About
About
Franky Freedom (a.k.a François Laliberté) is a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, producer and sound engineer based in Montreal. Recognized for his great mastery of the drums, a discipline that he approaches with surgical precision, he sees music as a language to be exposed, to popularize, to be brought to life at full speed. Endowed with impressive power behind the drums, his musical creativity shines, that said, well beyond the boundaries of his instrument of choice.
Trained at the Berklee College of Music in Boston — where, thanks to his high-level performances, he earned a place on the Dean's list which highlights the excellence of the best students — François expresses his music through the blending of the codes of jazz, electro, R&B and post-fusion. Strongly inspired by artists who do not hesitate to push the limits of technology and explore sound in all its subtlety, he is active, always in search of new sounds. He is one of those who, in music, values ​​emotion, personality and originality in the same way as performance and sound quality. A fan of improvisation - a technique that he notably incorporates into his art without neglecting its structure - the expressive musician enjoys playing with dynamics and attaches great importance to sound design and the finesse of details. Having at heart these elements which constitute his current musical identity, he is determined to give the best of himself while enjoying each moment that passes. This is reflected in the achievements that fill its roadmap to date.
Winner of several competitions, including the PASIC 2010 International Drumset Competition and Drumset Roland V-Drum 2009, Eastern Canada Champion, François takes the step towards the forefront in 2022 with Franky Freedom, a first self-titled album on which he collaborates with Wayne Krantz, Frederic Robinson, Evan Marien (Tigran Hamasyan), Robin Mullarkey (Jacob Collier, Steven Wilson, Zero 7) and Mikael Eldridge aka Count (Radiohead, Tycho, New Order). In front of a packed house at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City during the Ralph Angelillo International Drum Fest, he delivered his music for the first time on stage which was greatly lauded. The same year, he performed on the television music show Belle et Bum.
As a side-musician and collaborator, François plays with numerous Canadian groups and takes part in international tours with hip-hop, jazz and R&B artists (Alain Caron, Nikki Yanofsky, Random Recipe, Koriass, Jonathan Roy, Miro, Afrikana Soul Sister and many others), while working at the same time as a session musician. He is proudly sponsored by Yamaha Drums, Evans Drumheads and ProMark Drumsticks.
This quote from journalist Alain Brunet sums up his profile well: « François Laliberté is described as a virtuoso and practitioner of high-level instrumental music, flavored with alternative jazz, soul/R&B with solid electronic complements. »
"Solid timekeeper. Good facility and very ”loose” looking hands and feet. Really creative. He’s very good!"
- David Garibaldi ''PASIC 2009''
" Feels Good. Very solid groove and time. Solo ideas are very mature."
- Ndugu Chancler ''PASIC 2009''
" Nice relaxed feel. Ah.. thank you for the dynamics on your solo. Well done on the solo and the time, stayed solid and you built to a lovely climax. Well done!!! I like it a lot."
- Tommy Igoe ''PASIC 2009''