Mark Thibideau

BIO _ MARK THIBIDEAU


Conventional teachings from music school, standard formula’s, and subsequent trends in music are what not to be expected from MarkThibideau. These very factors are what inspired Mark to drive himself toward non-conventional approaches in working with sound; the result is a dedicated livelihood in free form exploration.

At the compassionate age of 13, Mark could be found in his small town Wallaceburg, Ontario basement programming music via an analog monophonic Korg, an early Ensoniq sampler, and accompanied by an Atari computer. Together with his brother Matt and friend Dawn Lewis they worked under the title Wax Bean Orchard through out their high school years. They garnered some local success playing small clubs and released their first CD "Rainbow Love Clay" independently.

Identifying with so many elements through out the decades of musical genres is what initially inspired Mark to write music. From the early electronic sounds of Detroit and Europe, Mark was influenced to compile his very own personality of sound.

With the live set/PA in its infancy, he was involved in a small electronic music scene in the early 90's based in London Ontario. With fellow artists such as Pete Grove and Jeremy Caulfield, there was a buzz happening in southwestern Ontario. Not long after, he packed up his gear to set a precedence in Toronto and surrounding area. Live performance paved the way for a search of new excitement: Making an impression on the dance floor scene.

In 1999 he released his "Microdots" EP on Pete Grove's Woodwork records. He also teamed up with his twin brother Matt and singer Dawn Lewis to form a collaboration called Repair.

Repair got involved with Germany's Sub-Static Records and released "V-wreck", “Holding Back Fears” and “Convenient Arrangements”. This “singer songwriter” trio carried very particular influences from different genres into their music. Repair had provided yet again more ground for Marks re-conceptualizing of musical aspirations.

With that, bringing Repair to perform at events such as Spain's "Obseravtori" , and Montreal's "Mutek" festivals - playing live with emerging new artists. More recently Mark has played for Toronto’s “Break and Entry” and the “Sound in Motion” festival. Using hardware synths, samplers and effects rather than laptops.

He has also released solo records such as "B-Films" and "Last Night" with Germany's Sub-Static Records. The success from the "Last Night" EP led him to landing a spot on the BBC Radio "Blue Room" compilation. This included other artists such as the Orb, The Cure and Ladytron.
Mark has also been involved in mixing and producing other artists. Mike Huckaby’s “My Life With The Wave” record was recorded and mixed at his Repairlab studio in Toronto.
His music has also appeared on Dj mixes by John Digweed, The Modernist and Jeremy Caulfield to name a few.

In 2010 Mark made a new partnership with Archipel records, producing a full length record called “Left Behind”.

Also in 2010, Mark and his brother Matt started their own record label called “Obsolete Components” to showcase the many sides of their music. The basis of this label is to release music using vintage obsolete synthesizers and rare recording equipment. They were recently featured in the famous documentary “I Dream of Wires”.


Over the years Mark’s sound is growing into new forms. His ambient project : Sedative is an outlet to explore his sound without the use of standard 4 on the floor drum patterns and create more textural atmospheres. His “Soft Tension” record was released with Toronto’s Crime League Records in 2013.
He continues to work using analog and hardware synthesizers to bring unique sounds to his music.

Discography:
Wax Bean Orchard – “Rainbow Love Clay” 1994
Crave – “Microdots” Woodwork Records 1999
Repair - “Black Line Display” Dumb Unit Records 2001
Repair – “V-Wreck” Sub Static Records 2001
Mark Thibideau – “B-Films” Sub Static Records 2002
Repair – “Holding Back Fears” Sub Static Records 2002
Mark Thibideau – “Last Night” Sub Static Records 2003
Repair – “Forgive and Forget” Sub Static Records 2004
Repair - “Convenient Arrangements” Sub Static Records 2005
Mark Thibideau – “The Conclusion” Secret Weapon Records 2006
Repair – “Still Standing, Severly Damaged” Thoughtless Music 2007
Repair – “Lines Drawn” Secret Weapon Records 2008
Mark Thibideau – “ Left Behind” Archipel 2010
Repair – “Radio Talk” Obsolete Components 2011
Mark Thibideau - “Archive 4” Obsolete Components 2011
Mark Thibideau – “Come Closer “ Lantern 2012
Mark and Matt Thibideau – “Modular” Obsolete Components 2013
Sedative – “Soft Tension” Crime League 2013