advertisement
Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
advertisement
Popular
Latest News
advertisement
BILLBOARD CANADA FYI
A weekly briefing on what matters in the music industry
By signing up you agree to Billboard Canada’s privacy policy.
advertisement
advertisement
Jean-François Sauvé
CRi
Features
Quebec DJ CRi Trades the Solo Spotlight for a Community of Friends : 'I'm Done Touring Alone'
The renowned house producer tells Billboard Canada about his brand new collaborative EP 'AMi Vol. 1' featuring Bob Moses, Jesse Mac Cormack, Harry Hayes and more.
1h
When CRi isn't playing headline shows and major music festivals around the globe, he's at home in the rural Quebec municipality of Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard taking care of his family and disconnecting from life on the road.
"I write music when I feel that I need to write music. It’s not about the setup, it's more about my state of mind," he told Billboard Canada in August 2025 ahead of a Billboard Canada LIVE showcase at the W Montreal.
Lately, he's been finding that inspiration in other people.
The decorated musician and DJ born Christophe Dubé has long been a trailblazer in the city's electronic scene. He became the first electronic artist to headline Montreal's International Jazz Festival and win the Emerging Artist Award at L'ADISQ, achieving both feats in 2021. His sophomore LP Miracles (2023) was supported by a global tour, plus a live set and album at Osheaga in 2024.
advertisement
Many of CRi's most memorable tracks have been collaborations, working with Quebec stars like Charlotte Cardin, Daniel Bélanger and Half Moon Run. Now, he's ready to devote himself more fully to playing with others.
Released on Anjunadeep today (April 24), the Quebec electronic musician's new EP AMi Vol. 1 — titled after the French word for "friend" — is the artist's long-awaited change of pace and the first of more to come. CRi explains that the "casual" project is inspired by collaboration and friendship, specifically the people he bonded with while touring for his last album.
"On tour, you have the chance to create very intense moments," he says. "You feel like you're best friends because you’ve spent so much time and very intense time together."
Between vocalists, producers and DJ's, the roster of international guests on the EP includes Bob Moses, Jesse Mac Cormack, Harry Hayes, Miette Hope, Romain Garcia, Nicky Elisabeth and DJ Cinéma Quartier Latin, all of whose diverse sounds and styles helped CRi branch out and include more vocals in his music.
advertisement
"I love to make my kind of [progressive house] music, but I want to discover new things," he shares. "I feel that this project is a great opportunity for me to look around a bit more, look into a different style, and I feel the best way to do it is through collaboration."
CRi's goal with AMi Vol. 1 was to start from others' ideas and "create a community of sharing ideas and music together." He reveals he often finds it more inspiring to work on music that he didn't create from scratch.
One of the EP's singles, "This Is Our Life" with Dutch producer-DJ Nicky Elisabeth, was born from this hybrid process of collaborating in the studio and also sending songs back and forth remotely.
"We met through an Anjunadeep event and became friends playing a lot of shows together," he recalls. "She sent me a very advanced song and I kind of rebuilt everything and changed the chords. We finished the song in London together and it was amazing."
The EP's artwork features a number of blurry, flashy silhouettes of humans dancing, a visual representation of the Quebec musician's signature sound, which he describes as a specific emotion that blends nostalgia, melancholia and hope.
advertisement
"There are a lot of layers in my sounds, and this is why all my visuals are blurry. It's not precise, it’s just a mood with a lot of colours, a lot of emotions," he explains.
Beyond influencing his music and the process behind it, collaboration is also redefining CRi's approach to touring, which can be an isolating experience for a solo artist and DJ.
"I'm finally done touring alone," he said in an Instagram post revealing the dates for his 2026 North American CRi Presents AMi tour.
advertisement
The trek will invite 17 DJs and artists (including many of the EP's featured artists) who have been carefully selected to play in different cities, with all 13 shows meant to be gathering places for the electronic community and its followers.
"These events are built around friendship, real moments, and being fully present together. Everyone belongs in their own way. This is ours," he shared on Instagram.
It's the same harmony he envisioned while he was making the EP.
"It should feel like a summer camp with friends, playing shows around the world," he says. "That's the goal."
Listen to CRi's new EP AMi Vol. 1 below:
keep readingShow less
advertisement
Popular
advertisement
Published by ARTSHOUSE MEDIA GROUP (AMG) under license from Billboard Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation.
advertisement