Annie-Claude Deschenes, a mainstay in Montreal’s independent music scene, has come out with a new single “Main de Fer,” a reflection on urban isolation with an infectious beat.
Deschenes’ over twenty-year music career has spanned genres, from the synth-punk Duchess Says, who formed in 2003, to psychedelic garage group PyPy. She has recently charted a solo path with the release of her album MANIERES DE TABLE in April 2024, a largely electronic album that reflects her multidisciplinary background. MANIERES DE TABLE takes the classic synth and stretches its capabilities in directions ranging from dark-wave to dance-pop.
“Main de Fer” (which roughly translates from French to “Iron Fist”) opens with the exacting rhythm of a factory assembly line, clanking and reverberating with building anticipation. The steady beat never relents, but is skillfully layered behind an extremely danceable electroclash melody. A voice, commanding yet siren-like, repeats mantras: “Visual fields tell lies/I see you’re blind in your mind/Distant fear/Minimal threat.”
Under the strict and watchful eye of the beat, “Main de Fer” is the perfect tune for partying in a dystopia. As Montreal nightlife comes under threat from a recently proposed bylaw that would place extremely heavy fines on venues for noise complaints, continuing to party against the odds carries a whole new meaning. The unforgiving hand of the government steadily stamps as the omnipresent kick drum on “Main de Fer,” while an electric soundscape continues to shift and move in spite of it.
Deschenes has several remixes of the track slated for release in September, and one remix already out by Irish producer and DJ Shit Robot of premier experimental/electronic label DFA Records. ShitRobot’s remix chops up the slow, unsettling anticipation of the original into a more winding techno beat.
The other two anticipated remixes are by two Montreal-based DJs, RocMan (half of electronic group Pelada, now pursuing a solo direction) and YukiB (also member of indie-rock troupe Jesuslesfilles and no-wave Yocto). RocMan’s version amps up the tempo and incorporates some classic House music elements, delivering a bubblier but still bracing version of the song’s dystopian atmosphere. And YukiB gives the techno track a remix reminiscent of SOPHIE’s playful flourishes combined while amplifying the threatening yet club-ready sound of the original. The remixes are set to be released on September 3 and 16 respectively. Deschene has thoughtfully tapped each producer, and each one delivered an iteration of techno greatness.
Annie begins her European tour in October, but not without a performance at Rialto Theatre in Montreal.
Milena Pappalardo is a writer and artist based in Montreal and Toronto. She completed her Hon. Bachelor in Political Science at the University of Toronto. She loves to write about the political and psychoanalytic undercurrents of fashion, art and culture.