Beast Emerge From The Champion Camp

04/09/08 2:00pm

by Erik Leijon (CHARTattack)

MONTREAL — DJ Champion vocalist Betty Bonifassi has a new musical project that could scare the beejezus out of those expecting her to belt out Shirley Bassey-esque vocals over a danceable explosion of guitars. Bonifassi and fellow French ex-pat, producer and Plaster drummer Jean-Phi Goncalves have formed Beast, an experimental hip-hop project filled with trip-hop-style down-tempo electronica, aggressive guitars and loud drum beats.

"The sound that originally came out was very raw and dark, so we decided to follow that vibe," says Bonifassi, who first began collaborating with Goncalves on a project for video game company Ubisoft. "The angry vibe, the mean vibe, it's new to both of us.

"The angry message is about letting the beast out that's inside, because in society you're not allowed to be emotive or sensitive. The feelings of the moment when we were writing were mostly sadness and anger."

Originally known for her work on the Academy Award-winning soundtrack to The Triplets Of Belleville with now ex-husband Benoit Charest, Bonifassi has mostly eschewed her typically soulful vocals for a lot of rapping. It's a difficult proposition given that French is her native tongue and the album is entirely in English. The lyrics are also extremely personal, as they deal with the effects of a break-up. The hip-hop fan had experience rapping at home and during jam sessions with friends, but was unsure she could make a 10-track predominantly rap album.

"It was really by luck," she says. "I didn't plan for it to be a rap album, but Jean-Phi liked what I was doing and we pushed each other to see it through."

Although Beast only made their first live performance at the MIMI (Montreal International Music Initiative) Awards after-party last month, both Bonifassi and Goncalves have been working on the record since late 2006. It's now in the final stages. Bonifassi had help anglicizing her metaphor-heavy lyrics from Toronto singer/songwriter Simon Wilcox, who Bonifassi considers the group's third member. On stage, Bonifassi (vocals) and Goncalves (drums, samples) perform with fellow Champion member Manon Chaput (bass) and Serge Pelletier (guitar).

Beast plan is to release their debut record in September. They'll possibly play a few summer concerts, including a Montreal International Jazz Festival show. Beast also intend to release a single beforehand, which will hopefully acclimate Champion and Triplets fans to Bonifassi's radical creative departure.

"I made the record with all my heart," she says. "It's my story.

"It's a strong message about myself that I hope people will listen to. An artist's relationship with their fans is like a marriage — it's important to work hard and always keep surprising them. That's how you keep the flame going."

Beast will perform a rare show on Thursday at Montreal's Le Gymnase.