Un homme-orchestre

April 5, 2023 7:27 AM

Franco-Ontarien singer Damien Robitaille crushing it with covers of various songs as a one man band.

My faves:

"Du Hast" -- Rammstein

"It's Tricky" -- Run DMC

"Finally" -- CeCe Peniston

"Pump Up the Jam" -- Technotronic (video also features the awesomeness that is Gurdeep Pandher)

"Get Ready" -- 2 Unlimited

Of course, Damien's original music is also pretty great!

p.s. apologies for the Twitter links but it's hard to find them aggregated. His YouTube channel has a handful not all of them.

posted by Kitteh (15 comments total)

Wonderful. Thank you.
posted by bolix at 8:22 AM on April 5, 2023

A bit of context for those who don't know the story. He started doing this during the early days of the pandemic when everybody was stuck at home in various state of busy/idle (depending on your job) and it became quite popular (in Qc at least).
posted by WaterAndPixels at 8:37 AM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Technotronic (video also features the awesomeness that is Gurdeep Pandher)

Not to mention Suki the dog, who starts off a bit lackadaisical but eventually gets into the groove with Gurdeep.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:12 AM on April 5, 2023

I love him so much!!
posted by epj at 9:15 AM on April 5, 2023

"Rasputin" and "I Will Survive" are pretty great too.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:31 AM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]

Okay, I thought the Du Hast cover made my day but nope, Rasputin tops it.

On a related note, I totally want to hang with Damien Robitaille.
posted by Kitteh at 9:36 AM on April 5, 2023

Oh my, these are SO GOOD! Thanks for posting this. I had not heard of him before.

I really like his cover of “Rocket Man.” So wistful and melancholy, true to the original but not just a copy of it. Can’t believe it’s just him and a piano/drum setup.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:47 AM on April 5, 2023

The "Finally" and "Get Ready" covers are delightful. My inner 12-year-old is pleased.
posted by May Kasahara at 10:28 AM on April 5, 2023

I have been a DR fan since I lived in Quebec in the 1990s and early 2000s; if you're looking for some OG Robitaille Franco-Ontarian bops, I recommend:

Serpents et échelles (Snakes and Ladders)
Mot de passe (Password -also in the original post, it's really good!)
L'homme qui me ressemble (The Man who Looks Like Me)
S.O.S. (no translation required)
posted by Shepherd at 11:53 AM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Shepherd, how could we forget "On Est Ne Nu"?
posted by Kitteh at 12:03 PM on April 5, 2023

His Christmas album (https://music.apple.com/ca/album/bient%C3%B4t-ce-sera-no%C3%ABl/1480276461?l=fr) is a modern classic with new original songs that absolutely nail the Christmas spirit for the modern day. It’s a shame it’s not available on vinyl.
posted by papineau at 12:13 PM on April 5, 2023

I've been following him on Instagram for a while
posted by mike3k at 1:49 PM on April 5, 2023

It appears his dog, Suki, is an akita who's generally quiet and chill demeanor reminds me of my own akita Bailey.

His dog makes the videos better.
posted by VTX at 7:07 AM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Good morning, Damien did the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" today!
posted by Kitteh at 7:58 AM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

OMG my wife is going to hate my new hobby.
posted by daHIFI at 7:02 PM on April 9, 2023