A short description of my original compositions

• L’étranger I - A dark, nocturnal and cinematic ambiance offering a rhythmic and melodic musical style with a touch of reggae.
• Chevalier - A song with epic imagery and symbolic scope based on a disturbing reality, offering a rock, energetic musical style
• Comme toujours - A lighter, more everyday outlook that swings Latino while staying melodic. From the band Charade. Demo created for the l'Empire des Futures Stars 1994 contest.
• Tu es l'homme - A simple, melodic ballad telling the story of a broken heart. From a demo for L'Empire D.F.S. 1993. With Annie's golden voice.
• Tu es fou - A country-rock style song. Despite its humorous side, it is very energetic and it really moves. From the L'Empire D.F.S. 1993 demo, performed by Annie.
• L'île noire - A very melodic instrumental piece offering several style variations. One of my best creations. I used a Korg M-1 for this piece.
• Catherine - A soft, melodic ballad telling a story from real life. It features a very rich orchestration with surprising style variations. Created at home, alone; I play bass, guitar and I sing.
• Oublié - A heavy, powerful, energetic rock ballad. Tells a true story about someone you cannot forget. My best guitar solo (my only one). Sung by Yves Charbonneau (L'Empire D.F.S 1994).
• Une bonne année - A gentle ballad filled with hope and based on the holiday season. My most beautiful piano solo. I play bass, guitar and I sing.
• L'étranger II - Classic 70s-style rock. Powerful, energetic. Strong symphonic presence. From L'Empire D.F.S. 1994, sung by Yves Charbonneau.

The spirit and purpose of this website

I am well aware that I will probably not make any money with my songs, or not much anyway. It is very complicated today, especially for a creator of my age. However, I can still contribute to Quebec culture, the one I was bathed in during the beautiful 70s, 80s and 90s.

Let us remember for a moment those musically prosperous years in Quebec. Let's start at the beginning: let's remember the 70s, with bands like Octobre, Harmonium, Beau Dommage, Morse Code, Garolou, Offenbach and Gerry Boulet, Corbeau with Marjo, Robert Charlebois, Diane Dufresne, Ginette Reno. In the early 80s, think of Paul Piché, Richard Séguin, Céline Dion, Jean Leloup, Plume Latraverse.

And in my most productive years, let's remember France D'Amour, Luc De Larochellière, Laurence Jalbert, Les Colocs, Vilain Pingouin. There are also our great ones, larger than life, like Jean-Pierre Ferland, Gilles Vigneault, Félix Leclerc — and I apologize to those I have forgotten... It is hard not to forget anyone, there are too many.

From 1995 onwards, we as Québec people have lived through the beginning of a decline, a sad cultural decline. A decline that started with what you probably all remember. If you want to prevent a people from giving themselves a country, so that it becomes the strength it is, you quietly destroy its culture — including, among other things, its music. At the federal level, it is being defunded little by little, which means that a good part of our current talent often has no other choice but to blossom elsewhere, in places that are countries — which we are not yet, I did say not yet. Here I am making my own contribution, and I decide to make it in my own country: Québec, my Québec, our Québec, everyone's Québec. I may be just a drop in the ocean, but you know, a single drop can make the vase overflow. I am the one who creates and will keep creating for you with all my passion. Daniel Valade alias Discodan.

Here are the pieces of my album - L'ÉTRANGER - (except Sacred Ground)

• L'étranger I A more folk, rhythmic version, still showing a dark and theatrical vision with more orchestral arrangements and a female voice.
• Chevalier A more rock version, less ''off-beat'', more youthful. It moves a lot more with its powerful female voice and its more rock electric guitar.
• Comme toujours A more solid version, still with a Latino style backed by percussive brass harmonized with a melodic, rhythmic bass. The backing vocals are dominant.
• Tu es l'homme A more rhythmic, more melodic version, with well-suited use of the saxophone. The chorus, backed by the backing vocals, is very danceable. A true wedding song.
• Tu es fou Not really any difference from the original. Just as youthful, pop country style, a much cleaner sound, improved instrumentation.
• L'île noire One of my best creations. The ending of the original is better, but I could not recreate it with AI. Still, the result remains excellent.
• Catherine Very folk like the original, especially with the addition of the very present violin — shorter than the original but more accessible to everyone.
• Oublié A much better version. Powerful rock ballad, heavy electric guitar, omnipresent piano, explosive chorus, beautiful orchestration.
• Une bonne année Apart from the absence of the original's piano solo, this version is excellent, with a beautiful orchestration plus the judicious use of both voices.
• L'étranger II A truly good 70s progressive rock with power, an unleashed piano and a first-rate symphonic orchestration. The ending is explosive.
• Sacred ground A song created by Suno but inspired by my composition ''L'île noire'', 90s version. I kept it because it is good and in tune with today's era.

My vision and direction

The tone of this new version remains colorful, lively and rock'n'roll, with the addition of a modern approach showing that my songs do not only belong to the past: they can keep evolving. Music has no age — here, I believe, I am proof of that. What makes a song work or not is the open-mindedness of the person listening to it.

I am not here to preach to anyone; my goal is to prove that I have a level of creativity that has nothing to envy in others, contrary to what my mother used to tell me. Besides, it gives me the chance not to die in anonymity — in other words, not to die alone. I do not suffer from loneliness, surely not, but since I have always been very sociable, I found that, until today, my life was becoming more and more boring.

In reality, what I am doing with this project is giving myself a purpose, goals to reach, because without goals one dies a slow death — not physically, but in our heart, our mind, our head. My creativity has allowed me to have a beautiful life, not a rich life — being an artist, especially in Quebec, means a bit of that — but I have been happy, and I want to remain so until the end, the inevitable end, the one of the body, not necessarily the one of the soul.

So in the coming months and years, I will share with you everything I can share, as they say, not for profit. I just want you to listen to my songs, here as well as on the music platforms — my songs, which I have the honour and the joy of bringing back to life, as much for you as for me. Whether you are young or old, whatever your language or your nationality, music is universal — like mine. Thank you, my friends.

One more point I would like to add, one that is close to my heart. People say, rightly so up to a point, that young people do not listen to Quebec music. That does not mean they would not be interested in it under certain circumstances. Maybe it means that we are not selling this French-speaking art of Quebec with enough fervour? Are we too impressed by American stars — which seems to diminish, in many influential people, the interest they could have in Quebec's new releases? I am just asking the question.

So before blaming the young, let us look at ourselves in the mirror. Since 1995, our Quebec culture has been in constant decline, and I am convinced it is not for lack of talent. In my opinion, there is a widening visibility deficit when it comes to Quebec culture. Let us stop using our small size as an excuse. We may be small in numbers, but we are great in creativity. All it would take is for us to start realizing it.

XOXO. Daniel Valade alias Discodan

Here are pieces and creations outside the albums

• Sacred ground A song created by Suno but inspired by my instrumental composition ''L'île noire'', 90s version. I kept it because it is good and in tune with today's era.
• L'île noire The first take of my instrumental composition L'île noire. A jazz fusion genre — too short and too different from the original version, but still interesting.
• L'étranger I (Reggae) I am presenting this version because I feel it truly embodies the spirit and style of ''L'étranger I'' original version. With a bit of work, it could very well slip onto an album.

My vision and direction

I will be presenting here, over the coming months, non-album songs (album concept), alternative versions, the results of experiments I will surely carry out with Suno, etc. I want my website to be attractive and interesting to visit, etc. So this section will be in constant development.