Demon (musician)
Demon | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jérémie Mondon |
Also known as | DJ Demon |
Born | 1977 (age 46–47) Paris, France |
Genres | French house, house |
Occupation(s) | Disc jockey, record producer |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | 20000ST |
Website | helpyourself |
Jérémie Mondon (French pronunciation: [ʒeʁemi mɔ̃dɔ̃]), known by his stage name Demon, is a French electronic music producer, born in 1977 in Paris. His music comes under the genre known as French touch.
Music career
[edit]The start of Demon's career was particularly influenced by the hip hop movement and artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Mobb Deep and A Tribe Called Quest.[1] These artists heavily influenced his first recordings and he still has close ties to rap music, as he produces music for French rappers.[2] Soon after his spell with hip-hop he joined the French electronic scene.
In 1997, he created the label 20000ST, in order to produce his first EP, A-Typique. At 22, he signed for Sony record label and recorded his first studio album, Midnight Funk, considered by critics as one of the classic albums of French touch.[3] Several thousand copies of his single, You Are My High, have been sold and the song is being played in clubs worldwide.[4] Major artists within French touch such as Daft Punk, Mr. Oizo, Etienne de Crécy and Matthew Herbert, have asked him to remix their work.[5]
He then decided to explore other avenues in music, and brought out his album, Music That You Wanna Hear, which mixes electronic music and R&B. The album was recognised by critics,[6] and it even fought against the declining CD industry. Demon later explained in an interview that this experience shaped his understanding of music production and the music industry in general.[7]
Audiovisual components
[edit]Through drawing upon the diverse musical genres that he had explored, Demon has developed his audio-visual personality ; in particular through his work with the French graphics studio H5. You will often see clients in many of his videos. His well-known videos include:
- You Are My High: This is a video wherein a man and a woman are kissing throughout the clip – the video was up for nomination in the Victoires de la musique, as well as the MTV Music Awards.
- Happy Therapy : The designer Ora-ito and the photographer and cinematographer Arno Bani direct the video. It consists of an interplay of 3D shapes, including the faces of the designer Ora-ito and the actress Vahina Giocante.[8]
- Happy Therapy, ARI Remix : Directed by Arno Bani and Demon. The breakdancing world champion B-Boy Junior shows off his talent in this video.
- In the Park : This clip includes the actress Mylene Jamponoi and B-Boy Junior along with his breakdancing crew Wanted posse.
Productions
[edit]He wrote and produced in 2010 the soundtrack for the video, De l'encre, directed by the artists in the group La Rumeur.
He directed the tracks for a number of rappers such as Booba, La Rumeur, 113, etc.[9]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- 2000 : Midnight Funk (20000st Records)
- 2001 : Branding (remix compilation) (20000st Records)
- 2002 : Wuz (with Alex Gopher) (Everlasting Records)
- 2004 : Music That You Wanna Hear (Small, 20000st Records)
EPs
[edit]- 1997 : A-Typique (20000st Records)
- 1998 : Electronic Boogie (20000st Records)
- 1998 : Regulate (20000st Records)
- 1998 : Elektra (20000st Records)
- 1999 : Lil'Fuck (Remix 1) (20000st Records)
- 1999 : Lil'Fuck (Remix 2)(20000st Records)
- 1999 : Midnight Funk (20000st Records)
- 2000 : Regulate (20000st Records)
- 2000 : You Are My High (feat. Heartbreaker) (20000st Records)
- 2001 : You Are My High (feat. Heartbreaker) (20000st Records)
- 2002 : Don't Make Me Cry (20000st Records)
- 2003 : In The Park (20000st Records)
- 2007 : Smiley® – Happy Therapy (Help Yourself)
- 2010 : I Think (Help Yourself)
References
[edit]- ^ Demon's interview on the website WSound (link).
- ^ Demon's Discogs discography (link).
- ^ Jean-Noël Dastugue's critic on the website MagicRPM (link Archived 18 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ Article on the website Radio FG (link Archived 17 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ Demon's official website discography (link Archived 11 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ Article of the album Music That You Wanna Hear on The Inrocks website (link).
- ^ Demon's interview by Radio FG ([1] Archived 17 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ Arno Bani's website (link).
- ^ Article on the website Radio FG (link Archived 17 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine).