Poirier

An electronic dance music DJ and producer based in Montreal, Poirier fuses influences that range across dancehall and soca to grime and hip-hop. He earned widespread critical recognition after signing with the Ninja Tune roster in the late 2000s. Born Ghislain Poirier, he issued his first full-length recording, the album Il N'y a Pas de Sud, on the 12k label in 2001. In the years that followed he placed albums with Intr_version (Sous le Manguier in 2002 and Conflits in 2003) and Chocolate Industries (Beats as Politics in 2003 and Breakupdown in 2005), while also supplying numerous 12" singles, one-off compilation tracks, and remixes to a range of other underground labels. The pivotal break arrived when he received an offer to record for Ninja Tune, one of the electronic dance community's longest-running and most respected imprints. His first output on the label was the Blazin' EP in 2007, followed by the full-length album No Ground Under in 2008. Three EPs appeared on Ninja Tune the next year: Soca Sound System, Run the Riddim, and Low Ceiling. His second album for the label, Running High (2010), took the form of a double-disc set that gathered previously released EP tracks with new material and remixes.