LCD Soundsystem + The Juan Maclean + Shit Robot @ SAT

On November 19th, LCD Soundsystem along with DFA Records label mates The Juan Maclean and DJ Shit Robot, graced Montréal's Society for Arts & Technology with their presence. The event was planned by the I Love Neon collective and dubbed "Anthem Loves Montréal", underlining the Canadian launch of Anthem magazine's new issue which happens to include a piece on our fair city. The evening's revelry also included Montréal DJs Sean Kosa & Jordan Dare.


All three DJs delivered solid sets, although both Kosa's and Shit Robot's were somewhat relegated to the background as a large part of the crowd - the "rock" part - did not seem inclined to boogie. Since the room was packed this meant that it was difficult to dance without having to guard what little lebensraum you could secure with your elbows, a predicament which was further amplified by the exponentially increasing number of plastic beer glasses that were lining the floor, begging to be kicked out of the way. The sale of a reduced amount of tickets would've been greatly appreciated by one and all.

As for the live part of the event: both bands were set up with "full cowbell equipment", that is to say a lot of live percussive instruments, along with synths and guitars. The Juan Maclean gave a great, energetic show, providing a surprisingly effective translation of their music to a live setting. LCD Soundsystem were simply superb. Frontman James Murphy masterfully lead his band from one song to the next, ever increasing the intensity of the performance by throwing in insane cowbell solos into the mix. Truly a sight to behold.

Too bad we didn't get to hear LCD Soundsystem's "Beat Connection" and "Disco Infiltrator", as well as The Juan Maclean's "You Can't Have It Both Ways" and "By The Time I Get To Venus", but the DFA live crew gave us a hell of a show nonetheless.

Check out Anthem Magazine, LCD Soundsystem & The Juan Maclean's label DFA Records, as well as the I Love Neon web site.

Steve Bug + Jay Hunsberger + Stephen Beaupré @ Station C

November 18th – It was freezing outside and the temperature inside Montréal's Station C was no better. It was cold, very cold, and it was also apparent that the future home of the Kloc Late Night Club wasn't quite ready to accomodate customers. Steve Bug's set would therefore serve as a sort of pre-opening for this new establishment that was supposed to stay open until 5am (instead of 3, like regular Québec bars).


The place filled up late, and the very inviting grooves proposed by Mr. Beaupré were played before and empty room. Hunsberger's live performance started to bring in more people, perhaps intrigued by the elaborate musical propositions the man was orchestrating on his laptop computer.

The night only truly took off at 2AM when Steve Bug took over. The man's beats easily began to dissipate the frigid air and the party's momentum started to build. Everyone was dancing, everyone was having fun. Bug started teasing us with intelligent grooves that promised an amazing finale was still to come.

That's when the Kloc's management came in and cut the music. It was explained that neighborhood bars were attempting to stop the event from going as planned, and that we would have to leave an hour early. Steve Bug seemed as disappointed as everyone.

That the Kloc's competition intervened to stop the event from going on until five is unfortunate. If they did so because The Kloc was operating illegally, then their attitude is only fair game.

Ultimately, the victim here is not the club but its customers, and perhaps the real responsibility in this matter lies with the promoters and the venue itself. After all, don't tell me it wouldn't have been possible to prevent all this mess by obtaining the proper permits BEFORE letting customers through the door? It's not good policy to 'Burn' your clientele previous to being officially open for business.

The Kloc's "late night club" concept is interesting. Let's just hope they get their act together quickly and that this scenario doesn't repeat itself. Montréal clubbers may be forgiving, but they're not stupid.

As for Steve Bug: let's hope the man from Poker Flat comes back soon and gives us a proper set. Until then, we'll always have Bugnology.

The Kloc takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Quattrophonic 3 @ Stereo

On Thursday November 10, Stereo was exceptionally opened following David Carretta's electrifying Parking appearance. There weren't a lot people on the premises which conferred a very surreal ambiance to the usually crowded Stereo. As a result the place seemed a bit colder than usual, but it didn't take long for the always-friendly crowd to warm it up a notch. Of course DJs Eloi Brunelle, The Autist, Lebaron & Vega helped a bit. Their tag-team effort proved worthy of attention: the evening's "core" performances, between 4 and 6am, were simply amazing. Each DJ juggled between minimal, funky & tech-house, creating an ever-changing, intriguing middle ground seldom heard elsewhere. Check out the fourth edition of the monthly event on December 30.

Quattrophonic always takes place at Stereo, Montréal's award-winning afterhour spot.

David Carretta + DJ Mini @ Parking

No, John Holmes hasn't come back from the great beyond but David Carretta could easily fool anyone into thinking otherwise. (Left: Holmes; Right: Carretta)


The king of electro rocked Montréal's weekly Overdose night at Parking on November 10, dropping relentless beat after relentless beat on the ecstatic (and sweaty) capacity crowd. He played a wide variety of his own songs, including Lovely Toy and Moskow Reise.


An extended version of Vicious Game, which incorporated live vocals, concluded his set, and the man packed his bags after a short 90 minutes.


DJ Mini concluded the evening with a very solid, energetic set. A very good night indeed.

David Carretta and DJ Mini are on the web, and so is Montréal's Parking nightclub. Wikipedia has a good John Holmes bio.

Tiga + Robert De La… Gauthier @ Stereo

Tiga was back in town only a day after Da Housecat's appearance at Space 32 – that weekend was going to be madness, as it should damn well be. Robert De La… Gauthier opened, and he was simply marvelous, augmenting the intensity of his musical choices while keeping a good balance of interesting, perhaps lesser known tracks in the mix. A perfect build up set which got the crowd energized for Tiga's sonic onslaught: a relentless mix that blended electro hit after electro hit non-stop. While Tiga's got my attention as far as "hit ratio" is concerned, De La… Gauthier's definitely got my vote on the matters of finesse and progression. Another satisfying crazy night in Montréal's Temple of Sound, which will hopefully be followed by many others.

Tiga and Robert De La... Gauthier are on the web.

Felix Da Housecat + Jordan Dare @ Space 32

On November 4th, Montréal's Dome dance club once again wore its Space 32 disguise and welcomed Felix da Housecat and Jordan Dare.


The crowd was a mixed bag of Dome regulars and electronic music aficionados who would never normally risk being seen at Dome, hence the necessity of the Space 32 moniker.


Montréal's own DJ Jordan Dare began the evening with a seriously satisfying electro set that got everyone ready for the main attraction.

Felix took over at 1am. His set, although a little more commercial, was simply great. Da Housecat dropped catchy song after catchy song, delivering an INFECTIOUS selection of hits on the enthused crowd.


The Dome staff forced Felix to end his set at 3am sharp. He nevertheless managed to play one last song – Nirvana's "Lithium", reworked by Dirthy Funker – before ending his performance.

Don't miss Felix Da Housecat's next appearance in Montréal: it was definitely worth it this time !

Felix Da Housecat and Jordan Dare are on the web.