us. How are you? Whereabouts in the world are you right now?
Hey hey! I’m doing great, summer has finally made it here in Canada after another long winter, so can’t complain! I’m currently residing in Morin-Heights, Quebec which is 45 minutes outside of Montreal.
Your latest single ‘Fascination’ featuring Druzy recently released. How did that feel? What were the inspirations behind the track?
Big track, glad to have it out there in the world! Druzy and I have been working together from time to time over the last few years. We met last year in Los Angeles in real life for the first time. I was working on the EP at that moment, looking for some inspiration and what not! I had the instrumental going and Alexis, the Best manager, suggested sharing it with Druzy to see if they would consider dropping some vocals on the demo. The rest is history!
Your upcoming and first EP ‘Lunar Spectrum’ is due for release 16th June 2023 and is said to be a ‘retro-futuristic’ journey whilst paying whilst paying homage to some 70s and 80s horror and sci-fi movies’ soundtracks. Could you go into more detail about this?
I’ve always been a big fan of the 80’s aesthetic, I used to listen to Tears For Fears, Depeche Mode and The Cure growing up! I feel like the sound palette and style comes in waves, but I always feel attached to it. I’ve been collecting a few vintage synths and have been looking everywhere around the internet for the best drum machine samples. It really just inspires me to work with those instruments, songs have been coming in easily.
How is this upcoming release different from other singles you’ve put out in the past?
I feel like this project is a complete body of work, every song on the EP co-exist together. My other releases felt more scattered without having a proper theme around them.
How has it been collaborating with other artists on this project – Druzy and Rush Midnight?
Rush Midnight is an authentic artist, he’s got loads of experience and is full of vibrant ideas. We really clicked with the song, we exchanged ideas and came up pretty quick with the song.
Which musical artists do you mainly take your inspiration from?
There’s no specific artist, but I do enjoy French 79 quite a lot!
You hail from Montreal, Canada. How do you think your upbringing has shaped your musical journey?
Montreal had a huge influence on me, it’s a great place to live, a lot of great artists in different trades and many cultures in every part of the city. It’s also not the biggest city, people are a little more chill compared to Toronto or NY, but there’s a lot of character and strong identity amongst Montrealers. Winters are brutal but I would strongly suggest anyone to come visit Montreal during the summer.
What are your future plans? Any ideas post-EP?
At the moment I’m focused on the release of the EP, might head back in the studio for some more work! Watch this space…
Finally, anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for having me and to everyone playing my new tunes!
*****
Habitat Canada’s EP ‘Lunar Spectrum’ alongside focus track ‘La Muse Rouge’ out now via DRRT Records
