He has a stage name that makes you smile, but often dark texts that touch and stir: Le Grand Slack drew on his improvisations and his more accomplished works of slammer to compose Film noir, a rich first album that leaves no one indifferent. .

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It was the slam scene that allowed the Grand Slack to enter the artistic world. A very democratic scene, he says, dotted with improvised evenings to which everyone can register. It was by reading a few poems at some of these evenings – and realizing that people liked it – that he quietly became a slammer.

"It tumbled with slams and invitations everywhere," says the 39-year-old artist whose real name is David Leduc. This scene is a good springboard. I met musicians, I made contacts. I met David Goudreault there before his ascent. It is an artistic incubator. »

Back to school

In 2015, the slammer from Laval released a single called Cassé. He also started offering workshops in schools, which made him want to go back to school, he who had dropped out in secondary 4.

He wanted to finish high school at 32, then wanted to push the slam adventure further. It must be said that reading and writing have been part of his life since he was a child.

“I became interested in literature and writing very young, says the artist. My mother often took me to the library when I was young. I was reading Stephen King when I was 10. I was writing for myself, until I came across an article about Slam parties. »

Reassuring alter ego

Held back for two years by the pandemic, the making of its first album is intended to be the culmination and compilation of what Le Grand Slack has been doing for fifteen years. Film noir is composed of old and new texts, and is in fact a nod to the cinematography genre of the 1940s and 1950s.

“When the antihero is sucked into a spiral of bad luck and misfortune, underlines Le Grand Slack. It's pretty dark, but I'm trying to pull myself up to the light. Besides, it reassures me to have an alter ego, a scenic character like an amplified version of myself. This creates a certain distance from the emotional intensity of the texts. »

In his studio in the Hochelaga district of Montreal, the artist worked with his friend Dj Horg. Together, they made an album composed of long poems without refrains, more pop pieces, a clever mix of poetry and hip-hop.

A great admirer of Richard Desjardins and Les Colocs, Le Grand Slack seems to be attracted to darkness and dark themes such as poverty and addiction. However, he assures us that his album offers small touches of humor and light, like the teenagers he meets in schools in his slam writing workshops.

“I find them beautiful teenagers, they have a lot to express, he confides. Slam allows them to express themselves artistically and it is often introverted students who bring out the most beautiful things. »

▶ The album Film noir by Le Grand Slack is available on the platforms.