Night Vision 2.15

Has there been too much alcohol in our brain's circuits lately to cause some kind of blackout ? You bet !

But that doesn't prevent us from going out, and since we can pretty much bike everywhere and drive drunk without any fear of gettin' stopped by the boys in blue, we haven't left the cold, harsh reality of our suspended driver's licenses and destroyed cars stop us from wandering around.

And that kind of healed our corrupted souls. We now accept the fact that we are on the wrong side of the tracks, and that our day job is just a masquerade to justify & finance our nocturnal activities. And there's a lot of work this week for jaded clubbers and nightlife ho's.


*News en vrac*

Lots of things are coming to an end this week. This section is not just about what begins and what's being created; it's also about calling it quits. On Saturday, it will sadly be the last edition of the Microzoo nights at cozy Café de Lima. Lots of reasons are invoked, but let's not eternally contemplate them and just go there one last time to say goodbye with a bang ! At Alizé, the short-lived Rock n' Wild Mondays will bid their last farewell with a performance by Sean Kosa. The wild boys are telling us that it ain't over 'til it's over, and will soon announce what's next.

French prodigy Joakim, the brains behind the Tigersushi label and such smash hits as "Drumtrax" and "Lonely Hearts", will be at Main Hall on May 4th to perform a DJ set. Brought to you by A Fly is on the Wall, which means of course that Cherry Cola will open.

Also, stay tuned for two mega-events that we can't really announce right now : TVP is cooking up a monstruous Turbo label party at the beginning of May, and the DiskHo boys will soon announce their first guest for the Hi-Tek night at Stereo - believe me, you won't be disappointed !


*26/04*

Without sounding too self-promotional, we can't recommand you enough to check out the HeadzUp! Vs F.A.M.E. event that will go down tonight at Stereobar. Miles Moore will celebrate his birthday among friends & strangers, and the party promises to be hella crazy, with Microzoo's SonOfLeGun and our very own Clifford Brown sharing the decks with the deep house veteran. Only in your wildest dreams could such variety and cool vibes be reunited at the same spot ! Getting in for free is quite easy : drop an email to clifford@mirrorballs.ca before 8 PM tonight, with the complete names of you and the friends you want to be put on the guest list, and that does the trick.



Of course, there's also other pretty big parties happening all over town, among which Mix Thursdays' 2nd anniversary stands tall. Being at Saphir every week for two years in a row without dying of a liver cirrhosis is quite remarkable in itself, but programming the best local DJs the scene has to offer spiced up with quite a few international guests is also the shit ! To mark the occasion, an orgy of tag teams involving Axel Klein, Rhys Taylor, Leo Cruz, Corey K, Poontz and many more is on the menu. Free drinks at midnight !



At Parking's Overdose, our favorite local techno dominatrix gone international, Misstress Barbara, visits her good friend Mini once again. Now signed to James Holden's label Border Community, she has forgotten all about hard tech and is floating in a melodic world. 4/4 flavours tasting good !

Helm Thursdays offer up Jeff Fontaine on a plate, for free. Good deal !

At Rachel Street's Pas-Sages, minimalists reunite to celebrate Deebacc's birthday. Also on the bill will be newcomer D-Outcome and all-around good guy FancyFhreek. No cover !


*27/04*

At Salon Daomé's Fizz Factory night, the special guest this week is Philgood. You know you want to !



At Le Social, the Loose Joints night proposes something very special : Jurassic 5's DJ Numark, along with Scratch Bastid and DJ Illo. The night isn't free this time around, but it's worth the bucks ! The award for cutest flyer of the week goes to this one, of course.


*28/04*

At Café Campus, Canadian industrial legends Frontline Assembly are performing, as well as 16 Volt (!!) and Acumen Nation. For nostalgia, goth lovers and dark souls. If I could, I would !



Bathroom sex never sounded so sexy, but let's keep it safe shall we ? Posing as an HIV / AIDS awareness benefit hoedown, "Come get H.E.A.D." features a strong line-up : Jordan Dare, Mightykat and Hartec. Going down at Academy, it promises to be fun. We, at Mirrorballs, strongly encourage slutty behavior, but be responsible and remember to cover up your protuberances, OK ?

It's time for a last dance at Café de Lima, as Microzoo pulls the plug on their weekly. With a live set by Upbeat and a DJ set by lovely Maus, you can't help but show up and contribute to the mischievous plan known as "going out with a bang".



It's time for another fine edition of Nu Ravers on the Block at Vinyl, and the guest this month is none else than hyperactive DJ Cherry Cola. It's loud, it's cheap, it's out of control, and it's one hell of a party !

At the Mile End Bar's Panorama night, Bender welcomes Arsen for his birthday bash, and some cameras & screens will be installed around the DJ booth so you can see how good the kid can scratch.


*29/04*

At Saphir's Beat me Up, Mary Hell welcomes Omni, godfather of sonic destruction. Omni has been mastering the art of distortion for quite a while now, and if you have yet to be exposed to his over-the-top debauchery, now's the time !


*30/04*

The last edition of Rock n' Wild features none else than Sean Kosa, a red-headed piece of man made from 100% pure grade "A" attitude. The pitchers will fill up, the fists will clench in the air, the beats will match and the innocent will be violated as the night floats by. Get ready for a musical riot and some sweet-ass, sexy hymns.


*01/05*

Telephunk joins forces with Dizzy at Salon Daomé. That means that you can head down there without feeling like you're missing something else a few blocks away.



On the bill, a musical gang bang : Maus, Mightykat, Nathan Burns & Vincent Lemieux. That's a foursome, but what the hell. It still bears a sexual analogy, so we like it anyway ! Represent ! Also : do I need to say that it's a close tie for FLYER OF THE WEEK, so let's just say that we have two winners ! Good art is always a pleasure to look at, so keep 'em coming my friends !


*Next week*

Citizens 6 hit Alizé ! Joakim visits the trendy Main Hall ! Seth Troxler sets foot at l'Appartement ! Bite my Style launches ! And many, many more !

Until then, stick to the menu and eat all you can !

Night Vision 2.14

I once worked as a porn video rental store for a few years. What I liked about it, besides all the free porn a man could want, was the absence of children. Not that I don't like them, but you know, they can quickly become tiring once they start running around.

Well, same goes for the nightlife. You never see 'em, although some of them are pretty good dancers. And I know only ONE place where I can dance next to kids without looking like a pedophile : Piknic. And they're back ! The 5th season starts on May 20th and I better see your ass there, rain or shine !

I feel all peaceful & sleazy since the sun is back, so let's jump directly to what matters, shall we ?


*News en vrac*

Bender's night at Mile End Bar, Panorama, is going to get some nice guests in the coming weeks. Looks like it's quickly going to become one hell of a place to hang out on Saturdays ! On may 19th, Vedrenn, a frenchboy signed to Zoo Brazil's "John Henry" label, will drop by. On June 30th, for the first time in Montreal, our good pal Oxia is coming. And it's a bit far away time-wise, but the godfather of dark melodies, Stephan Bodzin, will greet us with his beats on September 1st, just in time for the kids to have something to narrate once they go back to school.

Closer to home, Dirty Bird's Justin Martin will be at Academy for Mightykat's Diskfunction night on May 11th. Those of you who have heard his sick tracks from "The Martin Brothers EP" know what to expect : fidget, strange sounds, and an unstoppable dance marathon !

I mentioned the Piknic previously, and while we're still waiting for the complete program to be revealed on May 7th, a few quality names have been confirmed and dropped : Claude VonStroke, Heartthrob, John Acquaviva, Le Tigre, Matthew Dear, MyMy, Sutekh, Pheek, Mossa, and the Wighnomy Brothers. Sounds like an orgasm to me !

On the 31st of May, the sweat will fly and tea will be served at Parking, as Mini's Overdose night will welcome M_nus minimalsters Richie Hawtin & Magda. be sure to grab a safe spot in the line-up, as this one will be NUTS.



The HeadzUp! night that got cancelled at the beginning of the week has finally been rescheduled, at Stereobar no less ! The timing is excellent, as it's also Miles Moore's birthday bash ! It will all go down next Thursday, April 26th, and a simple email to gently ask for a guest list spot at headzupinfo@yahoo.com should get you in for free. SonOfLeGun, myself & Moore will be on the musical menu.

Spectral Sounds' Seth Troxler, who more often than not puts his hands up for Detroit, will be Eresys' guest at l'Appartement on May 4th. Of course this is a special event, and it should be as sweet as it sounds !

Sunday Luv is launching a new Sunday night weekly called Bite my Style, and it goes down at Le Social. Expect quality guest and indecent behaviour every week ! The inaugural takes place on May 6th and features a live set by Nellboy, and Mexico's DJ Sixx.

The boys from A Touch of Class, last time they landed in town, have pretty much pleased everybody with their unique & all over the place selection. They're doing it again on May 25th at S.A.T., to celebrate the launch of their label's new compilation "A Touch of Class Still Sucks". Spin that shit !

The line-up for the first '07 Électro-Chic party has been announced : Fu Ancko & Yann will start the night, and Philgood & Omni will headline. It's a special one since it will also double as Omni's wedding party ! Love, love love !

On June 6th at Spectrum, the legend continues : industrialists Skinny Puppy will be in town to promote their new album MYTHMAKER. I've seen them on their reunion tour a few years ago and let me tell you that they haven't lost their bite at all...


*19/04*

Happy birthday Mini !! Overdose celebrates its curator's birthday and miss Mini will be on the decks all night.

At Saphir's Mix Thursdays, It's time for London's BLIM, Sean Kosa, Melon, Pinky38 and Rhys Taylor to make you bump.

Clifford Brown will bake some lazy tech house dishes at Helm Thursdays, from 8 to 1.

A new night called Fricoti launches at Salon Daomé, with The Mole and Christian Miron. It will go down every Thursday and Bleuchut and Ernesto are also residents.



THE place to be tonight is of course the S.A.T., housing one kick-ass party : Soulwax. Get there early as Muscles are also on the bill, and boy do they rock. The Soulwax : Nite Versions show goes on at 11: 30 sharp, and various beats will be provided through the night by New York City's Dave P & JDH, and the Dewaele brothers themselves under their legendary 2manyDJs moniker. This night already happened almost as is in 2006, and believe me it was BANANAS. Soulwax might be one of the tightest bands of the moment. They do crazy covers and their live show unfolds like a DJ set, with no interruptions. Seeing is believing and you probably won't believe what you see. Tonight !


*20/04*

Tonight's the perfect night to stop by a terrace and drink Sangria 'til you can barely stand up. If that's not your cup of tea, and you prefer satin dresses and disco beats, then head over to Le Social, on Bishop, where the Loose Joints weekly welcomes curly haired magnifique Thomas Von Party. Vintage disco tunes, a vintage club, and lots of fun are what awaits y'all.



...and I like the flyer so much that I have elected it "flyer of the week". Word !


*21/04*

The Mile End Bar has something to offer : a big-ass party. Every Saturday, the Panorama weekly keeps on rockin'. With its creator & resident Bender recently signed to Oliver Huntemann's label Confused (congrats, bro !) and the list of guests he'll welcome in the next months (see above) it looks like the night will explode very fuckin' soon. This week, you can hear Marinelli and Pascal B deliver an orgy of all-over-the-place sounds.

At Café de Lima, the Microzoo weekly proposes a juicy program : Maus & Endless all night long. Cool vibes, sexyness, and an Endless set ? You'll wish the night never ends !


*22/04*

It's a female affair @ Beat me Up this week, as Mary Hell shares her dirty Saphir decks with Cyan and Dirty Dan. Get wild, get beaten, and most of all get drunk !


*23/04*

Local techno legend Mateo Murphy appears at Rock n' Wild, at Alizé. Time to remember the rockin' good times we all had listening to his sets, or his tracks... and time to get drunk as hell to forget we have to get up to go to work the next day.


*24/04*

Dizzy @ Academy : ça rime !

Vega & Nathan Burns battle for the supremacy of tech house at Telephunk. Set the Daomé on fire with your dancing shoes and your exagerated fast-forward robotic dance moves. Please ?


*Next week*

Miles Moore celebrates his birthday @ Stereobar ! Mix Thursdays celebrate their 2nd anniversary ! Misstress Barbara pays a visit to Parking ! Industrial old-schoolers Frontline Assembly play Café Campus ! Cherry Cola does Nu Ravers on the Block at Vinyl ! Sean Kosa sets the Alizé on fire ! And much, much more !

Until then, take your sunglasses on a booty huntin' walk !

Night Vision 2.13

That's right. We're celebrating our 13th "irritation edition" this year so far. Which means we haven't been there every week for y'all. Which also means a great deal of BAD LUCK.

Because it's irritating to see so much snow fall on our heads and on our poor unsuspecting city on April 12th. Since I spent most of my day off being pissed at car drivers for splashing me while I was trying to bike my way through town without gettin' killed, I skipped on the nocturnal vision and bathed in nihilism.

But life goes on, and if you're courageous enough to go out, there's a few things worth checking out.


13/04

Become a werewolf - is it full moon yet ? There are plenty of young and innocent individuals whose hormones are through the roof these days. Instead of going out, go in. Make babies. The future needs you.



There's also the Groove Mechanics night going on at Stereobar. And it's worth saying the beats will be slick : Éloi Brunelle welcomes Pfreud for a tag team that'll shake your rump ! Let yourselves groove to the subwoofer's rythm...


14/04

Maus welcomes Phil Larochelle at the cozy Café de Lima, for a night of dancing under the pale moonlight of the club's roof. Larochelle is known to sail through every possible genre in the same evening; indulge in impredictability !

It's Julian Prince's birthday at Panorama, and the Bender bunch promise there's lots of fun to be had. There are rumours going around, murmuring that Mile End Bar should be filled to the brim with throbbing young flesh. Hard to refuse...



The Voyeur going on at S.A.T. is a very special one : Tiga makes his first appearance ever at the night. He is joined by New York City's bearded crazyman Tommie Sunshine, and by the maestro of ceremonies himself, Jordan Dare. The hype surrounding this one is enormous, so get there early if you want to avoid the legendary line-up !



At Stereo, things get serious with yet another unforgettable MOVE night : Fred Everything joins Rob Brown & Max Hébert behind the decks for some serious house moments. Let's just hope the firemen or cops won't be dancing among the other various patrons this time around ! And yes, you've guessed right : this flyer wins the palm for being the nicest of the week !


15/04

Beat me Up ? Hurt me, Johnny. Kevlar (live) and Drew McCallum are on Saphir's menu this week for a bloody piece of musical steak.


16/04

At Alizé, the Rock n' Wild boys welcome X-Cube. Perfect workout to begin the week on a sweaty, drunky note !


17/04

At Salon Daomé, things gets techy as Vega joins our Microzoo fellas behind the decks for yet another Telephunk dance marathon. Beats in space !


Next week

Mini celebrates her birthday ! The Soulwax boys are back in town ! And we'll stop predicting a warm weather because it seemingly will never happen !

Until then, don't store away your winter gear... yet !

The light at the end of the tunnel is a prohibition-era cop

Montreal has always been considered a party city. Until now.

Lately, more and more raves have been shut down, the Fractal Center has stopped its actitivies - hopefully not for good - and afterhours events all over town are being persecuted by local authorities. If we can't party anymore without being harrassed by cops & firemen, what will America's most european city become ?

It's been rumoured that some afterhours managers are collaborating with the police to shut other events down because their attendance has been less-than-great lately. So instead of considering their competitors as a healthy challenge to offer up some better content and come up with novel ideas, they became snitches. I wonder why nobody goes to your club anymore... hummm perhaps because your bookings suck ?

Some weeks ago at Stereo, patrons were only able to enter the venue shortly after 5 AM, because firemen were "inspecting" the building - something that must have been done at least a hundred times in the 8 years they've been open. The following week, as Morales was beginning a signature marathon set to celebrate the 8th anniversary of the world-renowned club, some cops invaded the place and shut it down. Nothing was settled - people who had just paid 35$ to get in were told to get the hell out.

Over the week-end, at the Bal en Blanc - an event that has been going on for quite a while, if I may say - it's been reported to us that people couldn't get in from 3h30 AM. The place apparently had reached its maximum capacity. Water bottles were distributed to apologize, but people were still pissed. At 6:15, finally, some officials told the crowd gathered outside that they could either get reimbursed or keep on waiting to get in. My friend was in by 6:45, but that's still 3 hours of waiting outside freezing his ass.

Are we back to the prohibition era ?

How can a state be credible when they let poker machines rule small bars, and when a social disease such as gambling is controled - and encouraged, even - by the government ? It's okay to buy lottery tickets every day, to lose your shirt at the casino - with free parking as the cherry on top - but not to dance all night.

We, at Mirrorballs, are not impressed.

Night Vision 2.12

I honestly believe I have never seen a weather so shitty in April. It's like bad times happening all over again. Endless winter.

In these circumstances, you'd be forgiven to drink your ass off and indulge in the orgiastic pleasures of life, no ? Grab a pint, grab a flask, grab a tix, and get in. Dance, rinse, repeat.

Oh, and don't overdose on chocolate. You'd better make sure that you look good if you ever eat at mom's on Sunday.

Amen to days off. Don't vade retro, Satanas. Come party with us instead.


*News en Vrac*

May 18th, Toronto's Kenny Glasgow will appear at a special edition of F.A.M.E. in collaboration with Soultek. The man's been rather rare on our shores, and it will be a pleasure to host a night featuring his impressive DJ skills. Anybody remembering how much fun I had, dancing alone in my living room to his Turbo entry "Toronto Mix Sessions", would better head over.

Does it smell like Oxia might be coming to town ? It does.


*05/04*

International DeeJay Gigolo recording artist Richard Bartz, from big bad Germany, will be headlining Parking's Overdose night alongside Mini. He plays live, and he's mad, so beware !



The HeadzUp! Vs F.A.M.E. night unfortunately had to be rescheduled to a later date, in another club. Keep checking this space for some updates, real soon. Hint : Miles Moore's monstruous birthday bash...

At Helm, FancyFhreek takes a break from his Pas-Sages night to spin more minimal tech terrorism on the unsuspecting drinkers. Always a good place to start off the night !

Things promise to be ecclectic - and quite ghetto ! - at Saphir's Mix Thursdays, as Mexico's DJ Sixx is the guest of honor tonight. Also on the bill are Khiasma, and old-schoolers Maysr & Sase One.

At La Sala Rossa, Detroit cold-wavers ADULT. present their new album live. I've seen them live before, they're not the most amazing performers ever, but boy do they rock !



Finally, at Stereo, a special edition of the Energize night brings us New York's royalty, Princess Superstar. She's silky, sexy and slutty, and she just released the third installment of the mixed series "American Gigolo". With Eddy Jasmin opening, this one promises to be for the books !


*06/04*

After a first cancelled gig, DJ Craze & MC Armanni are in town for good tonight, at Academy Dancehall. Craze is known to have inspired A-Trak to take up scratching, and Armanni just finished a world tour MC'ing alongside Goldie. Opening are Corey K, Bind, and Rhys Taylor.

In a seedier part of town, at Ontario street's Alizé that is, the fifth edition of the Citizens monthly, "EcoLogick Village", unfolds. The theme is sharing, medieaval style. And the musical style is breakbeat... mixed with trance ! Talk about wild variety ! Starts at 9, free before 10.

Eresys launches a new monthly residence at l'Appartement, located at 600 William (that's corner of McGill). Things are free tonight just so you get to know the place, and musically we're talking about sets from Sequential Factory, Kasteniede and Yan Parenteau.



If you're like me and enjoy listening to Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space, for the sheer obscurity of the leftfield disco and rare groove that the man & his guests are playing, then you'll appreciate the Loose Joints weekly even more tonight, as they're hosting an italo-disco night. New York's Speculator and Ron Morelli will be in the house to provide you with old school plates, and residents David Shaw, Davey Lahteenmaa and Chris Paré will complement the beats. It's free and it goes down at Le Social, 1445 Bishop.

It's just been brought to my attention that The Joyride at Tokyo is still going strong, and will feature guest Romeo Kardec tonight. So come on down, have a few drinks and sweat !


*07/04*

Baile Montreal promises "all kinds of bass beats" at Zoobizarre as Ottawa's Jokers of the Scene will set the place on fire.

At the yet-to-be-named Café de Lima Microzoo Saturdays, Maus & Nathan Burns share the decks for what promises to be a sweaty night where, hopefully, enough human heat will be produced to make this nasty snow melt away and never come back.



The UK's Trash Fashion stop by Montreal and it all goes down at Academy. Busy lil' place ! These guys are apparently very big in the United Kingdom right now, and if you've heard their latest single, "It's a Rave Dave", you know they don't take themselves very seriously. This is a Nu Ravers on the Block event, so you can expect lots of flashy people and the trashiest pop this side of town, as well as a live set by Toronto's Put the Rifle Down, and DJ sets by Cherry Cola, Mary Hell and my boys Mister Ed and Mister P. Get there early !

Panorama welcomes queen of the night Mightykat, who will share the decks with Bender for what promises to be yet another fine night filled with classic rythms. At Mile End Bar.


*08/04*

Bal en Blanc : Event where people dressed in white are gathering to hear big name DJs. Tickets price ridiculously high, and general relevance in this column near to zero.



If you like blood that feels good on your lips, and music that will make you shake your hips, it's time to head down to Saphir to hear Bliss perform at Beat me Up ! Nobody has to get up the next day, so boogie down, fuckers !



If you still wanna party all night with cool people, at a reasonable price, with quality beats, here's our tip : the Soulmeka Family's loft party ! At 1000 St-Dominique, it goes on from 10 to ...? and features the beatmatching talents of Uzi, B'Ugo, Vincent Lemieux and Bender. It will be hot, and it will be sexy !


*09/04*

Rock n' Wild at Alizé ! Go wild, but fear not, there's no rock, only rockers. This week the guest of honor appears to be Philgood, some kind of wonderful veteran who never disappoints. Word ! 3$ cover.


*10/04*

Very special Thursday at the Academy's Dizzy, as Bender welcomes Marinelli in the family. Monster beats and dancing heads will clash and eventually melt !



At Salon Daomé's Telephunk, Philgood takes care of the decks and believe me, he knows how to ! Have you noticed how gorgeous their new flyer is ?! That makes it the official winner of my "flyer of the week" palm !


*11/04*

Do us all a favor and take a break.


*Next week*

Spring gets here for real ! Tiga fights Tommie Sunshine at Voyeur in a dirty girlfight while Jordan Dare watches disapprovingly ! Your little sister gets pregnant from Superman !

Until then... keep the lock on your bike safely installed.