Beast

Montreal-based aggressive trip-hop group Beast formed in 2004 as a collaboration between vocalist Béatrice Bonifassi and DJ/composer/drummer Jean-Phi Goncalves. Before joining forces, both parties had performed for nearly two decades individually within the music industry: highlights of their sprawling résumés include Bonifassi's performance on The Triplettes de Belleville soundtrack and Goncalves' collaboration with Lauryn Hill while drumming with the band Plaster. The two first worked together on a project for the video game company Ubisoft in 2006. Realizing that they had a special chemistry and a shared fondness for the cinematic melancholy of bands like Portishead, they started work on a full-length album. Nearly two full years went into perfecting the record, and after signing to Pheramone, their self-titled album Beast was released in early 2009.