Totalement Sublime

Totalement Sublime, made up of Marc-Antoine Barbier (Choses Sauvages) and Élie Raymond (Foreign Diplomats), was born of a desire by the two musicians to create by giving themselves carte blanche. They create music that's as introspective as it is danceable and open, with touches of world music, particularly 80s Japanese (Yasuaki Shimizu, Ryuichi Sakamoto), blending Marc-Antoine's more rhythmic, funky reflexes with Élie's more abrasive, lo-fi ones. The Francophone project paints contemplative environments, dealing with subjects such as fatigue, heat and nostalgia. Without getting into big, profound lyrics, they try to use simple language that illustrates many of life's images: an afternoon by the river, a moonlit summer night, a warm August rain, birds (and people) heading south to escape the approaching winter cold... Totally Sublime was born of a love of music, a desire to produce without stress or expectations, and friendship. It's also the name of a "rich greige" color from the Bétonel company. Their homonymous debut full-length, released in September 2020, is warmly received by critics and audiences alike, being nominated at the 2021 ADISQ Gala in the Electronic Album of the Year category. Totalement Sublime opens for Montreal band Choses Sauvages and performs at festivals such as M pour Montréal and MUTEK. The duo is back again in autumn 2022 with a four-song micro-album even more exhilarating than its debut effort. Entitled ☼, this second release is an ode to electronic pop, experimental music and the exploration of this inventive fusion.