Laurent Garnier @ Parking

It was almost midnight when I stepped in Parking, the Amherst Street dive that serves the cheapest drinks and vibes in town, but somehow still manages to pack the biggest bang for the buck.


It was Overdose night, and Laurent Garnier was in town.

Even as I arrived Garnier had started what would become a spectacular 3h+ set: the place was packed, everyone was dancing, and the music was unstoppable.

Starting things off with some floaty techno, he moved on into electro-tech rapidly and stayed there for quite a while, taking care to set the crowd on fire from time to time with sweet sucker punches from the past ("Song 2", anyone?).

Rest assured Laurent Garnier's selection remained on the relevant side of things, so we got quite a bit of new music too, delivered with all the skill and finesse of an experience professional.

It was an electrifying night: one of those few classics that are likely to rank amongst the year's best, and that should put to shame anyone who might've doubted Laurent Garnier relevance at Montréal best night, bar-none. Bravo!

Unity is Burning Down

As I write this, Unity II is up in flames. The whole Village is blocked by firetrucks and it looks like it's pretty serious, because the fire started a bit before noon today. There are some huge traffic jams all around the area.

Is this shit criminal ? Who knows ?

We'll have to wait & see, after the ashes have settled down, but it's a sad thing. Whoever has been there knows it's a loss... The club was not what it used to be lately, but the terrace was looking like a good place to hang around, especially since the sun is starting to show up on a more than regular basis...

Tracy Young & Éloi Brunelle will not appear there tomorrow night, I guess. Too bad for Brunelle - but it's not his ultimate gig, rest assured. As for Tracy Young, I'll leave it to my traditional, non-involving moto : no comments...

Cabane à suc' vibes

Since Piknic only goes on during the beautiful months, and that this "state of mind" would ideally be practiced all year long, the fine folks behind the concept are doing their best to come up with ideas to make it last. So on top of these four months of weekly rendez-vous at Parc Jean-Drapeau for the main Piknic events, traditions like the Piknic des Neiges (dancing in the snow in February, 2 editions so far) and the Nuit Électronik (an all-nighter with minimal superstars, 3 editions so far) the time has now come for the second annual Cabane à Sucre Électronik.


The concept is almost absurd : gather electronic enthusiasts around a good traditional meal in a far away sugar shack, bring them there in a big yellow bus if needed, and make them dance their ass off. In the mud. With no clothes on.

I just made up that last part, but wouldn't it be funny ?

So it might seem like an unlikely wedding, but it sure works ! And the mud will not be at the rendez-vous this year : the Piknic team promises us a friendly ground, and food all day. The only thing that's different from the actual Piknic is that you can't bring your own booze. Oh, and it will set you back 35$.

Which is, in my opinion at least, a necessary evil. Because Érablière Constantin-Grégoire is in Saint-Esprit, a place you cannot go to by taking the metro, or the bus for that matter. Food is expensive, but most of all : the DJ's that the guys booked will make you dance your ass off !

I don't know about Scott Free because I've never heard the guy, and I don't know about De la Gauthier because, well, I'm just not into what he plays, but starting at 17h30, The Autist, Luci and Fred Everything will kick your ass !! Fred is starting to be a huge worldwide house superstar, but he won't let that get to his head and those of you who have seen him at Piknic last summer know that he'll make you go down, dirty and soulfully on the "floor".

As an extra, because we at MB & MS love our readers, you have to know that by purchasing your ticket at Noctambules' web site you'll pay the same exact price, but you'll board the "Noctambus" to get there and this, my friend, will allow you to get drunk while getting there, because some booze will be distributed along the way, and you might also get some sweet Holt Renfrew stuff on top of that. Just don't pass out, because your ticket will also give you access to the Mile End's VIP section when you come back in town, so you can puke your dinner directly on the dancer's heads while Stéphane Lippé spins. What do you think about that ?

Night Vision 1.10

(Co-written with Bruce Benson)

Another week, another insane party, and you can always get your pick since Montréal is definitely the party capital of the world.

Now, let's see if our Night Vision can guide you to the best bash suited for you...

News en Vrac

Again - not much going on, but here's a few tidbits we found worthy of attention :

The North American 7B tour stops by Montreal on May 4th or 5th, we're not sure. Some guy on Clubber.ca posted that it was part of Mini's Overdose on the 4th - which would be quite nice, actually - but John Player, label head, seemed almost certain that it was on the 5th, where only guys can go, and posted this date on his mailing list. Who can we trust ? We'll have to wait to see.

Neon will presents another spectacular event at La SAT on May 27th: NYC Invasion, featuring none other than James F!@#$%^ Friedman, Max Pask, JDH & Dave P! Don't have a clue? Pick up a copy of Friedman's Go Commando mix and start salivating!

Also: Mutek have released their full schedule. Check out their website for a full listing, or our calendar for what we feel is worth checking out!

So, how about this week then?


Thursday 27/04

Tonight, Laurent Garnier visits Mini for another blood-splattered Overdose night that promises to be fuckin' hectic. Don't ask who's going, ask who's not going ! Garnier has given birth to what we call "de la techno" in France, he's the godfather of bleep, the Big Babboo, and always behaves unreasonably. He should give you a taste of how we do things right... tonight.


Folks too inebriated to crawl back home after Garnier can check out David Laguer at Circus across the street for an all-night long all-over-the-place house fest.

It's Mix Thursday's 1st anniversary at trashy Saphir, and to celebrate the occasion with punches and high heels kicks in the nuts, there's a battle going on : Broken Crew Vs Women on Wax ! The two crews will fight to death over some old turntables, beer, sweat, sketchy lightning and drunken patrons. If you like your music ecclectic, that's the place to be !


Friday 28/04

The Quattrophonic boys do it again ! Pick up the Metro tomorrow for a more exhaustive article written by yours truly. In the meantime, all you need to know is that Véga, The Autist, Éloi Brunelle & François Lebaron are on fire, they're giving away CD's during the night, they dropped the tag teams concept in favour of individual 2 hours sets, and they will keep the house fire burning in the city's best sounding afterhour. Be there or be scared you might miss out on life.


It looks like Mini is indeed playing the Aria. In fact, she told me herself, so despite the info on the Aria website, I guess you can expect another electro all-nighter at Montréal's most under appreciated venue...


Saturday 29/04

The Piknic gang offer their Cabane à Sucre Électronik (more details right here tomorrow as I'll post a full article about this strange cross-over case) at Érablière Constantin Grégoire, with Scott Free, Robert de la... Gauthier, The Autist, Luci and Fred Everything. While 35$ may seem excessive, you get your ass hauled up from Parc Lafontaine to there in a bus, you stuff yourself all day with traditional and greasy Spring food, and you dance to the exotic sounds of some pretty good DJ's to get rid of the extra rembourrage you might have gained during the cold months.

Electro heads will be happy to know that they can head in a more southern (and less distant) direction as Mini, G O'Brien, X-Cube & Axel Klein will invade the Velvet for the night. Expect the expected : a very nice location, some hard & funky electro-tech beats, and sweat on the dancefloor.



Sunday 30/04

No Excuse, with Sean Kosa and Bender, welcomes special guest Véga this week. At Balroom, of course.

DJ Dan pays a visit to Patrick Dream at Parking for his Perfect Sundays. Dan's Dan, and he'll always be. Expect some funky, soulful vibes and perhaps this killer "Don't Call me Baby" remix he did for Madison Avenue back in the days !!


Tuesday 02/05

X-Cube will be at one of Salon Daome's last nights, with electro & minimal. Come say hello !


Next Week

On top of Plastique de Rêve appearing at Parking on the 4th or 5th, Tiga welcomes Montréal to Planet Sexor on Saturday, with the official launch of his (not so) new album SEXOR. Expect the usual Neon madness : fashionistas, 450s, love victims and minor celebrities. Thomas Von Party (the curly haired lil' bro) opens and Tiga takes over at 12h for a three hours set !


Later On

May:
06 - Tiga & Thomas Von Party @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
09 - Pink Mountaintops @ Sala Rossa
09 - Duchess Says & The Lovely Feathers @ Lambi
12 - Kick le Clavein @ Théâtre Plaza (Robeat)
12 - MSTRKRFT, Jordan Dare & Bliss @ La SAT (Voyeur)
13 - The Stills @ Spectrum
17 - Depeche Mode @ Centre Bell
18 - Zombie Nation @ Parking (Overdose)
19 - Alex Bau @ Aria
19 - Architecture In Helsinki @ La Sala Rossa
19 - Electro-Chic 7 @ La SAT
20 - Headman, Thomas Von Party & Sean Kosa @ ? (I Love Neon)
20 - Islands, Cadence Weapon & Busdriver @ National
21 - Piknic Electronik
21 - Stephan Bodzin, Sean Kosa & Bender @ Balroom (No Excuse)

June:
01 - Modeselektor (Live) @ SAT (Mutek)
02 - Guido Schneider, Alex Under @ Fonderie Darling (Mutek)
03 - Thomas Brinkmann @ Metropolis (Mutek)
04 - Magda, Troy Pierce, Marc Houle & Richie Hawtin @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (Mutek/Piknic)
10 - I Love Montréal, 2è Édition
10 - Nostalgia
16 - Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
17 - Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
21 - Madonna @ Centre Bell
23 - Blondie & The (New) Cars @ Centre Bell
23 - I Love Neon: Kitsuné (w/Boys Noize & Cajuan) @ ? (I Love Neon)
24 - DJ Dan @ Aria
29 - The Hacker @ Parking (Overdose)

July:
07 - Jamie Lidell @ Club Soda (Festival de Jazz)
07 - John Tejada, Mossa & Jon Schmidt @ ? (DiskHo)
08 - The Juan Maclean & MSTRKRFT @ Club Soda (Jazz)
15 - Diplo, CSS & Blonde Do Role @ La Sala Rossa

August:
28 - Herbert @ Club Soda

September:
15 - John Dahlbäck & Jeff Grosse (DiskHo)
21 - Miss Kittin @ Parking (Overdose)
22 - Detroit Grand Pubahs @ Cabaret Music-Hall


Until next week: Keep the water boilin' !

Yet Another Side of Lindstrom

I have long left the thought of sleep behind on this dull April Monday morning, contemplating the week-end's rewarding proceedings, trying to balance them against its equally disconcerting setbacks. I was hoping Lindstrom would help me dilute my story with his hazy shades of Norse electronica, his spectral take on space disco conveying a stillness that always seems timeless, frozen. Like the sun outside, Lindstrom would shine without intensity or warmth.


I was dead wrong, and I'm rightly pissed.

Lindstrom went apeshit with his new 2x12", Another Side of Lindstrom, it seems. He seriously funked things up a notch, bringing in bigger badder beats and more variation than I ever thought possible on a Lindstrom record. This disco storm landed straight on my unsuspecting ears, pulling me out of my self-pitying stretch along the way. Where are those unfulfilling build ups, so reminiscent of everyday life? How the hell am I supposed to be a troubled artist now, Lindsy, listening to this groovy monster collection of hits?

Let me put it this way: I want to go plant flowers and dance in the morning dew. How am I supposed to fit that in with my busy schedule of brooding and hard drinking, pal?

Nevertheless, our favorite multi-instrumentalist from Oslo shows he's got the skills to pay the bills, and as rumor has it he needs to pay them bills bad, so he's put about every instrument imaginable to work on this record. Perhaps the absence of usual production partner Prins Thomas explains the record's lack of floating futuristic dramatics or bubbly overbearing peppiness, as well as its sharper focus on pure grooves?

Whatever the case may be, fans of future jazz, space disco, post-funk and electro acid soul suicide conga (why not!), go grab these monster plates of solid gold vinyl booty shakers while they're still red hot.

Recommended to fans of Buddy Rich, Isaac Hayes, Uzeb and The New Deal. NOT for tortured souls.

Night Vision 1.09

(Co-written with Clifford Brown)

Unfortunately, no one we know died and came back to life over the week-end: Electro-Easter is definitely over, and things are starting to quiet down.

Since we have a reputation as "out-of-control-clubbers" to maintain, now that we're on MySpace, we'll find something loud worth doing over the week-end anyway, even if options are a bit limited.

So, don't despair, and try our new Night Vision Lite.

News en Vrac

We don't have much to report this week, so let's keep it short: Picnik Électronik season will start on Sunday May 21st with a yet to be revealed guest, Stephan Bodzin will be at Balroom on the same day, and it looks like Diplo will be coming over for a visit in July to make you move your feet to his dancehall beat. That's it.

Now, for a brief look at the coming week…


Thursday 20/04

Cherry Cola visists Parking's Overdose for what is sure to be a highly colorful evening. His name should be "Crazy Cola" and he'll be ending the night in pure delight.


Friday 21/04

Not much going on, except for the always reliable pairing of Aria residents Marco G and Kal, who will be at the helm at the afterhour club from 2am onward. $10 at the door.


Saturday 22/04

For those in need of sugar-coating your electro with trance, Sander Kleinenberg will be appearing at Stereo along with local DJ XL.


Sunday 23/04

It's Frigid's birthday at Parking, with guests Mekanik, Maïté & Plastik Patrik. He turns 30 and has promised to drink all the beverages you'll buy him. Watch him crawl on the dancefloor for fun times !!

At Balroom, Sean Kosa & Bender return with their usual No Excuse night.


Next Week

Laurent Garnier Overdoses at Parking with Mini on Thursday and the Quattro boys return to Stereo on Friday. Also: another off-season event for Picnik, who return with La Cabane à Sucre Electronik on Saturday.


Later On

April:
27 – Laurent Garnier & Mini @ Parking (Overdose)
28 – Quattrophonic 7 @ Stereo
29 – Cabane à Sucre Electronik
29 – Mini, G O'Brien, X-Cube & Axel Klein @ Velvet

May:
06 – Tiga & Thomas Von Party @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
09 – Pink Mountaintops @ Sala Rossa
12 – Kick le Clavein @ Théâtre Plaza (Robeat)
12 – MSTRKRFT, Jordan Dare & Bliss @ La SAT (Voyeur)
17 – Depeche Mode @ Centre Bell
18 – Zombie Nation @ Parking (Overdose)
19 – Alex Bau @ Aria
19 – Architecture In Helsinki @ La Sala Rossa
19 – Electro-Chic 7 @ La SAT
20 – Headman, Thomas Von Party & Sean Kosa @ ? (I Love Neon)
21 – Piknic Electronik
21 – Stephan Bodzin, Sean Kosa & Bender @ Balroom (No Excuse)
31 – Modeselektor (Live) (Mutek)

June:
01 – Alex Under (Mutek)
02 – Guido Schneider (Mutek)
10 – I Love Montréal, 2è Édition
10 – Nostalgia
16 – Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
17 – Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
21 – Madonna @ Centre Bell
23 – Blondie & The (New) Cars @ Centre Bell
23 – I Love Neon: Kitsuné (w/Boys Noize & Cajuan) @ ? (I Love Neon)
24 – DJ Dan @ Aria
29 – The Hacker @ Parking (Overdose)

July:
07 – Jamie Lidell @ Club Soda (Festival de Jazz)
07 – John Tejada, Mossa & Jon Schmidt @ ? (DiskHo)
08 – The Juan Maclean & MSTRKRFT @ Club Soda (Jazz)
15 – Diplo, CSS & Blonde Do Role @ La Sala Rossa

September:
15 – John Dahlbäck & Jeff Grosse (DiskHo)
21 – Miss Kittin @ Parking (Overdose)
22 – Detroit Grand Pubahs @ Cabaret Music-Hall

October:
04 – Uffie @ ? (Pop Montréal)


Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

The DFA Remixes, Chapter One

We all remember Superstar James Murphy from his role as lovable detective Stan Switek from TV's Miami Vice, but where he and his production partner Tim Goldsworthy really shine is behind the mixing desk of their NYC studio.


The LCD Soundsystem frontman and Tim are back with yet another promising record. It's called The DFA Remixes and it's full of, well, Remixes made by the DFA duo.

Death From Above, when they're not busy getting their name stolen by crazy Canadians, put out some of the best and most innovative remixes out there. Their post-apocalyptic disco punk demolition derby takes pop and not-so-pop music to intriguing and unexpected places, bringing the "More Cowbell!" philosophy to a new level, perhaps only equaled in their determination to revive dead percussive instruments by the Chicken Lips. And you know what? We want more.

The first volume in this new series of compilation assembles a few of their most notorious remixes in non chronological order, so you don't get just a record full of 'old stuff'. In fact, several of the tracks included here can still be frequently heard on dance floors worldwide, and some haven't even begun to get some serious play yet.


Several superior tracks have made the cut: the luscious too-sexy-for-Le Tigre version of "Deceptacon", the massive Soulwax dancefloor killer "Another Excuse", and the highly emotive remix of Hot Chip's "Breakdown", a track that simply eclipses the band's already solid original.

In fact, apart for perhaps DFA's retooling of the Chemical Brothers "The Boxer", there isn't a bad song on there. The casual LCD Soundsystem fan should however note that some of the tracks are quite long, bordering on ten minutes, and although they retain a certain post-funk vibe à la LCD they tend to run off towards – dare I say it – backgroundish ambient funk. Not bad, but it might not be what you were expecting and might require a little effort on your part.

What's nice about this record is that it does a good job of collecting DFA remixes that, unless you've been on the cutting-edge of music collecting for the last few years, have become hard to find or are only available on vinyl. Well worth picking up for any DFA enthusiast out there, if only to have these tracks on CD.

The Resurrection of Tommie Sunshine

Tommie Sunshine swung by Montréal's Temple of Sound last Sunday, make sure us Montrealers had at least one viable alternative to the Bal en Blanc.

Romeo Kardec opened with a tight, if somewhat uneventful electro set. The party picked up a bit when Sunshine took over, although never quite reaching the intensity I was hoping for despite the vigor of his electro mixture. A good vibe, but not a great one, and a lot of my friends ultimately decided to retire to the bar area and prepare their departure.

They opted to make tracks when the dance floor was starting to empty itself on its own and the club was beginning to feel like it would close down at any moment.

I think Tommie didn't like my friends too much, because as soon as they were gone he dropped Goldfrapp's "Ride on a White Horse" thereby resurrecting the dead dancers that littered the room. He continued for two hours with one unknown insane electro killer track after another, kicking the party into overdrive. It was pure madness, bordering on genius.

The evening concluded with Annie's "Heartbeat", followed by Uffie's floaty "Pop the Glock". A short encore gave us the occasion to hear a remix of the new Pet Shop Boys single, "I'm with Stupid", and a mellow rock track as a closer.

I might've been disappointed if it wasn't for the last two hours, but Tommie's selection seriously kicked ass. No regrets in regard to this great evening at Stereo.

Aria: 5 Years & Still Going On Strong

For me, Aria's history dates back to a time when the building still served its original purpose as a movie theatre. Dancing my nights away in the same hall where I once saw Jackie Brown has always retained a certain charm for me. Yes, I'm getting old, nostalgic even, but one thing's for sure: I'm hooked on Aria.


The famed afterhour nightclub turned five last week-end. A two-night event was booked to underline the occasion, presenting a grand total of 15 of Aria's past and present resident DJs in the venue's main room.

Friday night's line up unquestionably delivered the goods: Mini, Marco G, Mateo Murphy, Yaz, Kal, an unscheduled appearance by King Louis, G O'Brien, Nick Pilon and Wizz. Each captured the crowd's attention with rock-hard sets that showcased their respective styles well while retaining a strong electro-tech vibe all the way thru to the end of G O'Brien's set. Nick Pilon continued with his own brand of trance to great effect, as usual. Yaz dropped a particularly effective set, and hopefully we'll get to hear more from him soon.

On Saturday, I was told when leaving that the party in the urban room stole the show, which perhaps explained why the main floor lacked the little extra punch it usually packs. Miguel Graça, Nic B, Luc Raymond, Creator, and two special guests (you had to be there!) nonetheless administered a strong dose of BPMs to the attending crowd. King Louis concluded the evening with yet another solid selection.

Both nights saw VJ Euterke cook up a visual feast on two screens, perhaps bridging the gap between the club's past and present functions along the way.

Happy 5th birthday Aria, and best wishes for the year ahead.

A Touch of Class @ La SAT

The New York-based production duo A Touch Of Class graced Montréal with an astonishing DJ set last Saturday night at La SAT. The affair, orchestrated by I Love Neon, also showcased locals Dr. Octoboobies & Jordan Dare.


Dare's set was similar to the one he presented at Parking last Thursday, and certainly as efficient a warm up as one could hope for.


Oliver "Class" Stumm and Domie "Le Touch" Clausen effortlessly subjugated the crowd with an assorted mix of old and new, where the Miamesque synths of Williams crashed wonderfully into the rock anthems of Blur or The Clash. Even Zdar's oft-neglected reggaes didn't seem out of place.

From rock to disco, to electro and funk – we got a little bit of everything, always served with A Touch of Class by the expert selectors from NYC, who certainly know how to keep a party going on strong all night long.

Missed ATOC? Check out their "A Touch of Class Vol. 12" mix on their web site – it's very close in spirit to what they played at La SAT, and you can download it for free!

Jordan Dare @ Parking

Last Thursday's Overdose night at Parking marked the return of Neon resident Jordan Dare to the Amherst street venue's sweaty electro weekly.


Sean Kosa recently dubbed Jordan Dare "The Prince of Darkness" in a radio interview, a label that fits him well since he regularly sets dancefloors on fire, turning them into Dante-worthy infernos. Well, last Thursday was no different and while he's not quite done with the disco-punk yet, it does look like he's pulled some major electro hitters back into his set.


It was quite a nice surprise to hear Xenia Beliayeva's "Prototype" follow The Hacker's "Flesh & Bone". The Futurehead's underplayed "Hounds of Love" concluded my very nice evening at Parking, burying the cold season's morose atmosphere with it and ushering in the week-end of insane clubbing that comes every Easter.

Night Vision 1.08

(Co-written with Clifford Brown)

Last week was almost quiet. Almost, but not quite tranquil either as we still managed to catch Mini at Parking, Marco G & Miguel Graça at Aria, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and a few beers at Foufs along the way.

Easter is coming along in a few days and of course this means that *the big week* is finally here: Aria's 5th Aniversary week-end, and the big electro double-bill at Balroom & Stereo on Sunday.

So here's yet another edition of "The City That Just Won't Quit".

News en Vrac

A new clubs for ladies who love ladies will open its doors on Amherst, at 1295, really close to the Parking and currently renovated Parking Lounge. It will be a gorgeous space dedicated to women lovin' and will welcome females only on Fridays & Saturdays, just like Parking does with men during the same days. The music will probably be different depending on the evenings, since it will mostly be Eve DJ's spinning ! Check out the place, it's supposed to be quite nice, and if you're a boy you're welcome to show up on Thursdays !

On May 12th, the Robeat crew throws a party called Kick... le Clavecin @ Théâtre Plaza. This place is underexploited and the setting is really nice. There's a renaissance theme and you can expect some dark discothèque grooves and a huge party vibe. Guests include FancyFhreek, Deebacc, Robeat, VJ Akolad and our very own DJ Clifford Brown! More on that one later.


We learned that on May 18th, Mini's Overdose will be visited by John Starlight, aka Zombie Nation, for what will probably be a hard-ass electro set that you will not soon forget ! Last time he was in town, for Halloween '04, he showed up with his zombie mask and had to remove it after a few tracks because the place litterally BOILED !

On June 10th, if you're already planning what you'll be doing then, another edition of Nostalgia will be taking place at Centre Fractal. If you've ever been to one of their parties, you know what to expect : underage ravers, schoolgirls & boys, retarded dance music from the 90's and one of the best vibes around. Last time around I ended the night slow dancing to the sound of Guns n' Roses "Don't Cry", completely wasted and on the verge of tears.

Also on June 10th, there will be a second edition of I Love Montréal, a big loft party featuring some of the best DJs Montréal has to offer: Axel Klein, Creator, Mateo Murphy, Maus, Mini, Nivoc, X-Cube & Yaz. More info coming soon.

A new list of "confirmed" Mutek appearances has been revealed. Among the additions to the pre-existing line-up: Eliot Lipp, Guido Schneider, Hrdvsion, Mike Shannon featuring Anaïs & Tim Bones, Pole & Band, Sensors_Sonics_Sights & Skoltz_Kolgen. Thomas Brinkmann is no longer listed amongst the confirmed guests.

So, what about this week?


Thursday 13/04
Parking's Overdose welcomes Jordan Dare, exactly six months after his last appearance there. He's Montreal's kingpin of dark electro, Sean Kosa calls him the "Prince of Darkness", and there's a reason why you see / hear him everywhere these days. Some may argue that they often hear the same set whenever they see him, but does he have any time AT ALL to buy new records with all the gigs he's getting ?! Find out what's the new stuff he has to offer to help you twist your ankles on the dancefloor because you had way too many drinks !

Legend Frankie Knuckles will be appearing at Unity II in what promises to be a sweaty, soulful and piano-filled evening. If you're not familiar with the guy, NOW would be a good time to start, as he has litterally CREATED house music. We don't call him the "Godfather of House" for no reason, fools! Robert Owens, Loose Joints, David Morales and everybody alive have collaborated with the man, so go on and pay your respects!


On the italo-jockish techno side of town, maestro Benny Benassi's playing at Millennium, and those who've heard him before know he can be mean and melodic. His grinding analog attacks aren't tender on any sound system. He has already made a tour of every jock's car stereo a couple of summers ago with "Satisfaction", and it's too bad he always plays at Millenium or Red Lite. Let us know when he plays in a respectable venue, please.

Friday 14/04
It's Aria's birthday! The Rue Saint-Denis afterhour club is already celebrating its fifth year and they're doing it with style, bringing back the Aria residents who helmed some of the best parties the city has had to offer since 2001. On the bill this Friday, starting at 2am: Mini, Marco G, Mateo Murphy, Yaz, Kal, G O'Brien, Nick Pilon, Wizz & visuals by VJ Euterke. It's a deal, it's a steal: for $10, you can't afford not to collect them all.


A few blocks down the street, Stereo welcomes Sean Kosa, Bender & Philgood for a 100% electro evening.


Saturday 15/04
Directly from Sweden, The Sounds play Théâtre National for a mere 20$ at the door. They've been compared to Blondie, except they're not has beens, and their killer melodies will haunt you forever - almost as long, actually, as the two smokin' hot chicks they put on the cover of their latest CD, "Dying to Say This to You". Morningwood opens.


Domie le Touch and Oliver T. Class, from New York's branch of the Belgium label ATOC, are in town once again to set the SAT's dancefloor on fire with their incredibly fast mixing techniques and soul torturing selection. They mix disco with rock, electro, funk, and house, and will make you get down and beg you've known them before. For a shitload of free mixes that'll teach you how to behave in public, how to shave your armpits and how to act like a man while wearing a vintage Armani disco suit, go to their website. Dr. Octoboobies & Jordan Dare open. 10$ in advance in selected retail outlets, and 15$ at the door.

For the late night crowd, a second night of celebrating is taking place at Aria for the club 5 year anniversary. Like Friday, they're bringing back several Aria residents for a ridiculous price: $15 for guys, $5 for gals. It all starts at 2am. Guests include: Miguel Graça, Nic B, Luc Raymond, Creator, King Louis, visuals by VJ Euterke and two undisclosed guests from Aria's former resident pool. Not to be missed!


Sunday 16/04
Easter Sunday! One of THE big club nights in Montréal, with the Bal en Blanc raging on at Palais des Congrès and most clubs offering up nice alternatives to the big commercial rave. As you might've guessed our first pick is not the Bal, but the Balroom (no relation).

Balroom's No Excuse night will welcome NYC's DJ Unknown, who will be supported by residents Bender & Sean Kosa. Those wishing to continue the festivities will be offered a reduced entry to Stereo, where Romeo Kardec will warm up the room for NYC's Tommie Sunshine! A promising evening indeed!


Balroom costs $10 on pre-sale at Moog Audio, $15 at the door. A bit steep, yes, but remember you're getting a reduced entry to Stereo. As far as the cost of getting into Stereo, expect anything between $15-$30 – I don't have any further info at this point, so I'm playing it safe…


Wednesday 19/04
Ladytron will appear at Club Soda in their trademark "we don't give a shit about you or the money you paid for our three albums" attitude. Expect some stiff figures standing behind their keyboards and not enjoying what they play, and expect to regret whatever price you'll pay for your ticket. At least, The Presets are opening, and they should be worth it !


Next Week
Noting worthy of mention so far... but if you keep your ears in the wind and your eyes popped open by this especially effective speed pill you swallowed ten days ago, we'll keep you updated about the local music mafia's whereabouts.


Later On

April:
22 – Sander Kleinenberg @ Stereo
27 – Laurent Garnier & Mini @ Parking (Overdose)
28 – Quattrophonic 7 @ Stereo
29 – Cabane à Sucre Electronik
29 – Mini, G O'Brien, X-Cube & Axel Klein @ Velvet

May:
06 – Tiga & Thomas Von Party @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
09 – Pink Mountaintops @ Sala Rossa
12 – Kick le Clavein @ Théâtre Plaza (Robeat)
12 – MSTRKRFT, Jordan Dare & Bliss @ La SAT (Voyeur)
17 – Depeche Mode @ Centre Bell
18 – Zombie Nation @ Parking (Overdose)
19 – Alex Bau @ Aria
19 – Architecture In Helsinki @ Sala Rossa
19 – Electro-Chic 7 @ La SAT
20 – Headman, Thomas Von Party & Sean Kosa @ ? (I Love Neon)
28 – Piknic Electronik
31 – Modeselektor (Live) (Mutek)

June:
01 – Alex Under (Mutek)
02 – Guido Schneider (Mutek)
10 – I Love Montréal, 2è Édition
10 – Nostalgia
16 – Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
17 – Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
21 – Madonna @ Centre Bell
22 – Boys Noize @ ? (To be Confirmed…)
23 – Blondie & The (New) Cars @ Centre Bell
24 – DJ Dan @ Aria
24 – I Love Neon: La St-Jean avec Kitsuné (w/Cajuan) @ ? (I Love Neon)
29 – The Hacker @ Parking (Overdose)

July:
07 – Jamie Lidell @ Club Soda (Festival de Jazz)
07 – John Tejada, Mossa & Jon Schmidt @ ? (DiskHo)
08 – The Juan Maclean & MSTRKRFT @ Club Soda (Jazz)

September:
15 – John Dahlbäck & Jeff Grosse (DiskHo)
21 – Miss Kittin @ Parking (Overdose)
22 – Detroit Grand Pubahs @ Cabaret Music-Hall

October:
04 – Uffie @ ? (Pop Montréal)


Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

Let the Sunshine in

Tommie Sunshine is perhaps Montréal's favorite bearded weirdo. He has visited us a few times already and it's always been a blast. A few months ago he headlined the first in a new series of Voyeur monthlies at La SAT. Expectations were high and Tommie delivered the goods, blowing the roof off the place along the way with a solid DJ set ranging from harder electro to his own brand of rocked up mayhem.


If you attend electro events you've probably heard his voice echo the lyrics to last year's dancefloor hit "Time Slide By", by Les Visiteurs (Boris Dlugosh & Michi Lange), a wonderfully nostalgic electro track well suited for those long summer sunsets lost in the haze of cheap alcohol and dehydration.

Tommie's likely to score another hit this year: He recently collaborated with Systematic label-owner Marc Romboy on a new track called "Bodyjack". The song, which also feature's Tommie's voice, appears on Romboy's fresh album, Gemini. With any luck, phat synths and Tommie's distinctive lyrical style are likely to guarantee the track quite a lot of play over the warm season.


Tommie doesn't limit his activities to deejaying, singing or producing: he's also a well-established remixer, confirming his status as a multi-trick poney and granting him an awful lot of street cred in Tijuana along the way, no doubt.

As a matter of fact it seems like every trendy rock band out there is eager to let their songs be remixed by the crazy New Yorker. If truth be told, even the not-so-trendy rock bands sometime bask in Sunshine's glow, more often than not reaching greatness thru one of his floor-killing reworks.

Usually, this will mean throwing down phat synths over rock-ish rhythms, but Sunshine has been known to pull out some hip-house beats or early-rave era keys out of his bag from time to time. His remixing credits include: Fischerspooner, Ladytron, P.O.D., Princess Superstar, Scissor Sisters, The Faint, VHS or Beta & Yeah Yeah Yeahs.


His recent remixes for The Sounds and newcomers Shiny Toy Guns are nothing short of exceptional.

Be on the lookout for a Tommie Sunshine full-lenght album, rumored to be in the works, and a DJ mix (on Systematic) slated for release in 2006.

Tommie Sunshine will be the guest of honor at Stereo on Easter Sunday. Also on the bill at Montréal's Temple of Sound: Romeo Kardec. The evening begins at Balroom with NYC's DJ Unknown, Bender & Sean Kosa.

Cowbells & Chicken Lips for Breakfast

Chicken Lips, this most improbable Stafford-based duo composed by Andy Meecham & Dean Meredith, signed on Kingsize Records since '98, are on a roll these days.


On top of soon releasing their new album that will actually contain vocals, "Making Faces", on Adrift Records, they recently released a shitload of hot remixes, among them tracks for Morcheeba & Madonna, but the ones that stand up are definitly their rework of Tiga's "Far From Home" and the Bell X1 track "Flame", which they turned into a funky disco overdose !

The two remixes may appear like they sound alike, but they don't. You never know what to expect from the Lips : they tamed down Ignition's "Love is War" with a soft acidic odyssey last year, but made Land Shark's "Tie me Up" most memorable by adding a killer 80's house synth line to the song. Their contribution to the DJ Kicks series was, let's say it, rather strange. Looking at the track listing made me want to call myself an idiot because I didn't know 90% of the songs or artists !


Bell X1 is a band from Ireland that made it big with their album "Flock", released in 2005. They would probably have remained relatively unknown around these parts if it weren't for the "Flame" 12" they released last month on Island. I have not heard the original track; Solid Groove do a honest house job with their nice remix on the flipside, but it's really the Lips' version on the A side that kicks you in the nuts with a solid vocal melody and a dirty, low and funky bassline - peppered with cowbell, of course ! Apparently, the track is an hommage to the Talking Heads, so if anybody can help me understand that, well, go ahead.


Tiga's "Far From Home" has seen an impressive army of remixers play around with its elements; Digitalism have put in their original robotic basslines and vocoderised the chorus, while DFA slowed the pace down and added... cowbell. The Chicken Lips have taken it a notch further in their personal disco-funk realm, with yet another dirty bassline - that's actually impossible to forget; it's simple, yet effective, and makes you irresistibly want to boogie down - and, well, cowbell.


The Chicken Lips are actually one of the few acts still remixing like crazy these days, and that you know the second you hear their productions that these guys are actually real jokers. Their sense of humor permeates their tracks, and they also have an ear highly developped to track down, duplicate and replicate funk !



If you're looking for a human side to all the robotic laments that today's electro has to propose, check these guys out; they're worth it !

Night Vision 1.07

(Co-written with Clifford Brown)

Alright, we've been slacking off: we know. I guess it's all those deep bass sounds from Mateo set at La SAT that are still reverberating thru our brains, preventing us to contribute anything worthwhile to anything. Well… except the general public's state of intoxication, I guess.

Nevertheless, we've still got our Night Vision to share - read on…

News En Vrac

Unless you've been living under a rock you know that Madonna will be stopping in Montréal for her Confessions tour on June 21st at Centre Bell. What you may not know is that Indochine will be in town for 2 nights during Les FrancoFolies on June 16 and 17 at Metropolis. Great news !

We were kind of starting to wonder what would be going on for Québec's national holiday and what is likely to be our first pick (hey ! still almost 3 months to go !) has just been announced : I Love Neon presents La St-Jean avec Kitsuné. A little bird told me the event would be featuring Cajuan, whose current hit "Dance Not Dance" gets quite a lot of play at Neon events. Who else is coming over on June 24th to get our feet moving remains to be seen, but the French label that gave us Digitalism sure do have some firepower, such as Cosmo Vitelli, Palermo Disko Machine, Play Paul, Popular Computer, Tomboy & Tom Vek. They all recently released gem tracks through the label, making this night which should not be missed.

Also: Boys Noize will possibly be in the area around that time, so keep your fingers crossed for their possible visit to Montréal.

Here's some bad news: looks like Freeform Five will NOT be stopping over in Montréal after all. Too bad: until next time !

Looks like Thursday the 13th will be a busy night for clubbers in Montréal as the Bal en Blanc proposes two simultaneous nights, further cementing Montréal's growing reputation as the capital of house music, as the legendary Frankie Knuckles will be appearing at Unity II for a sweaty night of piano-filled house while the italo-jockish maestro Benny Benassi takes over the decks at Millennium.

Bal en Blanc will also bring you David Guetta at the Bal's "after after" party, during the day on Monday, once again at Parking: shirtless guys and sweat – work it!

Mike Shannon, an ex montrealer, has been added to the Mutek bill of guests and he is scheduled to play both Salon Daomé on May 30th and the June 4th night at Mutek.

Oh, and like we "revealed" last week: Detroit Grand Pubahs (along with Danny Lutz and possibly Chromeo) & Miss Kittin are coming for a visit in September ! Well, that is if nothing gets cancelled along the way, and since we've been getting quite a lot of cancellations lately all around town we better keep our fingers crossed, knocking on wood, and sleep in a chalk circle while we're at it since Zombie Nation are also coming over for a visit on May 18th at Parking, and you know that them Zombies can bring about some bad ass mojo'.

As the cherry on top of al already very promising cake, we just got word that DISKHO scored big this week : they confirmed two gigs taking place in the next few months. The first one, a Statik night on July 7th, will feature Mossa, Jon Schmidt and, for the first time ever in montreal, Poker Flat's John Tejada !! You can expect some seriously deep metronomical beats and, most likely, a little bit of sweat on the walls... Then, on Sept. 15th, a Clinik night will get us Jeff Grosse and fuckin' John Dahlback !! These are extremely good news for the scene, and those of you who are familiar with Dahlback know how prolific and FEROCIOUS he is. Bring your earplugs, folks !

Not enough? Get ready to Uff on October 4, as Pop Montréal is bringing us sensational newcomer Uffie! Watch out for her tracks "Pop the Glock" & "Ready to Uff", which have gotten her quite a lot of attention over the last few months.

Now, what the hell is going on this week ?


Thursday 06/04

Overdose takes a guest break and Mini will be alone with her decks for five delicious hours at Parking.

Sarcastic, Tony Ezzy featuring Zark 22, Sean Kosa & Hatchmatik are sharing the Technics at Saphir's Mix Thursday.



Saturday 08/04
You might be tempted to scream Aoutch ! if you go to Club Soda as the Lesbians on Ecstasy, Frigid and Dr. Octoboobies (better know as "Crazy Raf" from the now defunct Mirror nightlife column Disko Akimbo) will invade the space and make lots of noise.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs kick shit at Metropolis to promote their new album "Show Your Bones" and let's just hope that Karen is not too wasted to sing this time around.

There is a "Push n' Pull" evening at 7154 St-Urbain featuring Sean Kosa, No Way Pack and Des Anes & des Machines. It's only five bucks, starts at 23h and is most likely to last all night long. Have a blast!


For the late night crowd: Stereo proposes Victor Calderone while Circus offers us Robbie Rivera, both offering beats suited for anyone fancying warmer house music. Aria should not be neglected either, as Marco G & Maus always know how to rock the house big time, and retain my vote just because, well, they're that good.


Sunday 09/04
Piknic Électronik à Tremblant is taking place during the day, with Frivolous, Eloi Brunelle and a Motuf 3F's Bingo Électronik.


After sundown, Bender & Sean Kosa's Balroom night goes on a on and on and never let's anyone down down down. Check'em out at Balroom.


Next Week
Easter explosion !!! Some key words : ATOC, booze, Tommie Sunshine, mini skirts, DJ Unknown, sports cars, Jordan Dare, ecstasy, Guru, paid holiday, tourists. Damn !


Later On

April:
13 – Frankie Knuckles @ Unity II (Bal En Blanc)
13 – Jordan Dare @ Parking (Overdose)
14 – Aria 5th Aninversary Week-End @ Aria
14 – Sean Kosa, Bender & Philgood @ Stereo
15 – Aria 5th Aninversary Week-End @ Aria
15 – A Touch of Class & Jordan Dare @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
15 – The Sounds @ Théâtre National
16 – DJ Unknown, Bender & Kosa @ Balroom (No Excuse combo)
16 – Tommie Sunshine & Romeo Kardec @ Stereo (No Excuse)
17 – David Guetta (Bal Afterparty) @ Parking (Bal en Blanc)
19 – Ladytron & The Presets @ Club Soda
22 – Sander Kleinenberg @ Stereo
27 – Laurent Garnier & Mini @ Parking (Overdose)
28 – Quattrophonic 7 @ Stereo
29 – Cabane à Sucre Electronik
29 – Mini, G O'Brien, X-Cube & Axel Klein @ Velvet

May:
06 – Tiga & Thomas Von Party @ La SAT (I Love Neon)
09 – Pink Mountaintops @ Sala Rossa
12 – MSTRKRFT @ La SAT (Voyeur)
17 – Depeche Mode @ Centre Bell
18 – Zombie Nation @ Parking (Overdose)
19 – Architecture In Helsinki @ Sala Rossa
19 – Electro-Chic 7 @ La SAT
20 – Headman @ ? (I Love Neon)
28 – Piknic Electronik
31 – Modeselektor (Live) (Mutek)

June:
01 – Alex Under (Mutek)
02 – Guido Schneider (Mutek)
16 – Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
17 – Indochine @ Metropolis (FrancoFolies)
21 – Madonna @ Centre Bell
22 – Boys Noize @ ? (To be Confirmed…)
23 – Blondie & The (New) Cars @ Centre Bell
24 – DJ Dan @ Aria
24 – I Love Neon: La St-Jean avec Kitsuné (w/Cajuan) @ ?
29 – The Hacker @ Parking (Overdose)

July:
07 – Jamie Lidell @ Club Soda (Festival de Jazz)
07 – John Tejada, Mossa & Jon Schmidt @ ? (DiskHo)
08 – The Juan Maclean & MSTRKRFT @ Club Soda (Jazz)

September:
15 – John Dahlbäck & Jeff Grosse (DiskHo)
21 – Miss Kittin @ Parking (Overdose)
22 – Detroit Grand Pubahs @ Cabaret Music-Hall

October:
04 – Uffie @ ? (Pop Montréal)


Until next week: Keep the fire burnin' !

Voyeur 03 & Aria

April first was no fool's day as it was indeed time for yet another edition of the Voyeur monthly event at La SAT.


This third installment of the new Voyeur series featured Mateo Murphy and residents Bliss & Jordan Dare.

I got there a few minutes before midnight to an almost empty room: the dance floor was deserted, and the few people that were on the premises stuck to the sides of the room. The room in question, as it was set up, meant the front part of La SAT's ground floor. Also, the sound was HORRIBLY loud – it was impossible to communicate in any significant way with other human beings.

Despite the aforementioned unpleasantness, the part of Bliss' opening set I caught was pretty solid, electro as hell and interesting as always. Mateo Murphy began his set at midnight dropping solid groove after solid groove nonstop 'til 1:30. Luckily, a reasonable amount of people finally came in at around half past midnight and the party picked up, giving some meaning to Mateo's electro-tech onslaught.



I only caught the beginning of Jordan Dare's closing set, and it seemed to be heading in the same direction as his recent performances: back to back rock infused, disco punked electro-ish hits. Not exactly my cup of tea, and since I've heard that set quite often recently, I decided to leave, much to the wonder of the staff who seemed puzzled by my early departure.



Anyhow, I heard Maus was playing at Aria that night and I decided to check it out. Creator was also on the bill and for some reason I really got into his grooves this time around. Usually, the later half of his opening sets are too harsh for my tastes, but that time I really got into it all the way. Cool!

After Creator was done, King Louis showed up to play a few records and provided a perfect transition into Maus' set, which was excellent as usual: a highly musical and sophisticated experience, mostly centered on minimal/tech-house with a few visits in electro-land.

It was a very good night at Aria once again, and overall a pleasant evening.

That's it for now: time to catch some sleep!