Night Vision 1.32

Awright - don't get too desperate. I know there are only a few sunny days left, and that these leaves are turning orange, and that these damn buses are PACKED and WACKED, but you gotta remain calm. You ain't going nowhere without a drink.

If it's too dark for you to see, a strobe light will illuminate your path. And if you don't know where you left your friends, follow the signals from the mirror balls as they guide you through a rather hectic dancefloor.

Last week's wickedness

On Friday, G O'Brien dropped at massive set at Aria. Deliz, AKA Jason Delis, proceeded to rock the house. Unfortunately, it looks like the UQAM-kids who showed up en masse weren't the type of folk who stay up really, really, really late. The place emptied at around six, despite the awesome music.

Saturday, Green Velvet was back in Montréal's big room at Aria. Creator opened with a very solid, dark set just like I like them.

The room was far from being packed when Green Velvet got on - I guess that's what doing ZERO promotion gets you - but the vibe was there. Green Velvet displayed his VERY SOLID mixing skills, and even sang La La Land for us. Great stuff all the way through! Miguel Graça played some cool beats as a closer, but again the room emptied early on during his set.

What was there to do ? Rain ruined Saturday's Piknic, and Sunday's was cancelled by mistake because it was a pretty fine day. Except for the wind. Luckily, the event was moved to Balroom where A Guy Called Gerald and Claude Vonstroke proceeded to rock the crowd with massive a surprising tech beats.

On Monday, the first edition of Extend was a roar, with a fine mix of scenesters, friends & insiders. Romeo Kardec offered us a kick-ass set and it seems like we'll have plenty of good times there in the coming weeks.


News en vrac

Voyeur 09 has been postponed. Dunno why yet, but let's hope it's for the best !

A venue has finally be announced for DiskHo's next party : Trentemoller will knock your socks off at the 5th floor loft of Musée Juste Pour Rire on Oct. 27th. I'm SO there !

We don't do things sloppily and I'm glad to announce that my guest for Extend's Halloween party on Oct. 30th is none else than fuckin' Plastique de Rêve, a.k.a. DJ Daze, a.k.a. every acid lover's dream. Spending his sweet time between Geneva, Berlin & Florida, Plastique will stop at my night as part of his North American tour. Expect a blast !

As if there wasn't enough already enough shit to do on Oct. 27th, Afrika Bambaataa will also stop by Montreal to teach our booties how to move, at Les Saints.


Thursday 28/09

Jordan Dare, whom you might have heard described as Montreal's dark electro prince, will teach these newcomers a lesson or two at Mini's Overdose. With drinks as cheap as 3$, you can rightfully expect MAYHEM.


Carl Cox, the legend, at Stereo. Special treat for special freaks. Mark Lewis opens, XL closes. Doors at midnight - Carl is supposed to go on from 1:30 onwards.

Over at Mix Thursdays, at Saphir, there's something worthy going on on two floors : Max Miles Vs Fu Ancko, Dave O'Brien Vs Axel Klein, Deliz Vs Omni, and Hatchmatik & Bonjay.

At Cabaret, a Triple 5 Soul showcase brings you Benji B, Ge-Ology, Team Canada - two incredible guys whose mash-ups will make you tear your heart out while breakin' on your head - and Hollertronix' Low Budget.


Friday 29/09

At Academy, another fine Soirée Risquée goes on with The Mole, Stephen Beaupré & Vincent Lemieux.

If you're cool enough to go the Old Montreal route, head over to Velvet, where X-Cube will play his delectable electro - all night !

Sean Kosa will be at the Freehouse Lounge.

Israel's insanely popular Infected Mushrooms will play a no doubt sold-out audience at Opera. These guys are AWESOME live, so take note.

And later, further into the night, Nick Pilon, Rickam & Clown play Aria, offering up yet more psytrance for those of us who'll want a proper place to boogie down after Infected Mushrooms. Word on the street is that some special out-of-town guests may just show up...


Saturday 30/09

The fourth edition of Extension takes place at Main Hall, with Mighty Kat, Nathan Burns, Fu Ancko, Marcelo, Kasteniede and Mono-Stick. School daze...

It's time to celebrate Marco G's birthday at Aria! Maus opens, and the birthday boy closes.


Sunday 01/10

It would be a crime to stay home :

Covenant & guests invade Les Saints for an industrio-goth dancedown !

Ladytron and guests CSS play Metropolis !

Dirty Dan is Mary Hell & Sunday Luv's guest for Beat me Up at Saphir !

No Excuse rages on at Balroom !

And finally, my personal pick, the DFA Dance Party takes place at SAT - where else ? - with DJ sets by Beats in Space's Tim Sweeney, LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, and Markus Lambkin, a.k.a. Shit Robot. Come on over and shake it, shake it ! The vent also doubles as the official Ladytron afterparty!


Monday 02/10

Frigid launches his album, "Bedroom Sessions", at Le National.



Extend hosts a special redheads party, with Marinelli, Sean Kosa & myself, at Academy. You're red and you've got the blues ? Dunno what to do of your Monday ? Wanna get laid ? We heard that fire crotches were usually pretty hot stuff, and easy to bed since they're constantly ON FIRE !! Call the fire department, motherfuckers ! Free entrance for redheads.


Tuesday 03/10

Vincent Lemieux & Poontz get Dizzy at Academy. 'Nuff said !

Telefunk takes place at Daome a few blocks down on Mont-Royal, with Nathan Burns & Soundshaper.


Wednesday 04/10

Been a while since we mentioned our fine friends at Coconutz. Feel rather laidback after this prolonged week-end of insane partying ? Appreciate the grooves in a laidback setting, my friend.


Next week

More parties. Pop Montreal. Extend : Porn Edition. The Pet Shop Boys ?


Until then, keep a smile on your face and don't be shy to ask the bartender out.

Everybody Loves Cox

His aim is clear - to get you to play a part in the celebration that is dancing and to get you to belong to that long-lost tribe of global party people oldschool ravers used to dream about.


Times have changed, the melody has progressed, but Carl Cox remains its ultimate conductor.

Carl Cox grew up around London, but more importantly around music – specifically soul, and later disco. At fifteen, he had already started to DJ but it wasn't until the mid-'80s arrival of acid house that he found his true musical direction. He and other London pioneers brought the sound of windy city to the UK, which eventually took solid roots through the burgeoning M1 rave circuit.

From then on, Carl Cox's career becomes the stuff of legend: from the morning set at Sunrise which earned him the "Three Deck Wizard" nickname, to his Love Parade appearance in front of 1.5 Million partygoers. Carl Cox truly has done it all, along the way taking home the respect and admiration of both fans and peers.

His gentlemanly attitude, irresistibly charming gap-toothed smile and his inimitable way of soulfully intermingling house & techno have conquered all, turning even the harshest party-crashers into funky dance machines for the duration of his sets. Perhaps that's why they also call him "The People's DJ" – the man simply won't be satisfied until everyone's having a good time.

Such is the mark of a truly successful DJ – to transcend the boundaries of genres and to get folks to leave all their troubles behind and party.

Forget about a global underground – welcome to the global mainstream.

Carl Cox will be performing at Stereo on September 28th. The doors open at midnight, and the guest of honor will be performing at 1:30am. You can listen to Carl Cox's Global radio program through his website.

DFA - Episode Two: Attack of the Cowbells

Finally got over the "The DFA Remixes: Chapter One"? Just got out of cowbell rehab?


Get ready to rekindle with your addiction – Chapter Two has landed.

Cowbells, handclaps, and a whole lotta funk grooves are sure to get some feet tappin', and who could blame us for giving in to the lure of artsy post-disco? No, really – who could? And would we even consider the view of such flavorless individuals in our ongoing quest to be the trendiest hipster on the block?

LCD Soundsystem frontman Supterstar James Murphy is the coolest hipster in New York. Tim Goldsworthy, AKA "the other guy from The DFA", is the other, equally-important half of the dynamic musical duo. Extracting the essence of their late '70s/early '80s influences, they've crafted a sound which has redefined modern dance music. They've worked with everyone from Blues Explosion & Britney Spears to Soulwax & Tiga.

NERD's "She Wants to Move", presented below, is a fine example of the DFA sound, and perhaps the best track on the record:



If you're anything like me, then you can christen yourself a compulsive completist. This makes us the perfect target for a series of records such as The DFA Remixes. Chapter Two compiles DFA reworks of tracks by Chromeo, Goldfrapp, Hot Chip, Junior Senior, NERD, Nine Inch Nails, Tiga & UNKLE.

True: the tracks collected on this new record are not as obviously catchy as those presented on Chapter One. However, they're far from being just a series of leftovers: each track possesses its own unique charm, although sometimes lacking the peppiness LCD Soundsystem fans might be expecting.

Nevertheless, The DFA Remixes Chapter Two is a worthy addition to any serious dance music collector's arsenal of über-cool grooves and frankly, it would be hard not to recommend this one.

DFA are launching Chapter Two at La SAT on Sunday October 1st. James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Tim Sweeney (Beats In Space) & Markus Lambkin (Shit Robot) will be performing a triple-versus DJ set for the occasion, which doubles as the official Ladytron after-party. You can read our April article about Chapter One here.

Night Vision 1.30

(Co-written with Bruce Benson)

It's been nice seeing most of you scenesters out over the week-end. Have the promoters finally found a common ground for the heads ? Was a particular fever in the air during a couple of days ?

Who knows, and frankly, who cares ? When you're having so much fun, you forget boredom, and you forget how to be jaded - but not sleazy. This, I'm afraid, is a part of us we'll never erase.

Last Week's Wickedness

The week-end began on Thursday at Casa Del Popolo, with a very nice set by Sunbreaker, of his own tracks, followed by a performance by provocatrice extraordinaire Tranie Tronic. Too bad not many people were there to see this. At one point, a guy in the room just lost his marbles and threw a beer bottle behind the counter while screaming really loudly "Fuck you and fuck this place !", and the following fight between him and a regular was videotaped by Tranie's crew. 18+ fun !

The John Dahlback event on Friday was one not to be missed, and almost nobody missed it, in fact : everybody was there. I only heard the end of Mateo Murphy's ear-piercing set, and then Sad Mafioso blew the roof off the Fonderie. Dahlback began smoothly but picked up after about 40 minutes and the party was started again. Too bad about the sound, though. His set ended with two classic Hugg & Pepp remixes and I left exhausted, but happy.

Saturday's Piknic was almost intimate, but pretty good fun : presided by Les Chouchounes, it featured DJ sets by the Piknic guys themselves (Passepoil, Q & Coucouroucuicui) with Sean Kosa as the plat d'honneur. Sean brillantly rocked the place in his usual brutal mixing style, and fun was had by all on the dancefloor.

Later during the night, Maus played a fresh, delightfully wicked set at Aria. Most folks left when she ended her performance, leaving Miguel Graça to play in front of an almost empty room. Too bad, 'cause this guy rocks too, y'know?

On Thursday night, despite rumors that the Soulwax guys are asses (Champagne, anyone ?), their live rendition of "Nite Versions" left no one indifferent, and it was one hell of a tight-pussied performance they gave. Rock on ! Tiga followed with a very old school gig - mainly comprised of his own tracks & remixes as well as landmarks of his past sets - and 2ManyDJ's blew the room, as usual. What surprised me the most were two things. First, that so many people came down to seriously party on a week day - the place was fuckin' PACKED and it was rather HOT in therre. Second, Jordan Dare was supposed to play, but he was nowhere to be found, at least nowhere near the decks. Whatever happened, man ?!


News En Vrac

Nothing much to say, except that weekly ICI sucks ass a lot and has been for a few months now. No more "nightlife" column, no more Mado, no more Robert Lévesque, 100% color to further destroy our fragile ecosystem, and they still advertise Miss Kittin playing Parking tonight. Wow, impressive.


Thursday 21/09

David Laguer will be at Circus, as is the case every month.

Soundshaper, Nathan Burns, Bias & J-Fizz share the decks at Saphir for the party infested Mix Thursdays.

Teknobrat is Mini's guest at Parking for Overdose.

And finally, legend John Digweed performs at the Tribe Hyperclub, formerly the Myst Lounge. After supperclub, super clubs, mega clubs & opera clubs (?) it's time for HYPER clubs. Whatever, guys. Hope not everybody in there is as hyper as your average ritalin-deprived ADD-prone kiddo.


Friday 22/09

Éloi Brunelle teams up with Francois Le Baron at Mile End Bar.

Jason Delis returns for another night of fun at Aria. Last time, he rocked the house big time with his twisted beats, so don't miss it! Resident G O'Brien opens. Quality evening in store? Well if people stay late!


Saturday 23/09

Misstress Barbara & Anton A will perform at Parc jean-Drapeau for a special Piknic. Hope the weather's fine !

Éloi Brunelle & François LeBaron play together again, this time at Stereobar, and this time to celebrate LeBaron's birthday ! Happy anniversary François !

Miguel Graça, Creator & fuckin' Green Velvet - that's right, shake & pop 'til you get to Lala Land - will be at Aria.

Can't get enough of Creator? He'll be at the After8 day-club from 10 to 2.


Sunday 24/09

Dirty Bird Records' head Claude Vonstroke will headline the last Piknic of the year, which is both a happy & sad thing. Happy that he's in town, but sad it's the last time we'll get to boogie down under the Calder. Luci, A Guy Called Gerald and Tarik also play, so you should come by to say goodbye...

Sean Kosa & Bender rock the shit out of Balroom for No Excuse.

Mary Hell & Sunday Luv, the Beat Me Up girls, will have Philgood return behind the decks for this week's installment, at Saphir.


Monday 25/09

Extend the week-end : Extend begins @ Academy Dancehall, with Romeo Kardec and Clifford Brown.




Tuesday 26/09

Claude Vonstroke will be at Dizzy at Academy, so get prepared to fly high...




Wednesday 27/09

Coconutz have slowed down the BPM's and begun taking things with a more laidback approach lately, but these guys are still a blast to hang out with. Get mashed & say hello.


Next Week

The clash of titans: The legendary Carl Cox & the incomparable Infected Mushroom drop by Montréal. Covenant, Ladytron & James Murphy share a Sunday night - thankfully in different clubs.


Until then: keep that booty bumpin' !

Wax for the Soul

The first time I was supposed to hear Belgium's 2ManyDJ's was at the old SAT, back in the good old days when it was located on Ste-Catherine West, in front of the Spectrum and the "Vieille 300", a pub where we used to go to drink big bottle of Laurentide or Labatt 50 while waiting for the line-up to start moving.


The drinks were cheaper there than at the SAT, and on this particular evening we were most inebriated when we entered the room.

I was excited - there was quite a buzz going on for these guys at the time, the mash-up genre was at its very start, and Tiga was opening for them. However, my destiny decided that it wasn't my time to hear their delicious sounds, as I was thrown out of the venue shortly after Tiga played Vostok's "Airplanes" in the middle of his set. My very good friend, extremely drunk, banged my then girlfriend's head on the wall, and I couldn't help but do the same to him, a couple of times, something that didn't go unnoticed by security. Ahem.

*

Soulwax, for those of you wondering, are a rock band. Their third album, "Any Minute Now" (after 1996's "Leave the Story Untold" and 1998's "Much Against Everyone's Advice"), is one hell of a ride, with loud guitars & melodies, but you can't shake the dancey feeling off their tracks : "E Talking", "Another Excuse", "NY Excuse", "Miserable Girl"... Most of these tracks were remixed to maximum effect on the dancefloor (Tiga singing "E Talking", anyone ?). And then they did the unthinkable.


They released a monster "remix" album, but didn't ask anyone to rework their songs : they're pretty much capable of doing that themselves. The production team extraordinaire - mainly brothers David & Stephen Deweale, also known to be the driving force behind Tiga's smash hit "You Gonna Want Me" - tweaked their keyboards and distorted their guitars and recorded a dark, visceral & essential collection of reinterpretations of the "Any Minute Now" songs, twisting them into something that can hardly be described. The guitars sound like loud basslines, the keyboards sound like guitars, and the body reacts strangely to this wicked assemblage : it dances by itself !



Live, they're even crazier, and Daft Punk's "Teachers" is apparently not the only song they cover.

*

The Deweale brothers are not only rockers, they're also DJ's, and just like the A Touch of Class guys, they got their recipe straight : rapid-fire mixing, audacious selection, and a delicate balance between outrageous pop & obscure underground hits.

Tiga, a guy I know you heard about, hasn't been playing gigs in his hometown a lot, lately. He teamed up with 2ManyDJ's quite often in the recent past across Europe, and he'll do it again this Tuesday Sept. 19th, at SAT. Fireworks are to be expected. Tuesdays are turning out to be the new Fridays for scenesters. And when you know that Jordan Dare is opening, and that NYC's JDH & Dave - who did a good job at setting the SAT on fire a few months ago at NYC Invasion - are also part of the bill, it feels like a special night, no ?

2ManyDJ's, Soulwax, Tiga, JDH, Dave & Jordan Dare, SAT, Tuesday Sept. 19th, 21h-3h30, 20-25$ at the door.

Night Vision 1.29

(Co-written by Bruce Benson)

Well y'all know that even though the weather is mediocre, and the money that you're getting from your student loans is all supposed to be invested in books and shit, it's party time all year 'round in this goddamn town, especially these days.

You might have noticed the rain. Will it be a reason to make alcohol rain on your liver like a flood ? Why not invest in foreign goods like vodka and whisky ? Boost the economy. You're all studying to make a good living, but what does a good living bring you ? Besides a house, a fancy car and mortgage payments, it brings you the hability to party HARD.

So join the army of freshly arrived students, this week-end, in their ever-present quest for the best night of their lives. Toss your feet aside as they vomit on the dancefloor - and enjoy the sight. We've all been there...

Last Week's Wickedness

Von Party, Spaceman & Final Mantasy all rocked a semi-packed house at Main Hall, but the good vibes were there, as were the crazy scenesters - special mention to Thalia and her very "light" costume. Good night, good music, clean fun.

In the afterhours world, Mini and Axel Klein shared the bill at Aria. After a seriously warped set from Mini, the duo went on tag-teaming for some extra-wicked fun for an hour or so. Props to Axel, who went on afterwards with a particularly good set.

The all-locals Voyeur was all we hoped it would be: the best hang-out one could hope for on a Saturday night. Kardec rocked the house and just when we thought the ordeal was over, he got off the tables and Jordan Dare proceeded to kick our asses with a high-adrenaline set.

After an effective warm-up from Marco G, Creator took over the decks at Aria and dropped a twisted, devastatingly effective 6 hour set. The party kept going 'til 10, and could've gone on a lot longer if the crowd had its way.

The place may have filled up later that usual, but Bender & MightyKat still managed to get everyone Dizzy at Academy on Tuesday.


News En Vrac

It's now official: Monday nights will belong to the electro lovers starting September 25th. Clifford Brown is launching a new weekly at Academy called Extend, and it will feature local talents every week, as well as some surprises. The launch will feature Romeo Kardec, and afterwards the quality will never let go.


Other than that, do you really think you need some more news ?

Okay ! Plastique de Rêve will be playing at Parking on Nov. 2nd.


Thursday 14/09

Mini's flying solo at Parking for this week's edition of Overdose.


If you like transvestites - and who can blame you ? - you'd better head over to Casa Del Popolo for a party called Casa Electric, where the lovely Tranie Tronic will perform her newest tracks in an intimate setting. Accompanying her at the decks will be her musical partner Steve Orton, better known as the Sunbreaker. Clifford Brown also DJ's.


Friday 15/09

You already know what's up : JOHN fuckin' DAHLBACK ! Fonderie Darling, 9PM. Expect madness. John's never played anywhere in North America and he's gonna give you an idea of how it feels to be in control of a whole scene. Opening for him will be Sad Mafioso, hot on the heels of his recently released EP on Vitalic's label Citizen, as well as locals Mateo Murphy and Bender, and Boston import Jeff Grosse. Word !




Saturday 16/09

The "staff" Piknic that was recently cancelled because of the rain will happen. Coucouroucuicui, Q, Passepoil, Sean Kosa and Les Chouchounes will provide the music, and Motus 3F will provide the fun with their Bingo Elektronik.

Late during the night, experts take over the wheels of steel to deliver a surgical musical strike. Yes, I'm obviously talking about Maus, who'll be playing at Aria with beard-less Miguel Graça.


Sunday 17/09

On the sunny side of life, somewhere on Ste-Hélène island, under the Calder, Ninja Tune bring all their funk theories to Piknic and you'll get some sweet ear candy as a result. Kid Koala, Ghislain Poirier, Ghost Beard & Luv will do what they do best : change the way we think about dance music.

Balroom's No Excuse sundays are still the rage for electro-addicts on Sunday nights. Drop by this week and you'll get to hear Haris Pilton, Bender & Sean Kosa wreck the place with ultrasounds.

At Saphir, Beat me Up features Mary Hell & Sunday Luv, the usual suspects, and their guest is Andrew Lauder.

Kal & David Laguer operate a one-two musical punch at Circus Afterhours.


Tuesday 19/09

There's simply no fucking way any self-respectin' clubber is going to miss Soulwax's live rendition of their Nite Versions which is, frankly, very highly ranked in our non-existant top 10 for last year's best albums. Not convinced ? Is 2ManyDJs & Tiga working together behind the decks enough of a convincer for ya ? What more could you want ? Jordan Dare ? Well he's there too, and so are NYC Invaders JDH & Dave P. $20 pre-sale get you in - not going gets you out.


Of course, there's other stuff going on elsewhere on Talk Like A Pirate Day: Dizzy still rages on at Academy, and Telefunk keeps kickin' at Daome.


Next Week

A headache. Weather's gettin' chilly. Things start to get serious @ school. Girls & boys start lookin' for a fuck mate to keep them warm for the coming winter. Now's your chance to get laid !


Until then: keep that bass kickin' !

Simply Ernesto

Ernesto Ferreyra can be described as mild-mannered and soft spoken. His music, on the other hand is anything but. Born and raised in Argentina’s second largest city, Cordoba, Ernesto Ferreyra began Dj-ing at the age of 15. After playing several clubs and parties, his young booth career became a full time professional one when he decided to move to Mexico in 2000, taking up club residencies as Rioma in Mexico D.F. and playing regularly gigs in different cities and beach spots all around.

Guided by a restless nomadic spirit, after being part of MUTEK.MX festival production team in 2002, he decided to move to Montreal and release his eager search of fulfillment through music production. His Latin origin soon rooted and merged with the innovative influence of his fellow Canadian artists. Folk rhythms, guitar and harp samples plus pre-colonial instruments got all mixed up with click tech-house vibes and soon converged into a sort of experimental electronic dance music.

One half of Chic Miniature, with Guillaume Coutu-Dumont in October 2005 they released the ‘Conexión Califa’ EP through Frankurt’s Raum Musik label. At the end of the year he joined the MUTEK_PANAM Tour that saw him playing live sets in Chile and Argentina alongside Akufen, Crackhaus and Deadbeat. Ernesto’s first solo release will come out under the label MUTEK_Rec early this fall.

Nowadays Ernesto spreads his time playing both as DJ and live act and working in his solo productions as well as the follow up to his shared project.

Tell us a about your home Cordoba & about how you began djing @ 15?

Cordoba is the second largest city of Argentina, it’s a place surrounded by mountains and rivers. Even if there are 2 million people living there, you still can feel that you are in a little town. It was there I started djing. Since the first party I went to, I had this fixation and passion for records and putting music. When I was 15 years old, I began to play in a discothèque for those under 18 on Saturday afternoons that were really fun! I remember putting a box under my feet because the dj booth was too high for me, even now it still happens sometimes!

What launched your move to Mexico 2000, that made djing a full-time career?

While I was studying International trades at university in Argentina, I was also playing in clubs during the weekends and working in a bank during the day. At some point, I realized that my life was more connected to music than anything else, so one day, I took off my suit, quit my job and I bought a ticket to Mexico where living off music is possible. There I met the director of the biggest booking agency in the city and happily for me, he was interested in representing me in his agency. Djing became a full time job.

Tell me about your work with MUTEK? You first were part of the production team of MUTEK (Mexico). Actually, you were behind its creation in Mexico. How did that come about and what has that experience given you?

The owner of that same booking agency and I became very good friends. We decided to come to Montreal in 2003 to check out the MUTEK festival. We both fell in love with it so we proposed to MUTEK.CA to produce a special Mexican edition of it. A few months later, we were involved in the production of the first edition of MUTEK in Mexico. It took place in Mexico City in December 2003. It was a really great experience and many new connections were made.

What brought you to Montreal?

The main reason I moved to Montreal is because I met a woman from Montreal, and got married to her!!!

You have your first solo release coming out on MUTEK_REC. What can you tell us about it?

Yes, my first release is coming out early this fall. I feel very happy to see that some of the tracks I’ve been working on for a while is going to be out there. It’ll be a mixture between my folk roots and some electronic beats.

You're also one half of Chic Miniature. Tell me how you & Guillaume Couth-Dumont hooked up & what if any productions can we look forward to from you both?

We first met in Montreal in 2003 and then spent some time together in Mexico and Chile. We got closer and shared many artistic views so we thought it would be interesting to make some music together. When I finally moved to Montreal, it was the first project I put my self into. We are now working on new tracks for some future releases and for our new live set. We are very happy to say that our next e.p. is going to be released on Musique Risquée ,Vincent Lemieux and Marc Leclair’s record label!!!

What turns you on most about electronic music?

What I love about that type of music is its constant movement and evolution. There are many many artists producing it in so many different ways and forms that there’s always something surprising me.

What are some of your upcoming performances - where can we see & hear you next?

You can hear me every Thursday at Laika, 4040 St-Laurent, and twice a month at Bilykun

Being John Dahlbäck

Barely legal Swede electronic music prodigy John Dahlbäck is already barreling down the techno highway at breakneck speed. In fact, few producers have ever managed to impose their sound so rapidly.


I had the chance to ask the man behind HUG, Huggotron and the Pickadoll imprint a few questions, so that we Montréalers could get to know him a little better before his September 15th gig at Fonderie Darling.

It seems there is a new John Dahlbäck record out every 3 weeks. How do you manage to keep on releasing quality music at such a pace?

It's not really that I'm sitting 24/7. I know my way around in the studio, I know how I want it to sound and there are some tracks I want to finish while I still got the vibe.


HUG & Huggotron tracks get a lot of play in Montréal. How do you approach each of your solo projects? Does each one have an intended "feel" to it?

Yes of course! The only name that hasn't got a special sound is actually John Dahlbäck. Under my real name, I have a more exploring touch. One day I can do a really acid-ish remix and the other more of a minimal 12". My name isn't stuck to any particular style, while HUG & Huggotron are more specialized. HUG is my definition of minimal and Huggotron is the darker and harder pseudonym.


We keep reading that Jesper is alternatively your father, brother, uncle or cousin. For the record, would clear up this mess for our readers?

He's my lovely cousin.


It was to be anticipated that you would eventually team up with Jesper. So, how did Hugg & Pepp happen?

The Hugg & Pepp story isn't actually that fun or interesting haha. Me and Jesper decided to do some stuff together in the studio one day and for a short time we did a lot of tracks. And thought it would be for the best if we started our own imprint where we release everything. And the collaboration is really good, we have a lot of similar thoughts but still totally different.


You have other projects with David Ekenbäck and another one with Mark O'Sullivan. How did you hook up with these guys? What made you want to work with them?

Me and David are close friends, so it's not very odd that we're working together. Me and Mark met at a gig in Vienna and thought that maybe we should try something out in the studio. Both are really cool working with.



Your album "Man from the Fall" is relatively accessible in comparison to your club tracks. How do you approach songwriting differently when it comes time to prepare a full-length?

"Man From The Fall" is all about the blend. It's a mixture of listening and club tracks. It's so fun working on an album because when you're working on just a 12" you're thinking all about making people dance. But when you're making an album, you want people to be interested in listening through the whole 70 minutes and you want to "reach" people in another way.



One of your record companies, Pickadoll, has a very intriguing logo. Would you care to elaborate?

The logo for Pickadoll is so right. It says everything: it's dirty, dark, intriguing and it's going straight to your memory.


Where do you see dance music going in the next few years, and how do you see your sound evolving?

Oh, it's really hard to predict dance music. Anything could happen: old styles could be popular again and so on. I don't think it's going to be MORE minimal than it is today. I believe it will be the opposite. When it comes to my sound, I have no idea as well (haha). I will always do things that feel right, and when it comes to music I will always do the tracks that I like.


You've got a new album coming out soon. Can you tell us a little more about it?

Yes, there's a new album coming soon which is called "At The Gunshow". It's going to be released on Pickadoll and will be out this winter. It's quite darker than "Man from the fall", it's got that edgy Pickadoll sound and the whole album is packed with emotions in quite an un-obvious way. Just as Pickadoll is my little baby, this album is too.


What's next for John Dahlbäck?

Next thing? I don't know. I have signed a lot of good stuff for Pickadoll from other artists, so you should look out for that, and I'm working more with Kompakt, so watch out for HUG!


And a last one for the fans… Which of the following would win in a down & dirty no-DQ Chicago street fight: A) An Angry Ghost, B) A Happy Monster

Happy Monster of course.

Diskho is bringing John Dahlbäck to us for their Clinik night. It's happening on September 15th at Fonderie Darling, where John Dahlbäck will share the bill with Mateo Murphy, Sad Mafioso, Bender & Jeff Grosse.

Night Vision 1.28

(Co-written by Bruce Benson)

I would like to say it's the calm before the storm, only it's not quiet at all: the thunder is loud enough to break windows, and the lightning is bright enough to turn people blind.

Well, that's Montréal for ya.

Last Week's Wickedness

We heard from our pal LetNoManJack that Jennifer Cardini's visit at Parking was awesome, but we had to make some choices and skip this one ourselves. Next time perhaps ?

Our week-end started on Friday night, at SAT, where Boys Noize was making a comeback and playing to a real audience this time around. Sparks were flying, Von Party played an excellent opening set, and the air was electric blue when the Kid started his maximal set. Lots of new tracks in there, lots of familiar faces all around, and an overall great night.

Chromeo were in the house indeed, the next day, playing after Why Alex Why at SAT again. We left after they were done - the new joints are amazing, by the way - and headed over to Metropolis where the Ed Banger crew was tearing the Savoy to pieces. Ellen Allien & Apparat were playing in the main room at the same time, which made it very difficult to decide where to stay for maximum enjoyment.

Despite what anyone may think about trance, Ferry Corsten proved that he's got the skills to get anyone's feet tapping. He got a mad party going in Aria's packed big room. Marco G's closing set left few disbeliever and the party was still raging on past 10am.

Sunday, lots of people were able to press reset and show up for The Presets, who gave a very energetic live performance after a cool set by Jordan Dare.

Steve Bug's Monday gig at Piknic ended up being just a wonderful event where a scattered crowd of music-lovers took over Place de L'Homme despite the rain, the cold weather. Bug played for almost three hours, and when Jordan Dare started laying down the tunes, he got very violent, and it was the apocalyptic ending of a wonderful Labor Day week-end.

Ending ? Not yet. On Tuesday, Daome's Telefunk night showcased Maus & Nathan Burns, who turned the evening into a very good night of pure partying mayhem.

And yesterday at Lola Lounge, Cocoballz & Mirrornuts welcomed the hardest hardcore partyers in town. Thanks to all who came, and no thanks to that CD player that kept skipping !


News En Vrac

The NuJaz festival is happenin' from Oct. 10th to 14th, showcasing artists such as The Herbaliser Band, Artist of the Year, Gloomy, Plaster, "and many others". Of course, these bands do have a "jazzy" edge, all in their own very special way.

Headman, also known as Manhead, also known as the Swiss / German DJ / producer that kicked the shit out of SAT recently, is coming back on the crime scene for some more insane partyin'. Mister Thomas Von Party presents and opens.

November 2nd, Club Soda : rockheads will cream their pants. The Rapture bring the sound of their new album onstage and Aussies The Presets open for them. Don't say we didn't warn ya !

Dirty Bird recording artist (and owner) Claude Vonstroke will not only play Piknic on Sept. 24th, but he'll get Dizzy as well on the 26th ! So if the sun is not your best friend, rest assured : you'll be able to enjoy his funky minimalisms in a club !

Already cheering for Vitalic ? Don't - he's cancelled his whole north american tour. With Miss Kittin also out of the picture, I'm starting to wonder is this isn't the beginning of a new trend for the fall.

The Massive Attack gig at Metropolis has been postponed 'til October 8th. They'll play an additional show on the 9th as well.


Thursday 07/09

Mini's Overdose at Parking is still the lead contender on Thursday nights. This week, Jake Fairley (AKA Fairmont) swings by for a high octane live set, sharing the bill with DJ Mini and Caspian Rabone.

The Headz Up monthly returns to Academy, with a terrific line-up to booth: Miles Moore, Don Barbarino & Michael Terzian will turn this into a wicked party.


Friday 08/09

The Von Party invasion continues! This time the target is Main Hall, where the booze will flow and the damage will be massive. The Coconutz boys (Final Mantasy & the Spaceman) will also be on board for what promises to be quite a nice ride.

Later, at 2AM to be precise, Mini returns to Aria's big room where she is known to take no prisonners. Axel Klein closes.

At Stereo, another edition of Energize is taking place. François Lebaron & Sean Kosa share the bill. And you'd better believe these guys when they say they won't stop.


Saturday 09/09

Another monthly tradition, Voyeur, returns to La SAT with guest Romeo Kardec and residents Bliss & Jordan Dare. $10 gets you in with the in crowd, and the security staff gets your drunk ass out sometime after 3am.

Creator can sure throw together a mean prog set when he feels like it and it looks like he's been in just that kind of mood as of late. Aria welcomes him for yet another 6 hour extended set, so let's see where this one goes. Marco G opens.


Sunday 10/09

Balroom's No Excuse night continues to keep Sunday night interesting. This week, Bender shares the bill with Vega and the hot-blooded red-headed mix-machine, Carlo Marinelli.

The new Sunday night weekly, Beat Me Up, keeps on rockin' Saphir. This week, Irish newcomer Nell Boy performs live and hosts Mary Hell and Sunday Luv DJ.

At Piknic, things get weird and "ecclectic" with Arsen's funky house, Jeff Fontaine & Oly's prog, Nuclear Ramjet's trance and Ark's undescribable recipe of all things funky. Pick a meal, cool the drinks and dance.


Tuesday 12/09

MightyKat welcomes Bender for a Dizzy night at Academy Dancehall. Don't miss this unique mid-week chance to bend it with Bender!


Wednesday 13

They get sexy. They get drunk. They dance. They go to Coconutz at Lola Lounge, 1023 Bleury.


Next Week

Things get interesting for everybody. John Dahlback will fuckin' kick your ass at Fonderie Darling, and just when you'll think you died and went to heaven, you'll wake up in a smelly and sweaty mosh pit and hear the dark sounds of Soulwax' Nite Versions at SAT, and then dance your ass off to Tiga and 2ManyDJ's insane mixes. Recovery ? Forget it.


Until then: keep that foot stompin' !

Shameless Self Promotion, pt. 932

Saturday Night Fever

Yesterday evening kicked ass. Chromeo played quite the honest set, with some new very enjoyable tracks, and the SAT was packed with young fresh blood thanks to the "Peer Pressure appeal".



As soon as they ended, we hurried to Metropolis where things were getting out of hands. Ellen Allien & Apparat were already playing the main room and the Ed Banger party, up at Savoy, was out of control. On top of Busy P, Sebastian & Mehdi all chillin' together behind the decks, they were soon joined by Feadz, Tekilatex, Para One & Uffie, who all took part in the madness at one point or the other.



Uffie sang "Ready to Uff" on Mehdi's shoulders and you just had to be there. So many scenes were all together in the same room that it was almost unbelievable. Hip hop heads, electro heads, techno heads, all dancing together in a drunken frenzy.



As the saying goes, "only in Montreal" !

Bugnologists Unite!

One day, oh it must have been about two years ago, I innocently pushed the play button on my CD player. The first notes of Patrick Chardronnet's "Ledge" came out of the speakers and echoed through the dark. As the room filled with the otherworldly sounds of future house I was compelled to lie down. Don't get me wrong: I felt like dancing, but something else was going on. The music was that good, perfectly mixed, and it was unthinkable to try to do anything but listen and soak in every beat, every melody.


On that day, as the sounds resounded through my listening room, Steve Bug's Bugnology became my absolute favorite mix CD.

Of course, Steve Bug is far from being a novice behind the decks, but this was something different. Bugnology was conceived with computers and, unlike Hawtin's series of mixes, Bug's assemblage retained the intension behind the original tracks. This was no producer's experiment, just a perfectly executed DJ mix made with fresh tools. Yes, the tracks were cut-up, but in such a way that they didn't lose anything: they made the whole greater than its already wonderful parts.


Bugnology was twisted fun, and at the same time deeply involving, featuring the best from Mr. Bug's label, Poker Flat Recordings, and way, way more. There is no other mix CD that has ever twisted me up in such a way. Pure angst, set on a backdrop of dance floor funkiness. Simply massive.


Bug returned this year with another equally impressive edition of Bugnology, again featuring a cutting edge selection of deep, sometimes funky tech-house: Guido Schneider, Matthias Tanzman, John Tejada, Gui Borato, Jay Hunsberger and, of course, Steve Bug himself.

To me, Bugnology is the end of DJ mix albums. There is simply nothing better.

*

Unfamiliar with Steve Bug's sound (heretic!), check out his classic "November Girl" below:



Or this one, featuring Miss Kittin:

Neon and Piknic join forces to bring back Steve Bug to Montréal. It's happening this Monday at the usual Piknic spot or, in case of rain, at La SAT. This is the one people will be talking about for years. Don't be there, and you will be missing out on something great.