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Feature Artist: Grimes

10 February 2012 | 9:00 am | Tom Hutchins

Relatively unknown here, back home GRIMES is noted as one of the most prominent figures within the city’s illegal DIY loft music culture.

To begin, we’ll just start with some basic definitions. We don’t want you to get confused. Grime: dirt, grease, soot, etc. that is ingrained and difficult to remove. GRIMES: the alias of the amazingly talented Canadian, Claire Boucher.

GRIMES - aka, Claire Boucher – fuses contemporary instrumentation with classical vocal practices from around the world. The outcome: incredibly interesting and complex electronic beats with underlying tones of R&B and soul.

Boucher may be relatively unknown within the Southern Hemisphere, but back at home in Montreal she is noted as one of the most prominent figures within the city’s illegal DIY loft music culture. Her experience as a performer surrounded Lab Synthèse – a 4600sq ft re-appropriated textile factory, where Grimes first brought together her love of visual and aural arts together; something that is now contextualised into her live performances.

2012 brings us to the biggest point in Grimes career so far, the release of her much awaited fourth album, Visions. The album which will be Boucher’s first through the London label 4AD (home to Ariel Pink, Twin Shadow and the like), and is shaping up to be based around atmospheric pop rather than R&B. It lists a number of eclectic influences, as wide as Enya, TLC and Aphex Twin and pays homage to the New Age, K-pop, Industrial and Glitch genres.

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On first listen, it sounds like the album is going to be a dark and haunting affair, especially if the lead single, ‘Genesis’ is anything to go by. It demonstrates that this lady not only has immeasurable talent as a singer, but also as a producer. The track journeys through layers of synth and bass and is matched with the angelic and echoic vocals of Boucher.

In short, she’s rad.

The new album, Visions, is due out March 12 via 4AD. But to get you warmed up, you can listen to and download the lead single, 'Genesis', below.

Words by Tom Hutchins.