Champion (musician)
Encyclopedia
Maxime Morin is a multi-instrumentalist
, better known for his work in electronic music
under the moniker DJ Champion or simply Champion. Morin is based in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
.
and metal
bands, but by the age of 25 he found himself moving away from metal and gravitating towards techno
. The transition was a gradual one: "Totally, I was like 'Dance music is crap!' So it was actually a big liberation, to lose my fear of dance music,” said Morin in a 2004 interview. Morin’s girlfriend at the time took him to a warehouse show and soon he began to attend techno Sundays at Les Foufounes Électriques
, a Montreal nightclub better known in the 1980s and 90s for booking punk and alternative rock
acts. By 1994 Morin began producing his own dance music and was performing around the Montreal club scene under the names Le Max and Mad Max. By about age 27 he stopped playing guitar altogether.
In the late 1990s, Québécois
composer
Benoît Charest
attended a Mad Max performance; after the show Charest approached Morin with a business proposal; the two men went on to become co-owners of Ben & Max Studios—a company specializing in jingles and soundtrack
s. Ben & Max Studios became quite successful, however in 2001 Morin sold his share in the company back to Charest in order to continue his own personal musical career. Even after leaving their business partnership, Morin remained in close contact with Charest who was working on the score for the 2003 animated film, Les Triplettes de Belleville
. Morin would go on to perform the bass and percussion on the song "Belleville Rendez-vous
" and he also performed the song live, along with Charest and vocalist Béatrice (Betty) Bonifassi
, at the 76th Academy Awards
ceremony—Morin played percussion on a bicycle during the live performance. One of the main protagonists in Les Triplettes de Belleville is an aspiring cyclist who happens to be named Champion; Morin has stated that he was already performing under that name before the film was even created.
The DJ Champion sound was formed by experimenting with the software music sequencer Ableton Live
, which is specially designed for live DJ-ing and arranging sounds. He would then layer the digitally produced beats and sounds with guitar loops. During live performances he and his live band would tour as "Champion et ses G Strings" ("Champion and his G Strings"). His live act often consists of four guitarists, one bassist, a vocalist, and Morin working at his laptop and conducting the band. On occasion Morin has also played live drums.
. The album included the hit single "No Heaven" — a soulful and bluesy song set against heavy dance beats and noisy guitar riffs. Inspired by Negro Songs of Protest recorded by music collector Lawrence Gellert
, Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi
(with whom Morin had previously collaborated on the Les Triplettes de Belleville soundtrack) sings a plaintive tune reminiscent of the work songs sung by the chain-gangs of the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries."I heard Betty singing those blues songs, and she was the girl for that job," said Morin. The single "No Heaven" was used in both a trailer and the ending credits of Gearbox Software's
2009 video game Borderlands
, and is used in the opening credits of the television series The Line and the ending credits of the game Army of Two
.
Chill'em All won an ADISQ
Félix Award
in 2005 for "Album of the Year" in the electronic/techno category and was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the 2006 Juno Award
s. The single "No Heaven" was nominated at the 2006 CASBY Award
s in the category "Favorite New Song" and won the SOCAN prize for Dance Music in 2007. DJ Champion's indie debut went on to sell over 100,000 copies across Canada.
and Patrick Watson
. The Remix Album garnered Morin another ADISQ Félix Award for "Show of the Year" and it was also nominated for Dance Recording of the Year
at the 2007 Juno Awards. In 2008 the Morin and Bonifassi worked together again on a version of 1957 Screamin' Jay Hawkins
hit "I Put a Spell on You
" to be used as the theme song of the Québécois film Truffe; the film is set for release in January 2009.
project, Beast.
Resistance was released on September 15, 2009. The first single from the album is titled "Alive Again".
. On January 27, 2011, DJ Champion posted an announcement on his website stating "I ain't sick anymore"http://www.djchampion.net/landing/view/706 and on April 13 another post on his website stated that he would be "gradually resume performing in the coming weeks".http://www.djchampion.net/landing/view/753
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, better known for his work in electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
under the moniker DJ Champion or simply Champion. Morin is based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Early music career
Maxime Morin began playing guitar at age 13, playing mostly heavy metal music. He went on to play in a few punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands, but by the age of 25 he found himself moving away from metal and gravitating towards techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. The transition was a gradual one: "Totally, I was like 'Dance music is crap!' So it was actually a big liberation, to lose my fear of dance music,” said Morin in a 2004 interview. Morin’s girlfriend at the time took him to a warehouse show and soon he began to attend techno Sundays at Les Foufounes Électriques
Les Foufounes Électriques
Les Foufounes Électriques is a concert venue located at 87 Saint Catherine Street East in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada in a neighbourhood known as the Quartier Latin . It is a multi-level establishment with 3 dance floors...
, a Montreal nightclub better known in the 1980s and 90s for booking punk and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
acts. By 1994 Morin began producing his own dance music and was performing around the Montreal club scene under the names Le Max and Mad Max. By about age 27 he stopped playing guitar altogether.
In the late 1990s, Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Benoît Charest
Benoît Charest
Benoît Charest is a Canadian guitarist and film score composer from Quebec. He is best known for the soundtrack of the animated film Les Triplettes de Belleville , for which he won a César Award for Best Music Written for a Film as well as a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music...
attended a Mad Max performance; after the show Charest approached Morin with a business proposal; the two men went on to become co-owners of Ben & Max Studios—a company specializing in jingles and soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s. Ben & Max Studios became quite successful, however in 2001 Morin sold his share in the company back to Charest in order to continue his own personal musical career. Even after leaving their business partnership, Morin remained in close contact with Charest who was working on the score for the 2003 animated film, Les Triplettes de Belleville
Les Triplettes de Belleville
The Triplets of Belleville is a 2003 animated comedy film written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. It was released as Belleville Rendez-vous in the United Kingdom...
. Morin would go on to perform the bass and percussion on the song "Belleville Rendez-vous
Belleville Rendez-vous
"Belleville Rendez-vous" is a song from the animated film Les Triplettes de Belleville , with music by Benoît Charest and lyrics by Sylvain Chomet. The song was performed "in character" in the film by Béatrice Bonifassi. The soundtrack album includes two versions of the song, one in French and...
" and he also performed the song live, along with Charest and vocalist Béatrice (Betty) Bonifassi
Béatrice Bonifassi
Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi is a French-born vocalist based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has a deep, contralto singing voice, sometimes referred to as "masculine", which has been compared to that of Shirley Bassey. Bonifassi has performed music of many styles in both English and...
, at the 76th Academy Awards
76th Academy Awards
The 76th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films of 2003 and was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST, February 29, 2004 . The show was produced by Joe Roth and was hosted for the eighth time by comedian Billy Crystal.The...
ceremony—Morin played percussion on a bicycle during the live performance. One of the main protagonists in Les Triplettes de Belleville is an aspiring cyclist who happens to be named Champion; Morin has stated that he was already performing under that name before the film was even created.
Work as DJ Champion
By 2001 Morin had become frustrated with commercial music work. As part owner of Ben & Max Studios he was making quite a good living producing music for advertising and film, but he also felt “empty.” He decided to leave that world to focus on more personal music. He decided to move in a musical direction where he could combine “the two things that made [him] feel good: Live electronics and guitars...” He also chose to change his performance name from Mad Max to DJ Champion as a way to poke fun at the growing dance music scene and the resulting outbreak of DJs: "Everybody wanted to be a DJ and wanted to know 'Who's the best DJ?' I was like, 'I don't give a damn about all that crap now. I'm DJ Champion.”The DJ Champion sound was formed by experimenting with the software music sequencer Ableton Live
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a loop-based software music sequencer and DAW for Mac OS and Windows by Ableton. The latest major release of Live, Version 8, was released in April 2009. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for...
, which is specially designed for live DJ-ing and arranging sounds. He would then layer the digitally produced beats and sounds with guitar loops. During live performances he and his live band would tour as "Champion et ses G Strings" ("Champion and his G Strings"). His live act often consists of four guitarists, one bassist, a vocalist, and Morin working at his laptop and conducting the band. On occasion Morin has also played live drums.
Chill'em All
2005 saw the release of DJ Champion’s debut album, Chill'em AllChill'em All
Chill'em All is the debut album by Canadian electronic musician Champion, released in 2004 on Saboteur Records.A 32-second cut of "No Heaven" serves as the opening theme for the 2009 Canadian TV series The Line. "No Heaven" was also used in a trailer for the First-person shooter/Role-playing game...
. The album included the hit single "No Heaven" — a soulful and bluesy song set against heavy dance beats and noisy guitar riffs. Inspired by Negro Songs of Protest recorded by music collector Lawrence Gellert
Lawrence Gellert
Lawrence Gellert, born September 14, 1898 in Budapest, Hungary, died 1979 , was a music collector who in the 1920s and 1930s documented black protest traditions in the South of the United States...
, Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi
Béatrice Bonifassi
Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi is a French-born vocalist based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has a deep, contralto singing voice, sometimes referred to as "masculine", which has been compared to that of Shirley Bassey. Bonifassi has performed music of many styles in both English and...
(with whom Morin had previously collaborated on the Les Triplettes de Belleville soundtrack) sings a plaintive tune reminiscent of the work songs sung by the chain-gangs of the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries."I heard Betty singing those blues songs, and she was the girl for that job," said Morin. The single "No Heaven" was used in both a trailer and the ending credits of Gearbox Software's
Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software, LLC is an American video game development company based in Plano, Texas.-History:Gearbox Software was founded in January 1999 by five members of the content team from the defunct developer Rebel Boat Rocker: Randy Pitchford, Brian Martel, Stephen Bahl, Landon Montgomery, and Rob...
2009 video game Borderlands
Borderlands (video game)
Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
, and is used in the opening credits of the television series The Line and the ending credits of the game Army of Two
Army of Two
Army of Two is a third person shooter video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on March 4, 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game is centered upon two mercenaries fighting through war, political turmoil, and a conspiracy from 1993 to 2009...
.
Chill'em All won an ADISQ
ADISQ
The ADISQ is a nonprofit organization with the mission to help the music industry in Quebec. It was created in 1978....
Félix Award
Félix Award
The Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois...
in 2005 for "Album of the Year" in the electronic/techno category and was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the 2006 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s. The single "No Heaven" was nominated at the 2006 CASBY Award
CASBY Award
The CASBY Award is a Canadian award for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. The name CASBY stands for Canadian Artists Selected By You....
s in the category "Favorite New Song" and won the SOCAN prize for Dance Music in 2007. DJ Champion's indie debut went on to sell over 100,000 copies across Canada.
Musical projects from 2006 to 2008
In 2006, Morin released The Remix Album, an album featuring remixes of tracks from "Chill'em All" by such guest musicians as AkufenAkufen
Marc Leclair, better known by his stage name Akufen, is a Canadian electronic musician. His music is electronic music that is often described as minimal house, minimal techno, glitch, or microhouse....
and Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson (musician)
Patrick Watson is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and the name of the band which he fronts, whose blend of cabaret pop and classical music influences with indie rock has been compared to Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Pink Floyd for their experimental musicianship.-...
. The Remix Album garnered Morin another ADISQ Félix Award for "Show of the Year" and it was also nominated for Dance Recording of the Year
Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year
The Juno Award for "Dance Recording of the Year" has been awarded since 1990, as recognition each year for the best dance music album in Canada.-Best Dance Recording :*1990 – Kon Kan, "I Beg Your Pardon "...
at the 2007 Juno Awards. In 2008 the Morin and Bonifassi worked together again on a version of 1957 Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
hit "I Put a Spell on You
I Put a Spell on You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'...
" to be used as the theme song of the Québécois film Truffe; the film is set for release in January 2009.
Resistance
In the winter of 2008, after a long spate of touring and performing, Morin felt that his newer material was starting to sound too similar to the songs of Chill'em All and he decided to delete an entire studio recording in order to start fresh. Morin withdrew himself from the musical scene and began experimenting. He also recruited Pilou Côté, a young musician from the Montreal music scene, to provide vocals, replacing Betty Bonifassi who had since moved on to her own electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
project, Beast.
Resistance was released on September 15, 2009. The first single from the album is titled "Alive Again".
Illness and recovery
On May 18, 2010 it was announced on DJ Champion's official website that all confirmed concert dates up until July 3, 2010 were cancelled. It was explained that Morin was "facing a health matter" which required him to "stop all activities in order to regain his strength." As of June 7, an updated statement was added to his official website confirming that he would be postponing all performances indefinitely. On July 4, 2010 DJ Champion's management company, Bonsound, officially announced to the press that Morin was suffering from lymphomaLymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. On January 27, 2011, DJ Champion posted an announcement on his website stating "I ain't sick anymore"http://www.djchampion.net/landing/view/706 and on April 13 another post on his website stated that he would be "gradually resume performing in the coming weeks".http://www.djchampion.net/landing/view/753
G Strings
DJ Champion tours with a live back-up band normally composed of four guitarists, one bassist and a vocalist. Together they tour as "Champion et ses G Strings" ("Champion and his G Strings").Current members
- Maxime Morin — DJ, conductor
- Barry Russell — Guitar
- Sébastien Blais-Montpetit — Guitar
- Pierre-Philippe (Pilou) Côté — Vocals
- Stéphane Leclerc — Guitar
- Jean-Luc Huet — Guitar
- Louis Lalancette — Bass
Past members
- Betty Bonifassi — Vocals
- Manon Chaput — Bass
- Blanche Baillargeon — Bass
- Marie-Christine Depestre — vocals
Discography
- Chill'em AllChill'em AllChill'em All is the debut album by Canadian electronic musician Champion, released in 2004 on Saboteur Records.A 32-second cut of "No Heaven" serves as the opening theme for the 2009 Canadian TV series The Line. "No Heaven" was also used in a trailer for the First-person shooter/Role-playing game...
(2005) - The Remix AlbumThe Remix Album (Champion album)The Remix Album is an album by Champion, released in 2006 on Saboteur Records. The album collects remixes by various Canadian musicians of tracks from Champion's 2004 debut album Chill'em All....
(2006) - LiveLive (Champion album)Live is a live recording by Champion et ses G-Strings , released in 2007 on Saboteur Records. The package contains two discs, one in CD format and one in NTSC DVD format with no region coding...
(2007) - Resistance (2009)
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | ||
| CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... Alt. |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 2007 | "No Heaven" | 30 | - | Chill'em All | |
| 2008 | "I Put A Spell On You" | 96 | - | The Remix Album | |
| 2009 | "Alive Again" | - | 13 | - | Resistance |
| 2010 | "Perfect In Between" | - | 18 | - |