There's an abundance of producers turning to house music these days, especially here in London. So, in order to stand out from the pack, you need an image, an aesthetic and an acute production technique that'll attract the attention of the scene's finest players. Meet Forrest, whose soft yet sharp, sexy and densely emotional house sounds, across labels such as Visionquest, Noir & Souvenir, are well worth checking out. A fan of a live set, Forrest combines his own vocals as an instrument, lending an emotional and accessible feel to his rhythms and grooves, something that he'll be doing this Saturday as he plays at the Motek Roof Party in Brixton on Saturday 10th August, alongside another live set from Mexican-house rascal Bastard Love, we caught up with this exciting and emerging producer to chat about his insanely fast rise, his usage of live vocals in his set and the emerging element of performance in electronic music. Be sure to check out this exclusive stream, featuring Forrest's 'One Night Stand Remake' of 'We Found Love'. Nice.
Forrest, you're rapidly rising in house circles... how would you describe your unique house sound? Yes, it all came pretty quickly. I started Forrest as a solo Indie rock project and deviated to House & Techno whilst living in Berlin 2 years ago. I then started recording vocals for the tracks I was working on back then and from there, well… here I am today talking to Pulse about the whole evolution haha. About a year ago, when I got back to Montreal after living in Berlin for 8 months, I knew I had to reach out on the technical side of production. I then went straight to my ex sound-engineering teacher Jonathan Doyon and from there we created the sound you here today, the Forrest sound. I think also you can find a big part of the identity through the Mixes. Let me put it this way, a mix for me is inspirational, a DJ set is a direct interaction with the public and a production is what unifies the vision and the passion that holds everything together.
You have a focus on vocals and you'll be singing live when you play at Motek... do you find this to be a nerve-wracking experience? And what's your technical set up? Well, the performing part of doing live vocal doesn’t really stress me per say, it’s more the sound set-up. Every club sounds different and to be honest at the very beginning of the “live vocals” era, I encountered some pretty unlikely sound problems. A club is not the most ideal place to do vocals, it’s not like a traditional performance stage where of course everything is organized around the live performance. Anyhow, I managed to organize myself around it because the signing is a big part of my identity.
It's interesting to see that you're mixing elements of performance with DJing - would you say that DJ culture is no longer faceless, and that people are looking for more in their experience of 'live' music or clubbing? It is a delicate question. For the bigger acts, definitely. I don’t think the majority of the public expect to have a live performance going, but most of them are now well established public figures that’s for sure. I always enjoy a strong stage personality when I go see someone play. I also respect artists that base their performance on their musical taste. I’m very open minded and I know everyone has different opinions on the subject. One thing’s for sure, whatever is it your doing, be it Traktor, live set or CDJ’s, make it good because that’s the only thing that really matters at the end of the night (or morning).
You're also going to be playing alongside Bastard Love who also focuses on vocals too... The Mexican scene seems to be a highly rich landscape for electronic music... What I love about this Electronic Music Mexican scene is that they are very easy going, which I profoundly respect. I think it’s an honorable thing to accept things the way they are and not rely only to what I would refer to the “Purist standards of House & Techno’. Music, when it comes to Dj’ing precisely, is a question of ambiance and interaction. If you’re in a cool open air club right next to the sea, I personally like to play more easy going stuff that will set the mood right. I think that’s what traveling taught me, my vision is now much more broad which in the end makes everything more exciting and interesting on a wider level.
You've had previous collaborations with people such as Avatism and Eric Volta - what is the best thing about collaborating with people? Are you open minded in yoru approach to studio work? Eric Volta & Avatism would be the more artistic collaborators I have had the chance to work with so far. Avatism is one of the reason I decided to create Forrest. When I was in Berlin 2 summers ago I was actively following all that he was doing and it greatly inspired me to try and reach such a personal artistic path. With the vocals I feel it’s the best and almost most unique way I can be working with such experienced and authentic artists. The second song I ever made with Eric Volta was a Live Session, all the vocals were made in one take as he was working his renowned hardware skills. Pretty much all my collaboration except this jam were made ‘long-distance’. I mostly like to be alone when I write and record, I feel more comfortable trying stuff, I’m a big fan of the good old ‘trial & error’ process.
You've got a stack of release penned/already released for labels such as Visonquest, Souvenir and Noir - that's pretty good going so far. Did you have these labels in mind when thinking of releasing? If not, how did these hook ups come about? The Visionquest is an Eric Volta collaboration, I recorded the vocals last summer after I quickly met him at a party in London. Apparently Lee Curtiss is currently working on a remix which is nothing short of an absolute honor. Mobilee, Souvenir and Noir are out, check them out on my Soundcloud or Beatport. I have plenty more coming in the next months, I think it’s important for an artist to not over release. I want people to be able to follow, I think it’s more enjoyable for everyone that way.
.png)