I like the idea of keeping the soul of my childhood when it comes to making music,” writes Cédric Marszewski. “If you don‘t keep your child‘s mind, then you‘re already dead!”

Paris-based DJ and producer Marszewski, a.k.a. Pilooski, is sharing ideas with me by email. I’m not surprised by that comment; after all, Pilooski has risen through the underground ranks by crafting creative and fun re-edits of singalong tunes by artists like Elvis Presley, The Pointer Sisters and Frankie Valli, whose “Beggin’” was lightly yet precisely altered into the crowd-pleasing party jam currently featured in Adidas’ celebrity-studded TV commercial.

Marszewski’s childlike spirit is paired with the musical knowledge of an old soul. His interests seem endless (“To me, music is more a question of mood than genres”), but the artists he namechecks are telling. He says he’s been listening to the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone steadily from early childhood and also mentions film score composer François de Roubaix as well as György Ligeti (whose work was made famous in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space
Odyssey and The Shining).

Significantly, Marszewski also cites an eclectic array of heroes who turned him onto the art of re-edits: Lee Perry, Ron Hardy, Arthur Russell (“for the freedom”), and late Quebecois composer Bernard Bonnier were Marszewski’s early influences. British cult/rave idol DJ Harvey also made a big impact on him, “for [Harvey’s] fucked-up and raw approach. It has to be raw!”

For examples of just how wide an interest Marszewski has in sounds — and just how creative he can be at altering them — one must work to track down the Dirty Edits EPs, a series of limited-edition discs he’s crafted for Parisian label Dirty. Ten EPs and two compilation CDs in, the list of source material is impressive and deeply original, with bands who Pilooski re-edited including garage rockers The Human Beinz, ’70s icons Cat Stevens and Alan Parsons, space-cases Can, funkster Edwin Starr and ’60s rock pin-up Del Shannon.

“I like creativity and depth in music, whether it’s a mainstream song or an experimental piece,” explains Marszewski. “It’s actually very tricky because I like pop melodies as much as experimentation. I love the ’60s for the pop format, whether it’s soul or rock. I like two-minute-and-30-second songs; you don’t need more than that when it’s good. I also love the early age of drum-machines and synths.

“Basically, I’m always going to [be interested in] people with ideas because I’m very curious. Rhythms in the African sense of the word have always interested me too. The trance you can find in African music in general is the same one you’d find in the music of Can or Anthony Shakir. It’s all about the right mix between soul and psychedelic.”

Marszewski and his Dirty Sound System co-horts Guillaume Sorge and Clovis Goux let their psychedelic freak flags fly with the recent release of compilation CD Dirty French Psychedelics, but, as an artist, Pilooski is just as involved in the trippier end of contemporary club music. He’s an in-demand remixer — his stellar takes on tunes by Stateless and Mystery Jets have led to recent work remixing LCD Soundsystem and Jarvis Cocker — and Marszewski is now producing for other artists, including synth-pop vocalist Aikiu.

Most of all, he’s immersed in completing the first Discodeine album — a project of Pilooski and Benjamin Morando a.k.a. Pentile, Discodeine have, to date, released three EPs of futuristic, fuzzed out disco-tech on Dirty and have turned out remixes for Whomadewho, Metronomy and Photonz. In describing Discodeine’s forthcoming album, Marszewski has a bit of fun.

“We call it Sauna music,” he writes. “It’ll be a mix of Lebanese pop and harpsichord techno, with loads of low, fat basslines, semi-skimmed strings and high-heel harmonies.”

MUTEK_10
Before Pilooski makes his Toronto debut, he’ll head to Montreal to DJ May 27 as part of the 10th annual Mutek Festival, which happens May 27 to 31.

For those who aren’t familiar, Mutek is a brilliantly programmed, internationally significant festival of electronic music and multimedia arts. It features a host of innovative artists from across the country and the globe, ranging from experimental to straight-up ass-shaking. And with shows happening at a variety of indoor and outdoor venues across Montreal, what’s not to love?

Some of my personal picks for Mutek_10 include performances by artists including Jaki Liebezeit and Burnt Friedman, Deadbeat and Moderat, Martin Tétreault et Son Quatuor De Tournes-Disques, ‘Bounce Le Monde’ with Jahcoozi, Ghislain Poirier and Nortec’s Bostich & Fussible, the (almost) all-Canadian bill of Matt Thibideau, Adam Marshall, Ernesto Ferreyra and Mike Shannon as well as Ricardo Villalobos’ appearance at Sunday’s Mutek Piknic.
For complete Festival info, check www.mutek.org.

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