Michael C. Duguay Announces Companion Album 'The Winter of Our Discotheque (Reprise)'

Today Michael C. Duguay announces The Winter of Our Discotheque (Reprise), an astonishing and ardent companion to Michael’s recently released sophomore album, The Winter of Our Discotheque. The album features remixes, interpretations, and covers of each song from the album by a formidable and diverse array of Canadian musicians and producers, assembled from all across the country. Today Michael shares the first track from the compilation “One Million More (Joyful Joyful Reprise) featuring celebrated Toronto hymn-drone duo Joyful Joyful. One track off of the compilation will be released every Friday to streaming services, culminating with the release of the entire album on December 4th.

Returning to his career as a musician in 2018 after nearly a decade of struggling with and overcoming mental illness, addiction, poverty, and homelessness, Michael C. Duguay assembled a collection of his poetry, compositions, and song-sketches into what would become The Winter of Our Discotheque. The Winter of Our Discotheque (Reprise) is not only a celebration of Michael’s much-loved personality, songwriting and music, but an enthralling testament to friendship, community, and collaboration by a spectacular and diverse assortment of artists on the vanguard of contemporary Canadian music. This Reprise serves both as the gratifying end of one long and storied chapter in Michael’s life and work, as well as an evocative snapshot of a pivotal moment in Canadian music history.

Listen/Share: Michael C.Duguay “One Million More (Joyful Joyful Reprise)”

“One Million More (Joyful Joyful Reprise)” features Joyful Joyful a duo who have been making experimental folk music between the towns of Peterborough, Owen Sound, and Toronto since 2015. Their work pulls together strands from sacred music, traditional songs, noise, and drone and weaves them together into soundscapes that are haunting and hopeful. Speaking on the collaboration Joyful Joyful says, “When a song is true, it changes the singer. Songwriters are so often good liars. It’s easier to write a dishonest song than to sing a truthful one, unvarnished and unadorned, into the waiting air...In “One Million More” Michael is telling the truth - no easy feat for a storyteller. This album (and this song in particular) are true. We know; we were often there. This collaboration is a retelling of a shared memory. It is also the quiet confession of a shared hope. Here’s to a million more.”

Aside from Joyful Joyful, other artists featured on the album include- psychedelic synth-pop group Silver Pools, also of Toronto; 23 year old music producer from the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Yukon, Jeremy Parkin; Ottawa-based Franco-Taiwanese ambient chamber artist mal/aimé; psychedelic folk-pop mastermind Sing Leaf; Hull/Montreal-based pop-punk group CHRISSY; a collaboration between Halifax’s award winning saxophonist and improviser Andrew MacKelvie (of New Hermitage) and Whitehorse-based producer and sound artist Jordy Walker; Guelph’s electro-pop duo Brave Moon. It was mastered by Andy Magoffin (House of Miracles) and is being released on So Sorry Records.

The Winter of Our Discotheque (Reprise) poetically and succinctly exemplifies the complex and astounding web of meaningful connections and devoted collaboration that develop in the life of a working artist. Furthermore, the album demonstrates the power of leaning into and collaboratively exchanging and skill-sharing within a community, not only in the pursuit of making and performing art, but of returning to and living a life of holistic wellness.

The Winter of Our Discotheque (Reprise) is set for release on December 4th 2020.