Back at the start of December 2024 we chanced across something
quite compelling whilst browsing through Bandcamp. In our weekly releases round up we described
the album ‘Relax’ by Québec-based
experimental electronic music artist Coppergear as “both hypnotic
and unsettling”. Comprising of tones and cycling phrases, generated from
highly processed guitar and drones expertly overlaid on top of each other in an
ever-increasing spiral, ‘Relax’ takes the listener through the
experience of sleep paralysis. That really
was something quite special, but set us wondering, who is Coppergear?
Self-taught and trained in classical music, Mathieu Lachance has been composing and releasing experimental, alternative, and electronic music since 1990. In early 2023, he created a new solo instrumental project that went under the name Coppergear. A mixture of industrial and ambient, the sounds he creates as Coppergear are intense, claustrophobic, and quite unique, all released through his own Steampunk Alien Record label, which also releases other like-minded artists. Take a listen to the track ‘Accident’ from the album ‘Intérieur’ as an example. There are occasional forays into live performance, but it is his prolific recorded output that is the most compelling. With 36 albums released over the last two years, all with distinctive sleeve artwork and titles like ‘The Urgency of Now’ and ‘The Gravity Gun’, there is a lot to take in. Almost orchestral in their scope, they paint vivid and slowly unfolding sound pictures. I did wonder also whether ‘Relax’ was based on personal experience of sleep paralysis, which sounds quite awful, being unable to speak or move when falling asleep or awakening, like being both asleep and awake at the same time?
Coppergear: “Sleep paralysis was the inspiration for the album ‘Relax’, but I don't suffer from it. One of my best friends does and she and I talked about it over a long evening. Eventually I decided to make an album inspired by it.”
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It certainly makes for a compelling and immersive experience,
as do his other releases, but what does he aim to achieve through Coppergear?
Coppergear: “Well I guess some recognition by my peers would
be nice. Of course, a little money would be even better! And I do concerts by
myself, so I want to continue doing that. I live in a housing cooperative
and I have a subsidized apartment, so I pay only what I can afford. If I could
make $30 a day with my music I would live fine. I am realistic, but I believe
crazier things have happened! I've been making music my entire life. Even though
I'm still not making a living from it, I don't want to do anything else. I mean,
I can't! Because I've tried!”
Therein lies the challenge faced by many modern musicians working outside of the mainstream. Whereas once you could build a dedicated and deep pocketed fan base by making industrial noises and being determinedly anti-art and anti-commercial, it is no longer the 80’s and there is plenty of competition out there now for the public’s fickle attention. That means that artists like Coppergear risk being overlooked or missed completely, whilst at the same time producing high quality and inventive music and art. Live, he hunches over his guitar, concentrating on wrangling unearthly sounds from the tangle of effect pedals at his feet. Again, hardly the good time rock and roll experience many audiences in search of a drink and a dance will appreciate, but something that will transport them away from the mundane day-to-day drudgery of their existence. Coppergear may well never make a living from his music, but he certainly deserves more.
You can play your part by checking out his website and Bandcamp sites below and investing a little time in exploring the world of Coppergear, strange and
other-worldly though it is. It’s an
investment that will certainly pay off.
Essential Information:
