POIRIER

Hailing from Montreal, Poirier is a producer who doesn't sit still for long. From his frenetic soca and hyped up dancehall styles to the rootsy reggae and often filmic sounds, during his 15+ year career he has covered a lot of bases. Previous releases on Ninja Tune and Mixpak have seen a wide array of fans come flocking to his sound.

Constantly evolving and shifting, "Migration" is an album that draws all of it together, moving from inspirations and genres, pulling them apart and putting them together again, fluidly building a sound all of his own and planting a flag in the musical map. Electronics meld with acoustic instrumentation, warm tropical sounds rub up against stark digital soundscapes, disparate sounds and styles flowing easily into each other with no boundaries. It is indeed no coincidence that the album is called "Migration" - a key issue at the moment, no matter what continent you're on.

As with any Poirier album, the guests make up as much of the sonic tapestry as anything else. We find legendary NYC dancehall chatter Red Fox make an appearance on the lively single "Jump" (supported hugely by David Rodigan and Toddla T). Versatile producer Machinedrum team up with Poirier with a deep electronic post-dancehall tune. Long-time collaborator Face-T turns up on "Positive Up"- a dubby dancehall rhythm and later on the 'future dancehall' stylings of earlier single "Why"and also "Likkle Money". Similarly, previous collaborator MC Zulu steps up once again to give his unmistakeable energy to "Keep It Rolling" and "Universal Peace" and Haitian vocalist Fwonte supplying the summer vibes on the konpa meets rocksteady styled "Pale Mal". To complete the line-up like minded musicians Dubmatix and Riddim Wise bring their flavours to the table, providing a truly international line up.

In Poirier's own words: "Corporations and governments often push individuals and communities over the edge with violent laws, untenable measures and continuous conflict. These entities restrict our movements and liberties to establish a type of chaos suitable for exploitation. It's time to break that stranglehold and to bring a new unity that is not motivated by making profit, but motivated by caring about people.

The title of this album stems from the reality of Migration—an issue that can't and shouldn’t be avoided in 2016. To be fair, migration has been a major issue for centuries and millennia. The world is constantly reconfiguring, people are moving from one place to another, always seeking for something better. Things change, times moves forward and music is a meeting point, a dialogue.

Ideas and music moves with people. Nothing is static. Through music, we can still hear the traces of what happened a few decades, centuries and millenniums ago. This album is made of many collaborations and each one has a different story, a different path, all seeking for a better place to live and share."