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Michel Bibeau

Michel Bibeau Canadian producer and creator of the famous Hot Plates.


Michel Bibeau started with music in 1974 and wrote and produced for famous Canadian artists like Kat Mandu, Karen Silver, Junior Byron, Nancy Martinez and others !!
He also was the creator of the first parts on the Hot Plates and Down Towns.


Here is a interview with him :

-How you become DJ-ing:
I started in 1974 working in a music store selling records.
The city were I lived had dancing nights under the city church and they asked me to be the DJ, so I accepted it.
After one year I was tired moving my stuff so I decided to open a Dancing Place for youngsters to be my Own Boss.
I did this for another year and in 1976 I started spinning in clubs.

-When did you fist hear medleys and remixes:
I think it was around the end of 1976.

-When did you decide to mix yourself and buy the studio/equipment:
Well, after 2 years in clubs, in 1978 I went to take a course in engineering at Studio Bobinason in Montreal with "Claude Allard" , one of the top engineers who worked at The Famous Morin Heights Studio. After that I started to buy Studio Equipement. I bought a Teac Tascam 3440 4 track recorder and a Teac Tascam model 5 Mixer which I used to record my first hit record. Kat Mandu's "I Wanna Dance" was recorded initially on a Tascam 3440 4 track and finally mixed on my Scully 8- Track in the Fall of 1980.

It was released in the beginning of 1981 on Formula Records and it made a worldwide hit.

With the money I made on this record, I paid my Scully 8 Track 1 Inch Tape Recorder and an Audiotrack 16 Channel Mixer.

After about a year I sold all to upgrade and Bought a Tascam M-16 Mixing Board a 85-16B 16 track Tape Recorder and a 32-2B 2 Track recorder and a Technics RS-1500 which I used to start the Hot Plates.

Here are the pictures of the equipment he made the Hot Plates with:

-How did you get in contact with the promo's / disco acetates.
I started to buy those in New York City and in Import Music Stores in Montreal. I was also in the first 20 member's of the Canadian Record Pool (Owned By Mary Spano, the wife of George Cucuzella, owner of Unidisc Records).
This is were I got most of my promo copy's .

-How did you get on the idea to make Hot Plate.
It was a special order given to me by George Cucuzella, who asked me to do mixes of songs he owned.

-How did you came to the name Hot Plate.
Well, I guess it was easy! Every good record we found, we use to call a Hot Plate "so Why not Call it a Hot Plate's"

-Was the hot plate only issued on 12 inch, or also on 7 inch ?
They were issued on 12 Inch only.

-After finishing part 1 did you plan to make a lot more ?
Not really. I was more into writing originals, but some orders came from George so I decided to continue to do them to pay the bills

-Did you knew they were also pressed in mexico with a different cover ?
I heard they were pressed worldwide, but George would'nt tell me. I still do not know why? (but I guess!).
I found out they were released worldwide by DJ Friends who told me they've seen copy's for sale in import stores.

-Did you also made the downtown mixes and what was the last part you made.
Yes I worked on those in my studio. I re-edited them for Mario Tremblay.

-How many Hot Plates parts did you make ?
I do not really remember. I made a lot of records for many record company's and producers in that period and many of them never sended me a copy once released !
Sometimes I had to buy them myself to get one !
You will probably find some that I never had with my name on it.
I did probably 6 or 7 Hot Plates and 2 or 3 Downtown mixes.
In that time I was really busy into producing my own original songs.

Here are pictures of his studio in 1984:

Special thanks to Michel Bibeau for giving me the information and pictures.

Michel Bibeau is now concentrating on "Musical Software " Audio Fx & Virtual instruments " Plugin Creation. His Company is " MB Audio Lab " Pro Audio Consultants.
www.mbaudiolab.com