Night Vision: NYE Edition

There are only a few occasions during the year when we might need to write an extra Night Vision column, and New Year's Eve is definitely one of those special times. This is also our last post for 2006, and we'll be checking back in Balls & Shades Central next week, for Night Vision 2.01, and lots more insane ramblings about our collective nocturnal existences.

Without further ado, let's have a look at our top NYE party picks…


No.1 – Microzoo
Café De Lima, 6409 St-Hubert, All-night from 10pm to…
15$ pre-sale @ Moog Audio & Atom Heart, or Admission.com, $20 @ the door.


Nathan Burns, Soundshaper, Maus & Sarcastic take over Café De Lima for an all-night party that will procure savant clubbers with the expert musical selection they require. From funky to soulful, from detroit to minimal, the whole tech-house palette will be covered for everyone's delight. Drop by if you're looking for that one-stop all-night party, and that let's-get-drunk-and-party-on-'til-the-break-of-dawn experience with a warm & welcoming crowd.


Deep Blue
Bain Mathieu, 2915 Ontario E., after-party from 3am to…
$20 @ the door, or on Noctambules.tv
Free parking & coat check.


Looking for an after-party? Look no further! Deep Blue reigns supreme in this department, with a solid line-up that recently saw itself augmented by the inclusion of the orphaned No Excuse party. Eloi Brunelle, Pheek, Mossa, Upbeat, Sean Kosa & special guests will be playing in the main room, while Bender, Vega & Marinelli control the No Excuse room. Expect more guests performers to join this already stellar line-up, and the added bonus of artistic performances by Mystika.


Renaissance
SIM Bistro, 550 Avenue Beaumont
$25, 2 rooms, alcohol 'til 3.

Ravers unite! This is the place to be if you're into the rave scene and you still want to have the intimate experience of sharing a moment amongst friends. Ulrich Van Bell, Gabriel Batz, Latour, Dijitall, Chris D'Anglais, Fred Reik, Karene Forlani, Orchid & Trab will share the decks at SIM Bistro, all-night long, for this Carte Blanche event.


I Love Neon NYE 2007
Société des Arts Technologiques, 1195 St-Laurent, 9pm to 3am
$45 @ the door, $35 pre-sale or Admission.com

For some NYE might be a time to risk it all, while for others it might be a time to play it safe and have a good time listening to the music you already know you're gonna love. If you want a sure-fire way to spend a happy New Year's Eve, then I Love Neon are the one to provide it, as they're brining back Berlin's Boys Noize and NYC's Tommie Sunshine, both returning to town for a fourth time this year, alongside locals Jordan Dare, Thomas Von Party, and Saboteur recording artist Numéro.

*

Well, there, we're done, and signing off for 2006… So, wherever you go, wherever you end up, we hope you spend a happy new year's eve, and a fun-filled double-o-seven.

Here's to you all, from Balls & Shades Central, in the hope that we may have shared a dance floor in 2006, that we boogie down together at some point on NYE, or in the coming year, which promises so much that we can barely keep our mouths shut about it.

Once again, as a wise man once said: "Say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong."

Night Vision 1.45

It's finally time to say goodbye to 2006, to take a few minutes to reflect on the past, and to take a look ahead at things to come.

Oh, and it's also time to forget about all those resolutions we didn't keep, and renew them once more only to break'em again!

Last Week's Wickedness

Thursday's Jan Pienkowski's performance at La SAT's MixSession was good, and so was Alexis Bowles DJ Set... but, seriously, we could've done without the "office party" segment of the evening.

I got to Friday's Soirée Risquée as Akufen ended his set, and stayed on for Alka_Rex who bored me into leaving with his bland minimal cuts from the past. Been there, done that: bleah.

The real week-end highlight was the after-party No Limit 4 X-Mas: The Autist delivered a foundation-shaking set, while Bender & Vega's tag-team brought the rest of the house down. Great stuff all the way, guys!

All good things must come to an end: Aria closed it's door with a modest but efficient party. The place wasn't packed, but it was definitely full, and a worthy crowd of parties enjoyed some of the best DJs the city has to offer. Maus, Creator, Miguel Graça, King Louis, Marco G and surprise-guest Driss flooded the big room with solid grooves and thumping tunes, much to the dancer's enjoyment. A special mention for Creator, who stole the show for this one, and Miguel Graça for ending the last Aria night with... techno.

Stereobar & Stereo packed a punch for Christmas: Max Hebert was a delight at Stereobar on Sunday morning, and so was Just Jonathan who played both on Sunday and Monday at Stereo. Of course, No Excuse wasn't a let down at all: Arsen & Bender gave everything they had and got everyone to go mad mad mad to their respective tech-house styles at Stereobar's No Excuse Sundays.

Again, Telephunk proved its worth on Tuesday night: Maus & Nathan Burns handed out the best funky minimal tech-house in town, much to the pleasure of the partiers in attendance. Word.


News En Vrac

The No Excuse NYE party will take place after all! Yes, boys and girls, the show will go on, as the team takes over a second room at the Bain Mathieu party, Deep Blue.


Thursday 28/12

Les Pas-Sages is where it's at tonight! Clifford Brown, FancyFhreek, Alexis Bowles & Onii Aho will rock the house, 'til 3 at least! 951 Rachel Est, and no cover.

At Saphir, you'll get to hear yet another solid selection of electronic music from Sarcastic, Rhys Taylor, Tipsy T, Axel Klein, Pinky, Jesse Morris & Poontz! Bingbadabing!

Parking keeps the bodies jackin', and the beats 'a pumpin', with Mini's Overdose night. This week, New York's John Selway drops by for a visit. Mini, of course, keeps dropping those dark beats as well.

As usual, you can catch Dave O'Brien & Deliz at Kafein, 1429 Bishop.


Friday 29/12

We begin our Friday night at Stereo with a dirty, Dirty Friday with Vega and Saturnin downstairs at Stereobar.

Then, we move upstairs for the big bad-ass finish : Bender & Mini bring down the Temple of Sound with hard hittin' tech-house and dark electro. Don't miss this one, folks!


Saturday 30/12

Holy f!"/$%' s?&t, Batman! It's Miguel Graça in Stereo! Let's see what the man can do when he's at the helm of the city hugest sound system. Patrick Dream will also be bringing the house down, down down.


Sunday 31/12

Why not stay home, and spend some time with the family...

Oh, screw that : you can't choose your relatives, but we can certainly help you choose your New Year's Eve party... or parties! Check out our special NYE Edition of Night Vision tomorrow!

A bit late for that you say? Well, we're not exactly writing this column for responsible people, and anyone who plans anything ahead should stop reading right now!


Next Week

Since we don't know if the world will end at midnight on the 31st, we're not going to waste our time writing about stuff that may never happen... Rather, we're gonna waste our time getting wasted, and wishing you a happy, dancy, bouncy new year.

Until then: Kriss Kross 'll make ya - jump! Jump!

Night Vision 1.44

It's the season to be jolly.

Considering it's also the season to get wasted, the "jolly" part shouldn't be a problem at all.

Last Week’s Wickedness

Nothing but good out of this past week!

Pheek's birthday at Les Pas-Sages was a marvelous occasion to spend some time with wonderful folks in a nice bar setting, for a change – and what about that DJ set from Euterke! Count me in for the next one on the 28th!

Voyeur X rocked the Kasbah big time! Bliss, Jordan and Guns n' Bombs just wrecked La SAT with mad maximal beats – oh yeah!

On Sunday, Sean Kosa & Romeo Kardec set the crowd on fire at No Excuse… Bring it on!

Extend died its sweet death, as Alexis Bowles and Deebaac concluded Clifford's Monday night weekly with a bang… not a whimper.

The highlight, for me, remains The Autist's set at Salon Daome's Telephunk night on Tuesday, which set the nice crowd on fire – brilliant!


News En Vrac

Another option for NYE just opened up at Bain Mathieu. Deep Blue will take the form of an after-party and run from 3am 'til… who knows! On the bill: Eloi Brunelle, Pheek, Mossa, Upbeat, Sean Kosa, Bliss, special guests and artistic performances. Good stuff, all the way!

Ooops! They did it again! Microzoo will welcome Poker Flat Recordings artists Dan Berkson & James What for the March 27th edition of Telephunk!

Alright now, since someone's already spilled very incomplete and erroneous beans on another web site… James Holden should be in town for La Nuit Elektronic on March 3rd. DJ Koze (Kompakt), The Mole, Ernesto & Bender would also be on the bill.

Ok now, riddle me this: BBCM & Stereo have managed to get a hold of liquor licenses for their December 31st and January 1st event at Stereo. Now, this kinda changes the game… so what's next?

Trance! Yes, more trance, and at Stereo too, every first Friday of the month. Lord of Cheese Christopher Lawrence is even scheduled to appear at the March 1st edition!

Are you confused? Here's more to keep your mind clouded: The former Level has once again adopted a new name, Foundation Afterhours, but only on Thursdays. Existenz is still there on the week-end at the same address. What ev!


Thursday 21/12

Jan Pienkowski launches his new full-length album, U & I, at this month's edition of La SAT's MixSession.


On top of a live performance from the guest of honor, the usual series of visual and auditory experiments with modern and classical music will take place. DJ Alexis Bowles concludes the evening from 1 to 3.

Dave O’Brien & Deliz keep up the racket at Kafein.

Mini continues to hand out dark steady electro beats at Parking's Overdose night.

I'm pissed at myself for even mentioning anything going on at Tribe Hype Club, but oh well: Tom Stephan, aka Superchumbo, will be there tonight.


Friday 22/12

A true minimal Christmas implies risk-taking, like buying that bucket of red paint and that blank canvas for your favorite loved one hoping she gets the joke, right?


Well, in case she’s not into humor, you might want to take her out dancing. This is where Musique Risquée comes in, as the fine folks at the label have been kind enough to put together another edition of Soirée Risquée for the Holiday week-end, where we’ll get to hear NYC’s Alka_Rex performing live alongside local DJs Akufen & Vincent Lemieux. Risk it at, it’s at Academy Dancehall!

Up the Saint-Laurent stream, Mile End Bar receives Arsen and UGet co2, for a little party called No Limit 4 X-mas. This one's likely to rock, and luckily for us…


… the after-party takes place right across the street, with none other than tech-housers Vega, The Autist & Bender. This stellar line-up that’s likely to keep folks dancing ‘til way past breakfast time. The parties cost $10 each, but you can get in on the guest list at Mile End Bar before 11pm thru Noctambules.tv – have fun folks!


Saturday 23/12

Academy proposes the annual Red Lazy Days Session, starring Fred Everything and his cool housy grooves.

Merry Christmas Montréal!


As a special Holiday gift for clubbers, Aria, the best room for electronic music in the city is closing down down down! No big names, no special theme, no nothing, except of course for some of the best DJs this city has to offer: Maus, Creator & Miguel Graça. VJ Euterke will take care of the visuals. Marco G & King Louis will also play some records. $20 at the door.


Sunday 24/12

Bender’s a trooper, and he’s proving it again by donating his time to the poor lonely Christmas souls in need of some holiday dancin’.


Bender’ll be no Scrooge, and offer an ample quantity of gift-wrapped German-engineered tech-house all the while staying true to the spirit of the Holidays by sharing Stereobar’s decks with Arsen, who’ll have us reveling to the beat of his own-blend of energetic tech-house. ‘tis the season to be jolly indeed, as free mix CDs will fly, for this No Excuse Christmas.


Monday 25/12

No more Mondays at Academy, so find some other way to Extend your Week-End! Sorry, and merry Christmas nonetheless from the folks at Balls & Shades Central.


Tuesday 26/12

It’s boxing day, as in “if you don’t come hear Maus at Daomé, I’ll be practicing my boxing on your face!"


Maus returns for her monthly residency at Salon Daomé's Telephunk night, and no one more into that than me… Well, except for Maus herself, but that's why we like her so much!

MightyKat & Vincent Lemieux keep getting Dizzy at Academy.


Wednesday 27/12

Sleep!


Next Week
New Year’s Eve parties compete for attention, and we’ll have an extra edition of Night Vision to help you choose where you’ll be breaking out of 2006!


Until then: Fa la la la la la la la la!

Bliss’ December 2006 Chart

Yeah, yeah – he’s the “hardest working DJ in Montreal”: I know, I see him walking up the Main, heading back home after his sets almost every other night I go out. While I would tend to concur, that’s unquestionably not the sole reason to appreciate Bliss.


A thru melomaniac, Bliss is not content to just sit back and limit his selection to the latest hits. Rather, he disperses just the right amount of surprising new grooves and classics cuts throughout the whole of his mix, providing opportunities for both green and seasoned clubbers to appreciate his selection and/or wonder what the hell is going on.

Of course, all this is done with the finesse and confidence of a vinyl veteran whose resumé is highlighted by a trio of Montreal breaks & electro institutions: The Grill, Chemistry & Voyeur.

A down to earth guy, Bliss always elevates a party’s mood to heavenly heights, which is kind of funny considering he shares his residency at Voyeur with the Prince of Darkness: Jordan Dare.

Steve Lalla, that guy who writes for The Hour, recently picked him as his number one DJ in Montréal, and we consider ourselves lucky to count him as one of our top 10 friends on MySpace.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic of top 10’s, here his chart:


Bliss’ December 2006 Voyeur Chart (in no particular order)

Étienne Daho - Le Grand Sommeil (Sweetlight Rmx)
Linus Loves - Nightmusic (Sweetlight Remix)
Flink - Futureheads Reform
Etienne De Crecy - F**k
Simian Mobile Disco - Clik
Klaxons – Atlantis to Interzone (Digitalism Klik Klak R-R-Remix)
Para-One - Dudun-dun (Mstrkraft Remix)
Cassius - Toop Toop (Mr Oizo Mix)
Zongamin - Bongo Song
Klein - Bunny Lake (Christopher Just Disco Demons Dub)

You can catch Bliss this Saturday at La SAT for Voyeur X with LA’s Guns n’ Bombs and Jordan Dare.

Night Vision 1.43

Where are those "quatres jeudis" I keep hearing about?

I need 'em RFN, y'a hear?

Last Week's Wickedness

Sean won the rave! Saturday's Big Bamboo Land at Centre Fractal turned out to be a peculiar night where clubbers, rave kids and "soucoupes" danced to very different beats.

On Sunday, No Excuse showcased Jeff Grosse's electro tech-house, and Bender's efficient blend of Germanized tunes: fun was had by me. Upstairs, music from three years ago got people dancing shirtless.

Academy was far from full for Monday's Extend but still hosted four times as many people as last week – that's Autumn for ya'll, and more debts for us.

Sean may have won the rave, but Telephunk definitely won Tuesday night. Sarcastic & Miss Bijoux made a strong impression on the CROWD, while Microzoo's Telephunk night made a very convincing impression and some new fans.

Fuck gun control! Stereobar's Sex Appeal night on Wednesday proposed the shittiest music I've heard this year – strike that! – the shittiest music I've ever heard: if I were in the states, I would've had a .357 to shoot myself with and end my misery.


News En Vrac

It's one of those slow news weeks... or if you read between the lines: we're keeping our mouth shut about a few things!


Thursday 14/12

It’s Pheek’s birthday, and some good folks decided to celebrate at Les Pas-Sages (951 Rachel E.). Euterke, Alexis Bowles & Diagraf are going to provide essential trippy minimal grooves to set the night in motion, and then… who knows what’s going to happen? Show up and find out!


Another dude who recently grew older is Axel Klein, who just happens to be playing at Parking tonight. I’m sure will stay away from anything minimal and drop some pumpin’ electro records, forcing you to burn the rubber of your dancin’ shoes and cause a commotion on the dance floor.

Tiga returns home for the Sid Lee party at Club Opera (32 Ste-Catherine W., formerly Dome). He’ll be the headlining, of course, while Thomas Von Party, Mini & Call Me Poupée provide the worthy warm-up. $30 at the door.

Dave O’Brien welcomes Fat East Coast to the K-Lounge. Wanna check it out? 1429 Bishop is where it’s at, a'ight?


Friday 15/12

Stay home.


Saturday 16/12

This month, Diskfunktion is diskfunktional and takes place on a Saturday. Ken Christensen, of East Coast Boogiemen, is the guest of honor at Academy, where he will be in charge of providing funkiness to all. MightyKat will, of course, also be dropping some quality vinyls.




Kitsuné recording artist Guns & Bombs (LA) take over La SAT for Voyeur X. Bliss & Jordan Dare also appear.


Sunday 17/12

No Excuse resident Sean Kosa welcomes Romeo Kardec for another electro rodeo Sunday night adventure at Stereobar.


Monday 18/12

Deebac & Alexis Bowles will Extend your week-end at Academy.


There's no cover this time around, but voluntary donations are encouraged.


Tuesday 19/12

After last week’ stunning tag team set from Sarcastic & Miss Bijoux, Microzoo is calling in The Autist for this week’s edition of Telephunk at Salon Daomé (141 Mont-Royal E.). Expect some carefully manipulated funky tech-house to fuel the spontaneous combustion engine otherwise known as the Daomé’s dance floor.


Come up, tune in and phunk out!


Next Week

Christmas!


Until then: go shopping or die trying!

Jeff Grosse's December 2006 Chart

This coming Sunday, at Stereobar, the No Excuse crew is waiting for you. Our man Jeff Grosse, honorific montrealer and currently residing in Boston, makes a second appearance at the night this year. He'll throw his exquisite acidic tech-house and electro concoctions our way, and Sunday night clubbers should be well advised to wear ear plugs.




Jeff Grosse's December 2006 Diskho Top 10

01. Apoll - Dubble Butt (Misc mix) - Neo Pren
02. Audiojack - Quickline - 2020 Vision
03. Da Fresh - Electronic Supafreak (Robert Babicz mix) - Weaked
04. Ilsoe Jokke - Feeling Good - Nam Nam
05. Humantronic - Cut Off my Head - Neo Pren
06. Jason Emsley - Politic - Platzhirsch
07. Diringer - Topilino - Kling Klong
08. Mar-T - Opposite Sides - Wow
09. Hoxton Whores - Friday Saturday Love - Hoxton Whores
10. Pop 3 - I Never Sleep (all mixes) - Neo Pren

As usual, Bender will also feed you with his germanic electro rythms and impeccable mixing technique, and your liver will be fed at the bar, with sharks.

You can read our profile and interview with Jeff Grosse here.

Night Vision 1.42

The winter has rolled in, killing the last few smokers with its cold breath, prompting even the most hardcore partiers to remain in the comfort of their own homes.

Let's see what we can do to get you out there again.

Last Week's Wickedness

Saturday's Electro-Chic 10 at La SAT saw G O'Brien & Omni wreck some massive electro damage on the crowd – thanks! Afterwards, Marco G & Miguel Graça played Aria once again, and despite their combined talent, the room remained cold and empty. Sunday's No Excuse at Stereobar ended up being a pretty cool party, as usual. Monday's Extend featured Bliss, who was simply amazing on the decks. Tuesday's Telephunk welcomed Slim Jim: let me tell you he got some bodies moving on the dance floor.


News En Vrac

Microzoo has just simplified all our NYE-related dilemmas, as they'll be taking over Café De Lima once more for an all-night party on December 31st, which will feature Montréal's finest: Maus, Nathan Burns, Soundshaper & Sarcastic.

The Ed Banger Records Tour will stop by Club Soda on march 31st. Justice, DJ Medhi, Sebastian & Busy P will be there with suitcases full of crunchy beats.

Things are getting weirder by the minute, but what the hell: Tiga, Thomas Von Party, Mini & Call Me Poupée will be at Club Opera on Thursday December 14th.

Well, it's no secret that Aria Afterhours is closing down… but not this week! Despite the persistent rumors of a final party early in December, it looks like Aria will be doing things right and take the time to book and promote one last big-ass party in the big room on St-Denis.

Oh, and since we didn't mention it before: John Selway will be Mini's guest at Parking on December 28th.


Thursday 07/12

The NCV's Dave O'Brien & Deliz require your presence at Kafein, so be ready for anything they may throw at you!


Friday 08/12

Thomas Von Party guest stars at this week's edition of The Joyride at Tokyo's Blue Room.


Saturday 09/12

Well, well, looks like someone is throwing one of those so called "rave parties" this week-end…


Big Bamboo Land will feature Sean Kosa & Mini, along with X-Cube, G O'Brien, Sarcastic, Ulrich Van Bell, Aikido, Dijitall & Max Benton. The location will be revealed 24 hours in advance, just like in the old days.


Sunday 10/12

Boston's Jeff Grosse comes back to town, and back to No Excuse. His first appearance at Stereobar is likely to be a very energetic performance, full of electro tech-house tunes you've never heard before.


No Excuse resident Bender will also be there to drop some hard-hitting records as well.


Monday 11/12

The week-end never ends before Extend. This week, it's the Caterpillars Edition of the Monday electro fest, which will feature Axel Klein & X-Cube…


It's Axel's birthday, so join us and celebrate!


Tuesday 12/12

It's Tuesday, so Telephunk your ass down to Salon Daomé (141 Mont-Royal E.) and set it to "shake" as Sarcastic & Miss Bijoux take over the wheels of steel to burn some good vibes into your foreheads with excessive sonic force.


Nathan Burns will also be there to make sure no one makes it out untouched by coolness.


Next Week

Diskfunktion and Voyeur return, Pheek celebrates his birthday, and The Autist drops by Telephunk.


Until then: Jump up, jump up and get down!

This Monday, Rewind Your Brain @ Extend !

That's right, time to have a few laughs while remembering all the stupid things (and persons) you did in 2003. Just to give you an idea of how far behind we're talking about, here's my 2003 top 10, arranged in alphabetical order, no less, for your very own viewing pleasure !

Clifford Brown's 2003 Top 10

-Alexkid - Come With Me (Tiga Remix) - F Com
-Steve Angello - Voices (Eric Prydz Remix) - Size
-ASCII Disko - Einfach - Ladomat
-Audio Bullys - Way Too Long (Switch Remix) - Source
-Chelonis R. Jones - I Don't Know - Get Physical
-The Droyds - Take Me I'm Yours - Singles Society
-M.A.N.D.Y. - Don't Stop - Get Physical
-Sinema - Confusion (Extended) - Hot Banana
-Spektrum - Kinda New (Tiefschwarz Remix) - Playhouse
-Tiga - Burning Down - Turbo

So yeah, I guess you're gonna have to come and have a drink with us, and remind me of this time I got thrown out of the old S.A.T. while 2manyDJ's were about to begin their set for attacking my best friend, or when I got so drunk at Unity's Digital City that I woke up half passed out on the stairs leading to my crummy Fullum St. appartment.

What ? That was 2002 ? Oh, fuck, nevermind.

*

C'est l'heure de remonter dans le temps.  De nous souvenir, sans nostalgie, de cette innocence stupéfiante qui règnait au temps où on se suçait les pouces au son du métronome de grand-mère.

Yafi, "old schooler" qui roule sa bosse depuis toujours, nous prépare une rétrospective chronologique de l'électro depuis Kraftwerk jusqu'à aujourd'hui.  Je vous proposerai pour ma part un set estampillé 2003, que des "vieux" succès qui nous propulseront trois ans dans le passé, et Bliss clôturera la soirée avec sa maestria habituelle.

Sortez vos foulards, grimpez les escaliers menant à la piste de danse de l'Academy, et venez plonger dans vos souvenirs !

*

It's time to step backwards a little.  Time to remember, without any kind of nostalgia, of this stupefying innocence we felt back in the days where we would suck our thumbs while listening to our grandmother's metronome.

Yafi, old schooler who's been around forever, has prepared a chronologic retrospective of what made electro what it is today, from Kraftwerk to Kraftpunk.  I will myself perform a set straight from 2003, "old" hits that will take you back three years behind, and Bliss will close the night with his usual mastery and breath taking selection.

Dress warmly, climb the Academy's stairs until you get to the dancefloor, and dive into your cherished memories !