Malaika for Also Cool: Who is Warm Up Project? How did it get started?

Jean David: Warm.Up.Project is a daily collaborative project between me (Jean-David) and Louis.

It started after I was forced to come back from my three-month trip in Asia due to Corona. I felt like I needed to transfer my energy into something creative, to forge a habit and release stuff without overthinking. I wanted to create music on a daily basis, and I immediately thought about asking Louis to collaborate for visuals. At first he said: “Ok let me think how I can pull this off without investing six hours a day into it,” to which I replied, “Think about it and let’s talk tomorrow”

I woke up the next day to 25 messages from him. I felt his excitement and determination. We posted the first collaboration two days later, and now we have more than 50 posts, with more to come!

Also Cool: What are your backgrounds? The combination of your visuals & music choice is stunning. I definitely binge-scrolled through your account when I first found it.

Jean-David: I’ve always been in the audio and music industry. I took art classes here and there for fun, but I’ve worked in recording studios all my life. Throughout the years I’ve collaborated with a lot of talented artists, creatives, directors and international brands. I’ve always thought that music and visual art were meant to enhance each other. I am super grateful that I met Louis, and after all these years it was time for me to finally release music regularly and share my passion with the world!

Louis: I had a three years cegep program in graphic design, and then got into freelance work by sheer luck! I met like-minded people and started doing more projects in animation, while still keeping and evolving my taste in graphic design. I met Jean-David some years ago from afar, and always considered him to be a genuinely talented guy. So I was flattered when he came to me with this project. The more we work together, the more we realize how connected our visions are! We really respect each other's work, and we are stunned how sometimes our inspirations match up perfectly. There have definitely been a few moments of “DUDE it was meant to be!!”

AC: Have you always been interested in combining arts and music? How does that manifest in your life outside of this project?

Jean-David: Yes! Like I said earlier, for me it’s a great combination that I think we need more of! Adding eye-catching visual effects to the emotional aspect of music is so powerful. Geometry, colors, perspective and compositions have always been important for me visually, and Louis understands that, making for a great artistic connection between the two of us!

Louis: In animation, rhythm plays a crucial role. Good music is a driving force to push the visuals further. I like fixed images without any sound too, you have more time to really analyze the art. It’s like photography versus cinema. But in the end, a specific moment that moves both in image and sound is really powerful to me.

AC: Who are your favourite artists right now? Both musicians and visual artists?

Jean-David’s favourite musicians: Rival Consoles @rivalconsoles Superpoze @superpoze_ Olafur Arnalds @olafurarnalds

Favourite visual artists: Charlotte Taylor (Dello Studio) @dellostudio Alexis Christodoulou @teaaalexis Sean Meilak @seanmeilak David Umemoto @david_umemoto

Louis’ favourite musicians: Yussef Dayes @yussefdayes Daniel Caesar @danielcaesar Jordan Rakei @jrakz Skinshape @skinshapemusic Yves Jarvis @yvesjarvis Lianne La Havas @liannelahavas

Favourite visual artists: Linus Lohoff @linuslohoff Lou @holalou Jeremy Rieger @jprgd Romain Loubersanes @romainloubersanes Rafael Araujo @rafaeldearauj0 Violaine et Jérémy @violaineetjeremy

AC: How have you been keeping up motivation to be creative during quarantine?

By “forcing” ourselves to create something new everyday! We created a habit and it’s the greatest decision. Sometimes it’s hard and you feel like you’re not coming up with anything right, but if you just try, there’s always something good out of it. It’s so satisfying to see the accumulation of our work!

Also, we agreed that this project should always stay fun, not stressful. If there’s days where we don’t have time or we are simply not feeling it, we skip it and come back stronger the next day.

Being two in this project means that we can always push each other, it’s really energizing! The people who appreciate and support our work with amazing feedback is a strong fuel too. It’s all about the people around us in the end!

AC: What’s the best way to directly support this project, and both of you as artists?

If you like and enjoy what we do on warm.up.project, you are welcome to share with your network! It’s always good to know that people can enjoy our art and it resonates with them.

Jean-David: I’ll be releasing an album this year and I am super excited! I also just launched a new company called “Supersavant.” It's the apogee of my knowledge and experience in the audio and music industry + my determination to create and support local talent. I can’t wait to invite you to the launch party!

Louis: My goal is to create work with and for genuinely awesome people with collective, ambitious and cultural projects. So spreading the word helps me get to them, wherever and whoever they are!