Interview with Disorientation

December 15, 2023

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Daniel Daris (guitars, bass) : When I was young in the early 80s, I was surrounded by music. My dad was playing guitar and had a big collection of cassettes and vinyls. I started listening to Elvis, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, the music he was into. For real, I have no idea what I would do if I was not into music today.

Marie-Claude Fleury (vocals, oboe, English horn, drum programming) : I think I was 7 years old when my brother wanted to give me cassettes as a gift. He asked me which singer I liked. I answered Madonna because at that time she was the only singer I knew. From that moment I wanted to listen to music all the time. During my teens, I moved on to heavier stuff and even today I like to discover new artists and styles. For me, putting an end to music creation and performance would make a big hole in my life.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Daniel : I like to watch movies and boxing.

Marie-Claude : Nowadays I don’t have a lot of time for things other than music. Aside from writing and recording with Disorientation, I am a member of the Growlers Choir, which has some ambient songs that don’t follow the traditional verse-chorus format, and sometimes I use that "freestyle" approach for Disorientation’s songwriting.

How long has your band been around?

Daniel : We share an interest in dissonant music and started recording ideas based on that. We had many song parts lying around, some even from early 2010, but it was in late 2019 that we got serious and started recording what would become our self-titled EP.

Marie-Claude : The first EP came out in September 2021. Obviously, there was the pandemic, and we had to structure our recording around the restrictions. The 2-year delay between our 1st and 2nd EP, which will come out on December 1st, is due to the other musical projects we are involved with.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

Daniel : I come from a small suburb on the south shore of Montreal named Saint-Hubert where there’s not much to do. Everything that came out, whether it was movies or music, I was absorbing it.

Marie-Claude : The band is based in Montreal, which has always been known as a top city for metal of all kinds. There are so many bands, venues and shows, it challenges you to create strong music and to forge your own identity as an artist.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Marie-Claude : When the idea of the name Disorientation came to my mind, I immediately liked it because there was an abstract quality in it, it’s not like you can guess right away which style of music we play or what the lyrics are about. And then I thought: who else would want to name their band Disorientation? That made it an obvious choice.  

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Dan : I did a show around 2003-2004 with an extreme metal band called Demental that was pretty intense in terms of energy from both the band and the crowd. It was in a town called Rouyn-Noranda, which is an 8-hour drive from Montreal. When it comes to shows that I have seen, the return of Suffocation in May 2004 in Montreal comes to mind.

Marie-Claude : This last spring I performed a contemporary song in a university concert hall. José-Gabriel from Montreal’s Insade studies composition and wrote a piece called "Maggot Colony", which requires both growling and singing. He asked me if I wanted to perform it for his end-of-year and I accepted it. It was interesting to sort of act the song because I needed to tell a story without actually using words, and in Disorientation, we don’t play any "characters" so it was very new for me. As a concert-goer, very recently I saw the return of Martyr at the Trois-Rivières Metalfest and it was amazing to see that they can still play those complex songs after all those years.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Daniel : Maybe The Rouyn Theatre, plus The National and Club Soda in Montreal, but I don’t have any preference when it comes to venues.

Marie-Claude : I have yet to play in a venue I really disliked.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Daniel : Gorguts, Jinjer, Dysrhythmia and Voivod

Marie-Claude : Madder Mortem, Show of Bedlam, Messa, Universe217

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Dan: I know that this will sound like a cliche, but here it is: trust the music that comes out of you. When I was younger I was trying to emulate other bass players, but I eventually learned to sound like myself. One more thing: you don’t necessarily need expensive gear. When choosing an instrument and an amp, go for the sound you need, whether the equipment is made by a well-known manufacturer or not.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Marie-Claude : Don’t feel inferior because you lack technical skills and you hear musicians that are better than you. Even if you think you have limitations you can create something interesting. Nowadays soundcards are pretty affordable, with them, you can record your ideas pretty easily and bring them in the direction that pleases you.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Dan : Nature. The opening riff feels like Morbid Angel, but with a dissonant twist.

Marie-Claude : Jaded. I got pretty experimental with the vocals. When you go far off the beaten path like that there’s always a feeling of uncertainty and danger, this adds to the overall creepy vibe of this specific song.

 Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Dan : We are looking forward to find out!

Marie-Claude : The next step for us as a band is to find musicians to complete our lineup and play our music live.

 What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Marie-Claude : We both come up with guitar riffs, and then I come up with the lyrics and song structures. When we have the impression that a song is complete, we start laying the foundations of guitars, bass, and drums. After that, I created the oboe and vocal arrangements. We record those in our own rehearsal space on a terribly outdated laptop and sound card. Like Dan said earlier, the type of equipment doesn’t really matter because it does the job we want.

 What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Marie-Claude : We talk about the many aspects of feeling unwell and not hiding from it. Observing the distress as it really is without any sugarcoating. Don’t try to run away from the pain, it will catch up with you.  

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Dan : It has happened, but it’s always only about small details.

Marie-Claude : Like when we did the lyric video, Dan did not like one specific layout that I had created, so we changed it in a way that kept the original vibe that I had in mind.

 What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Marie-Claude : We want to assemble a lineup to play shows and hopefully make our next release as a band rather than a project.

Daniel : We also want to start working on our next songs.

Video- Dissociation -

 

Reply

or to participate.