When I first arrived in Montreal I met Soundshaper, alias Stephan Cummings, during my inaugural late-night excursions.
I found the name intriguing, the way that it got right down to the essence of what electronic music is: creating a new
sound from the old, extracting the fundamental elements to better mold them into another, more fluid form.
For him, mystifying audiences and confounding styles is a source of inspiration. With a fierce will to eschew labels
and avoid stereotyping, Soundshaper draws from his versatility and sidesteps the commonplace that has all too easily
overrun the local scene.
Don’t be beguiled by his crazy mixing style or the shameless ease with which he manipulates machines ! It’s no fluke –
all rests on a meticulous arrangement of the harmonies, an eager anticipation of barely perceived rhythms. Part audio
trompe l’oeil, his chameleonesque mixing outshines traditional cut and paste techniques, giving rise to a unique,
transcendent sound that readily surpasses the sum of its parts.
But what really defines Soundshaper, besides his technical virtuosity, is his consummate understanding of the
dancefloor. He aims to please, to impart to one and all the profound passion that he has for music. Forever attentive
to the fluctuations of the dancefloor, he sets his sights on the crowd, meticulously adjusting style and finesse. Each
of his sets consolidates the richness of his selection and is instantly identifiable by the tightly coiled sensuality
that it exudes.
