ALAIZ collective

The ALAIZ Collective of Canadian music producers and artists was located around Laval stretching to the South Shore area of Montreal. Their acts have opened up for the likes of Big Pooh & Slum Village.
Fostered by the rich Montreal DIY music scene, where the surrounding community has made spaces intimate & welcoming to musical preformers.
When you find like minded people who feel good to preform with, a spark in creative innovation can happen. Artbeat Montreal has been a staple for fostering producers, beatmakers & rap artists in the DYI scene, with their pop-up piu piu events. Places like Club Soda play host.
These are the places Alaiz Crew shined. They'd bring minimal equipment: laptops, portable DJ decks & Roland SP-404s all able to plugin to the venue's available PA equipment.
Used to be heavily involved with the rap/r&b scene some years ago and it was super active but in terms of events, the scene was heavily affected by the pandemic. A lot less events these days (especially quality events) than 2019 and prior.
Loop Sessions are great to meet other people and connect with folks, even if you’re not a beatmaker yourself. Used to really love the Voyage Funktastique nights but haven’t been post-pandemic.
It really does feel however that the rap scene slowed down a lot,
2011-2019 was such a cool time to be around the MTL scene, you had tons of talented artists coming up with varied vibes (the Fouki/Fourmis crew, OGB, the Alaiz crew, which is where Kaytranada, High Klassified and others originated from, the Artbeat Montreal events, trap vibes from the western neighborhoods of the city with guys like Nate Husser and Deusgod, franglais rap with Dead Obies, Alaclair, LLA coming up, guys like Lost, Izzy-S, Enima emerging from the streets, etc.). The scene had something for every type of rap fan and you could meet all these peeps in super friendly events around the city.
I might’ve gotten old but nowadays it feels like all those connections are happening on IG/Tik Tok rather than at events. More than happy to be proven wrong however, I also might just be a tad nostalgic!
— mtlstateofmind.
September 11, 2024, 6:45pm
Initial Meeting
July 27th 2011. A Montreal summer night, the weather had been storming the days before & there were now breaks in the clouds.
A Hip Hop Karaoke event was happening. Kaytranada selected Protect Ya Neck by Wu-Tang Clan as the track to rap to.
Musoni, J.U.D, Smoke Rings (hip-hop duo of .nox & HeathCliff Starks), Da C.O.A.S.T. Records (hip-hop trio of BB-Boy, Green Hypnotic & High-Klassified), Dr. MaD, The Celestics (hip-hop duo of Kaytradamus & Louie P) Rami.B, Mus Vic, Da-P, Greyheart, Smooth Siver & J-L were all present.
This track is well known & respected among hip-hop heads. The group had not become a collective yet, they were all just enjoying the atmosphere created by likeminded people. Passing the Mic off to one another, each emcee giving their unique spin on lyrics, some were using the Roland SP-404 to add extra beat touches to the old school tracks' flare.
This was the night they realized how well they could work with one another. This was the night that galvanized the idea in Musoni's mind they should start a collective.

He describes his city as conducive to creative encounters and inspiration.
“Since I first met Colin Musoni, the main founder of the Alaiz crew, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with a wide assortment of inspirational folks, people who share my passion,” he explains. Montreal is also the home to Piu Piu, “a sort of abstract boombap that has become a movement”, he argues.
If High Klassified’s sound doesn’t quite fit into that checkbox, he nevertheless considers himself a full-fledged member of the movement, alongside the city’s other DJs.
— High-Klassified quotes for discotech
Associated acts
The Crew of ALAIZ had been immersed in RAP in the past. For them that was their 1st love, that was THEIR thing. They ate, slept & lived hiphop.
The names of some of these acts may not sound familiar to those used to mainstream Artists, underground hiphop moves in mysterious ways, through word of mouth & street creedo. To the legends of hiphop like Big Pooh & Slum Village that have made it to mainstream, coming to Montreal was like a whole nother planet. What ALAIZ offered to them was a place of respite - from the pressure of record labels, from the constant hounding of the paparazzi. A environ permeated with the love of their craft, burgeoning hiphop acts doing their music for the love of hip-hop.
Had my people/crew out from Montreal,QC who are all part of different collectives that are tied into one cosmic bridge. Basse Culture/Le Break/Alaiz/PiuPiu Documentary
I must say that these people came ready! They really, really impressed me with their knowledge of the music, culture, and genuine vibe aside from the music. Very down to earth individuals. The studio was mad packed but it was such a great vibe. I kicked off the first hour with some heat from all over & Vincent from Basse Culture/Le Break sprinkled some heaters along with me on the decks!
— DJ Joe Kay, host for Soulection, April 20, 2012, 11:45pm .
Associated acts of ALAIZ included hiphop Artist & producer MusoNi; electro/trap Artist & producer JuD; Quebec based artist J.u.D. is one part of the super collective called the ALAIZ Crew, which includes the likes of Kaytranada, High Klassified, The Celestics and Da-P.

Of the crew’s extensive Canadian roster, J.u.D. stands out with his gentler, more relaxed trap music that incorporates a pop music essence.
— Rachael D’Amore,
reporter for VICE.
December 16, 2014, 6:45pm
Underground hiphop duo Smoke Rings made up of .nox & HeathCliff Starks; an hiphop trio (with A&R/Sound Engineering skills) called Da C.O.A.S.T. Records made up of BB-Boy, Green Hypnotic & High-Klassified (who's put out a hit with The Weeknd & FUTURE that went RIAA gold within a month of release & then officially earned platinum certification within the year); Dr. MaD a producer into funk & soul mixes;
Through his involvement in Montreal’s youth-centres, the Alaiz collective, local supergroup Nomadic Massive, and infinite other Montreal-based endeavours, MaD wastes no time in making his presence known on the scene.
There is a scent of soul and authenticity that circulates around MaD. By formulating the radio show, Voyage Funktastique with Walla P, the two have attempted to revive the boogie funk era. MaD has stayed true to his cause by nurturing new respect and excitement for a genre that has fallen unfairly out of the spotlight.
— Daniel Melfi,
reporter for VICE.
June 10, 2015, 10:45pm
Solo hiphop Artists J-L, Grey Heart, Mus Vic, Smooth Siver or Nora Zion;; Hugely international successful Artists: a hiphop trio called The Celestics made up of Kaytranada, Louie P & Rami.B;; Gold producing hip-hop trio Planet Giza; The North Virus a underground Hip Hop duo made of Tony Stone & DOOMX(of Planet Giza);
Planet Giza has been a staple in Montreal’s hip-hop and R&B scene for almost 10 years now. From the trio’s respective beginnings as members of ALAIZ collective (Rami.B) and duo The North Virus (Tony Stone and DoomX), up until the release of their new album Ready When You Are, they’ve always been regarded as among the greatest beatmakers in Quebec.
But like other forward thinking artists, they’ve remained underground, even as the cosigns (starting with longtime collaborator Kaytranada) and accolades come in.
— CHRISTOPHE JBEILI,
reporter for COMPLEX.
April 12, 2023, 10:45pm
Or Bleu a duo of music producers Charles Cozy and fruits.

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