Art D'echo

Websites:  No
Origin: Montréal, Québec, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Art d’Echo: A Hidden Gem of the 1990s Montreal Scene

Art d’Echo was a short-lived but immensely talented duo from Montreal, Quebec, active from January 1993 to April 1997. Known for their polished arrangements, strong songwriting, and professional-level production, they left a lasting impression despite releasing only a single three-song demo: Family Table, Nothing Sacred, and For the Sake of Love.

The core of Art d’Echo was Thomas Hamel (vocals, guitars, backing vocals, vocal arrangements; principal composer and lyricist) and Christian Gendron (keyboards, guitars, arrangements). They were joined on the 1995 sessions by guitarist Robert Rioux and drummer Mike Dinardo. The tracks were co-produced by Rolly Anctil and recorded at Montreal’s Savage Sound Studios and Studio Economik, two facilities known for capturing some of the city’s most vibrant acts of the time.

This EP-length demo followed an earlier Art d’Echo CD co-produced by Hamel in 1994, recorded after label interest prompted the duo to produce additional material. Intended strictly as a promotional tool for record companies, it captures the project at a high creative standard, with all vocals performed by Hamel. Despite the promise shown, these sessions and the earlier CD remain the duo’s only recorded output.

After the Spotlight
Hamel left the project in April 1997 after the duo’s final show, though he continued to negotiate songs with Gendron for a time afterwards. He has since continued composing and working on personal music projects, choosing to remain largely outside the public eye and the internet. Gendron remained active in Quebec’s musical theatre and piano circuit, while Anctil continued contributing to other recording projects in the mid-1990s.

For collectors and fans of well-crafted 1990s Canadian recordings, Art d’Echo remains a rare and rewarding discovery — a fleeting collaboration whose music continues to resonate with those fortunate enough to find it.
-Robert Williston

Credits (1995 demo)
Thomas Hamel: vocals, guitars, backing vocals, vocal arrangements
Christian Gendron: keyboards, guitars, arrangements
Robert Rioux: guitars
Mike Dinardo: drums

Guitar arrangements by Robert Rioux and Art d’Echo
Produced by Art d’Echo
Co-produced by Rolly Anctil
Guitars recorded by Rolly Anctil
Recorded, mixed, and engineered at Savage Sound Studios and Studio Economik, Montréal, Québec