Qualité Motel

Qualité Motel is a party machine operated by the guys from Valaire—a musical and recreational vehicle that shifts between DJ sets, remixes, Top 40 mash-ups, and original compositions, all as fiery as a dragon-print shirt. An inclusive party, because a party is just that: the audience is an integral part of the show, breaking the fourth wall to unleash your inner karaoke star. Funky like spiked gelled hair, as immediate as getting your hands on a Can-Am Spyder, it rejects the concept of guilty pleasures—because fun is fun, all the time. And it’s been that way for over fifteen years.

The project’s genesis? Valaire, as we know, is a big live setup with real instruments and everything. But since the guys just couldn’t not be on the go, they wanted to play at their own afterparties and their friends’ parties too. That led them to create a more compact setup—a "performed DJ set" with no acoustic or electric instruments, just synths and drum machines. From there, anything goes, as long as it’s meant for the dancefloor.

And we wouldn’t be talking about it now if it hadn’t taken off way beyond their expectations. Given their love for pop music, they turned the project into a platform to showcase Quebec’s beloved star system, inviting the artists we love to sing on electro-pop productions—pushing them outside their comfort zones into something more festive, but just as comfortable. In short: pure fun.

So in 2012, Motel Califorña arrived, their first album featuring artists like Mitsou, Elisapie, Karim Ouellet, and Socalled. Six years later, C'est pas la qualité qui compte followed, bringing together FouKi, Les Louanges, Karim Ouellet (again), Simon Proulx (Les Trois Accords), Sarahmée, and Marie-Élaine Thibert in a duet with Fanny Bloom (!), not to mention Koriass and Christian Bégin on the hit Basilic.

In 2019, they launched La virée du Saint-Laurent, a hybrid of a reimagined festival and an eco-friendly tour, where the crew traveled by sailboat, stopping along the St. Lawrence River to clean up the shores with fans—rewarding them with a sunset concert afterward.

The following year saw the release of C'est la quantité qui compte, an EP featuring Claudia Bouvette and Mike Clay. In 2022, another EP, Les plus grands duos francophones de l'année, brought together duos like Marilyne Léonard & Jay Scøtt and Franky Fade & P'tit Belliveau.

And now, Qualité Motel is about to unveil Clé en main, their third album, set for spring—just in time for summer. In their own words, "it’s gonna slap": faster tempos bringing back the dance vibes of the late ‘90s/early 2000s, priceless collaborations with Muzion, Boogát, Elliot Maginot, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Rau_Ze, Aiza, and SeinsSucrer (who, fun fact, was contacted because he was offering a "two verses for the price of one" deal on his Facebook page, lol). Plus, the spotlight shines on Ivarno, the new darling of Quebec’s neo-chanson scene.

The artistic direction slaps too: summer means RVs, three-wheeled motorcycle road trips, flip phones, and cargo pants with way too many pockets (because honestly, who doesn’t think of that?). Clé en main—to rev your engine, and because Qualité Motel takes care of your party. Takes care of you.

Oh, and in the midst of all this joyful chaos, let’s not forget that the guys are still active as Valaire, pursuing other musical projects (Luis Clavis, Fanny Bloom, soundtrack work), and lighting up your Thursday nights as the house band on Plaza Plaisir (Télé-Québec).

So basically: this summer, keep your keys close—and your quality standards at motel level.