ProgQuebec Conventum : A L'Affût d'un complot (CAN,1976-1977)****°
ProgQuebec 
Conventum : Le Bureau Central des Utopies (CAN,1979)****°
Especially these two reissues of the two Conventum releases very much give an idea of the great musical communal potential of the Quebec scene and present a few aspects of this, like the poetry with music improvisations, and with the chamber music refinement result as one of the best of its kind, after similar progressions of ideas by groups like Cano and Harmonium, this shows the most chamber-like excesses of arrangements. The group from its beginning had its foundations in a multidisciplined framework. It started already in 1972 with the shared ambitions of musician and writer André Duchesne and filmdirector Jean Gangné. The musical group was founded in 1973 like a workshop in a centre called CEC, “Centre d’Essai Le Conventum” where painters, filmmakers, sculptresses and musicians met and shared and developed ideas. The first version of the group developed some soundtracks, did a tour in 1976 with writer, filosopher and musician, Raôul Duguay, but never recorded an album. When René Lussier, Duchesne and Bouchard met poet Alain-Arthur Painchaud, a new version of the group appeared leaving out drums, but led multiple acoustic guitars and a bit of electric guitar, violin (violinist Charles Kaczynski appeared as a guest -see solo review below-) and also flute, oboe and some sax led the music. The first album, recorded in 1977, sounds rather improvised, but is delicately arranged in an acoustic chamber music-like way. 7000 albums were pressed, but the company burned down and as a result had to close its doors. Of course well expressed, half sung poetry sounds like a theatre like foundation on which the music lingers upon like waves.
Which is especially brilliant for both CD’s are the completion, with still well recorded bonus tracks of live performances. They reveal an underlying factor of the inspired creativity of the group, both in lyrics as well as in music. “Frappe-à-bord”, on the first album, shows very much how the poetry was a fundament for the improvisations, uplifting all to a well developed high society of new culture, as a proposition to reality, while “Le Pays du bruit” as bonus track on the second album shows so perfectly and very expressive a surreal story of what the group had in mind idealistically when making this music and forming the workshop. Especially this text shows how they address to the general reality as an extinguisher on reality, presented by the government called “reality”, while the group shows a certain utopia which in reality can hardly be achieved, but which is wished for. In some way, those times where absolutely right and inspiring, with the right tension of growth in many directions, of an increasing number of people living in an area, all with their ideas searching for a place to live, with materialistic facts of looking for space to find their expressions, making it so that the right elements were there within reachable distance. Compared to our times, the number of noise and filling up all materialistic places per square meter are becoming saturated, and leaves no space anymore for an increasing number of ideas, cancelling too often practical solutions, while radio and music on backgrounds has become like nothing else but controlled noise in a rather noisy environment of all these energies that cannot find a place, or any space to think or come to one self. Conventum was in its days like the early cry for the opposite, with a creativity from inspired silence, as well as a desire for this silence and vivid space. The first album with its improvisation style is vivid and seeking, also has this aspect there, something which can be found in many of these Quebec groups, and in various long excursions delivering spaces to breath and think, where is time and room to speak out for ones self, naturally.
In 1978, Duchesse started to work for the SMQ, the Syndicat de la Musique du Quebec (a company like the American Musicians’ Guild), while Painchard formed the CEM, Centre of Musical Experimentation. Duchesse quit his job to write the largest part for the last version of Conventum, which now fundamentally was a Quartet (Duchesne, Lussier, Cormier, Laurin). With a new repertoire in 1979 they toured in Belgium, and after their return, recorded their latest album, which is generally considered as the group’s masterpiece, and is the most arranged piece, almost classical in nature, but with guitars and violin as fundamental instruments. It was released with an issue of 1500 copies on a small label, but also this label closed its doors soon after. In 1980 there were so few venues to play that the group disbanded. Too late for a renewed start, Chris Cutler (founder of the ReR label, and the 'Rock In Opposition' movement) found a copy of the album, and showed his interest. Both records were re-released as 1000 copies only. Both albums are recommended and form a great pair, of something that exceeds the borders of something strictly musical, for me it is also like a symbol of a developed, perfect circumstance for a certain attractive cultural level of existence.
* PS. In the radioshow I provoked the Antwerp listener to learn something from what happened in the Quebec scene, with a high level of cultural development, which does not happen here yet. My colleague said : "we are too busy in adapting, in assembling, in being willing to change for all the changes there is little left of energy and challenge to be a real creative renewer."
Conventum amongst others saw the changes in the society of the late 70s, with increasing elements leading to chaos, instead of room and place for creative solutions. While the government standing for the current realities, it also promotes such chaos. When I lately noticed that on each work radio and media is nothing else but controlled noise, in between chaos, people never try to find their peace and creativity from silence in their hearts. Everything promotes that chaos. Situation is likewise now. In the eighties society became more realistic and materialistic, leaving behind the unrealistic idealistic goals from the 60s and 70s which were in their highest form nothing but a small section of creative utopia. Nowadays in theory a multicultural society seems to be promoted, but in reality the chaos gets even bigger because it is not really a true cultural creativity inspired by quiet moments of insights which is promoted, but it is money and economy which also for such a society are the only leading inspirations. In the poem music, Quebec music, stands for that seeking of breaking through silence.
While most creativity in the eighties seemed to be the creativity of the failure, or of going for the materialistic goals completely, in the UK there were still some new creative movements, like the Rock In Opposition movement. When Chris Cutler, who established the ReR label discovered Conventum, the group had already given up because they couldn’t find interest from a public any more in these changing times, so it was too late to give them a new future. It only led to a reissue compilation of both albums. These Progquebec reissues are the
first real full reissues.
-Having thought all this over once more again, I think, one day, music in many places where it adds too much noise should be preferred it would be better without it, at some occasions even "forbidden", like at work, but music should be more stimulated and supported when it is able to make people contemplatively silent, and when it is able to create extra silence. The world is already a too busy place to abuse and to make music that confirms and creates even more noise. For big social events people often prefer painful sounds, to think there is a kind of circus like extravaganza going on ; it often only creates this effect vaguely and in a grotesque way. I hope more bubble-like environmental islands with opening-up music that is able to deliver spaces of peace, will be made possible too. On such moments something more real could be said or created. I hate to see how some churches or museums with old art have been abused for the grotesque noise categories as if these places had no longer anything to offer, or could no longer eventually be completed on an occasion with something more of real art as well. -
