With his elegant and nostalgic touch, Montreal-based fydor has become one of the fastest-growing acts at the moment in the jazz house scene. His breakout track "calvera" has racked up over 7 million streams on Spotify, and he now pulls in nearly half a million monthly listeners there. His sound draws on a global palette, with influences and collaborators spanning Montreal, Lagos, and Bogotá.
His newest release, the EP intersection, dropped this summer and was celebrated with a live release party in Montreal timed to kick off the city's Jazz Fest - fitting, given how much his music sits right at the crossing point of jazz tradition and dancefloor energy that the EP's title nods to. Throughout this interview, the Stereofox team chat to fydor about his come up, the Jazz House scene, and so much more.
For listeners meeting you for the first time - who is fyodor behind the music? How did your
musical journey begin, and what inspires you today?
Everything inspires me, nature, my friends, my family, animals, movies, architecture. fyodor is a product of my environment. I always wanted to make something, I just didn’t know what, I tried tons of stuff, painting, jewelry, writing, singing, etc. Producing is the one that stuck with me, I'm never happier than when I'm in the process of making a track that I'm really enjoying.
How would you describe your sound to someone who's never heard your music before? And
how does the moniker name fyodor reflect your sonic aesthetic?
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It's a mix of all the things I love. Quebec music, jazz, house music (duh). It's like having a glass of wine on the beach followed by a gin tonic and dancing the night away. I’m a big fan of Russian literature, and Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of my favorite authors. I happened to be reading White Nights when I started this project, so I decided to name it “fyodor” after him. His work has always resonated with me and at the time it seemed like the right fit.
You grew up playing guitar, although how did you eventually find your way into jazz house, and
what was it about the genre that drew you in?
Aside from guitar ive also been producing for a few years. Jazz house seemed like a good way for me to blend my love of producing and acoustic instruments. A good friend of mine introduced me to the genre, and within a week I was already producing my first single, which just happened to be calvera.
With the Jazz House scene growing tremendously over the past few years, what practices do
you think are giving life to the scene, and what do you feel might be holding it back?
I think it's cool that jazz house artists are starting to play more and more live shows. To me this feels like the logical next step, our music is already played worldwide in cafes, bars, and lounges, so why not have the person who made it play it for you live. A lot of producers are finding success quickly which is awesome to see. I think guys like berlioz, Chaos in the CBD, dublon and Tour marbourg for exemple, I think they've really paved the way for newcomers like me and allowed us to quickly build an audience that is already familiar with this growing genre. None of us are re-inventing the wheel but I think everyone is bringing something unique and different and that's what is helping the genre grow.
There's a strong visual world around fyodor, from the cat to the graphic identity. How did that
become such an important part of the project?
When I first got the idea for a jazz house project, I knew I wanted a strong visual identity. I looked at the JH scene and it all seemed very homogenous to me, I wanted something that would immediately stick out to people. I called up a good friend of mine that does visual arts and asked him if he could help me come up with a few ideas for a sort of alias/alter ego to represent fyodor. Funny enough, the fyodor cat as we know it was the first concept he showed me. It wouldn't be fyodor without the music and the artwork; to me they are both equally important parts of the experience. I think it allows people to quickly connect with the music, its less intimidating, its fun and whimsical, and the cat is always changing too, just like the music. Fyodor is a fun journey for me and for everyone who wants to be a part of it!
After releasing a handful of singles, why did now feel like the right time for intersection as your
debut EP?
I don’t know if it was the right time, it's just what I wanted to do. Intersection is, like its title, just a passage for me, just the intersection between the old and the new. For me, this project is gonna stand alone in my discography. I wanted to use the EP as a way to experiment with new sounds, branch out for a bit, do stuff that might seem unconventional in what you usually hear from jazz house. It wont define my future but it will influence my sound. I learned a lot from it.
What was going on in your life and your creative journey while you were making the EP, and what would you say your inspirations were?
I was going through a lot of “intersections” physically and metaphorically. A breakup, school ending, new room mate. Very much a “growth” portion of my life and it felt like the right time to do something significant with my music. This EP was very much inspired by the music I was listening to at the time,, for instance, Daniel Bélanger, Trois accord, Cowboy Fringants, Louise Attaque, berlioz, Eddie Vedder. I live in Montreal and our winters are long, when summer finally comes it's like everyone comes back to life, that was around the same time I started the EP and I tried to imbue that feeling of rebirth that I felt into it.
One of the things that stood out to me about intersection was how organic it feels. Why did you choоse to have every instrument performed live rather than programmed?
Because its much more fun! This EP was a group effort by many talented musicians and it was a blast to make. I very much insist on getting everything as real and organic as possible. In a world where AI music is becoming indiscernible for the average listener, I like to think I'm doing my part in bringing something real.
What does the recording process look like when you're working with live musicians? Is there a lot of improvisation and spontaneity in the room, or do you have everything mapped out before you start recording?
Secrets of the trade… ;)..Kidding. It's mostly improvisation, although for this project we had a few ideas already worked out before we got in the studio, a lot can change during the recording process though.
The EP features an incredible cast of musicians, including Robin Phillips of berlioz. How did these collaborations come together, and what did each musician bring to the project?
I met Robin a year ago now, I actually found him on the back of the berlioz vinyl (thanks man) and I figured I'd shoot him a message since the tracks he's done for Berlioz are some of my favorites. Since then Robin has become a great friend and collaborator, he's helped me source a lot of the musicians we work with.
Do you have a favourite track or moment on the EP, or perhaps a track that challenged or surprised you the most while making it?
Easy going is my favorite. It's not even a house song per say, but that's why I like it. I felt it was a risk to include it but im pleasantly surprised to learn that it's sort of becoming the fan favorite of the EP. It’s encouraging me to make more tracks similar to it.
When someone listens to intersection from beginning to end, what do you hope they're left feeling?
Fun! Its a fun project, thats all it is to me, and thats what I want people to get out of it. I want it to be a light hearted project that people can just put on and have a good time jamming to.
Finally, looking back, are there any albums you'd point to as pivotal for you - records that changed how you understand music, either as a listener or a creator?
Alt-J - An awesome wave
Daniel Bélanger - Rever mieux
Moby - Play
Freddie Gibs, The Alchemist - Alfredo
St-Germain - Tourist
And obviously, anything by berlioz…
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