Tag: igloofest

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Music

Boiler Room X Igloofest: Making history for the entire world to see

DJs Overland, Danny Daze, Ellen Allien and Trance Wax participated in the coldest Boiler Room event to date

Boiler Room, the world-famous music platform, put together their first-ever show in collaboration with Igloofest last Thursday, Feb. 6. It was their coldest event to date, and one of Igloofest’s most attended parties ever.

The London-based company, founded in 2010, has become one of the major players worldwide in the distribution and marketing of electronic music. They claim that they were born as they “installed a webcam on a wall at a warehouse party and streamed it on the internet,” in their very beginning, back in 2010, connecting a larger audience to local underground club cultures.

Boiler Room’s concept of live streaming and archiving their events online became viral. They now have more than three million subscribers on Facebook and two million on YouTube. Hosting regular events in London, Amsterdam, New York City, Berlin, and Los Angeles, they have also been in more than 100 cities worldwide, co-organizing events spanning across many genres, such as garage, house, techno, dub, hip hop, and even jazz.

Although last Thursday was the first time that Boiler Room collaborated with Igloofest, it was not their first time in Montreal. For more than five years, they have streamed and co-organized about 30 parties in the city.

Keeping warm. Photo by Ora Bar.

The Igloofest show was almost sold-out before its lineup was even announced, proving how well-established their reputation is. And when they finally released it, they did not disappoint.

Their special stage, built especially for the one-night event, welcomed, in order of appearance, Vancouver DJ Overland, Miami techno DJ and producer Danny Daze, Berlin techno world-star Ellen Allien, and the British trance project Trance Wax.

The stage was indeed unique to the so-called “off-igloo” night. Instead of using the usual Igloofest configuration, Boiler Room remained true to their style and had an open stage, allowing the public to dance all around it and get close to the action.

“We are very happy and proud to have organized another Boiler Room event with Multicolore,” said Nicolas Cournoyer, co-founder of Igloofest and Piknic Électronik. His company Multicolore manages both festivals. Boiler Room had already participated in Piknic Électronik a few times.

Ellen Allien. Photo by Ora Bar.

“Igloofest was a great fit and interesting experience for Boiler Room, because it gave them something new: a cold and snowy outdoors setting, in the middle of the Quebec winter,” Cournoyer said. “They were very interested.”

As for the music and ambiance last Thursday, needless to say, it was stunning. The thick snowfall and warmer weather called for an even more pleasant experience. The four DJs all put on a great show, the most notable being Ellen Allien and Trance Wax.

We can only wish for Multicolore to bring us more of such events, for us to dance to, and for the world to see what makes Montreal’s party scene so unique.

Photos by Ora Bar

 

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Music

Igloofest 2020: 14 years of electric winters

From embracing local hip hop to welcoming new international DJs, the festival slightly reinvents itself this year.

The biggest music festival of the winter enters the new decade, facing past concerns head-on, from diversifying and expanding its programming, to managing gender diversity and sustainability issues.

Montrealers eager to warm up by dancing on the coldest nights of the year will flock to the Quai Jacques-Cartier in the Old Port for the festival’s 14th edition, spanning over nine nights between four weekends, from Jan. 16 to Feb. 8.

This year, Igloofest seems to have found the right balance in its programming, knowing how to please its loyal festival-goers in an ever-changing electronic music landscape.

“We are aware that people’s tastes evolve, and we have always been trying to dig out future trends while pleasing our loyal audience,” said Nicolas Cournoyer, co-founder of Igloofest and Piknic Électronik.

The festival’s aspiration for trendiness might explain why they have dedicated an entire night to hip hop for the first time this year. Along with other so-called “Off-Igloo” events, the night of Jan. 30 will feature local hip hop stars, including rappers Loud and White-B, along with DJ Charlie Shulz.

Closer to Igloofest’s roots, some Montreal favourites are also making their comeback this year. Having just released a very well-received new album, Kaytranada will warm up the Sapporo stage on Feb. 1, along with High Klassified. Kaytranada’s last Igloofest appearance in 2018 broke the attendance record of the festival at that time, likely making his 2020 appearance the most anticipated show at Igloofest this year. Cournoyer said he is very proud to welcome the two DJs once more.

“It was important for us, since the very beginning, to push for Montreal artists to have a platform here,” he said. “Although at first, when we used to be much smaller, we could almost only have Montreal DJs, we still grew in a way that would allow space for emerging local talent.”

With that goal in mind, Cournoyer said that in the early 2010s, the festival decided to build a second stage, dedicated strictly to Montreal artists, that would compensate for the arrival of international DJs. Voyage Funktastique and Cri are among the favourite local stars that had participated in the first editions of Igloofest to come back this year.

Igloofest has diversified itself in many ways — its lineup encompasses many genres, from EDM to house, hip hop to techno, but also with guests from all over the world, and a growing presence of women artists.

Cournoyer said that gender equality is a priority for his festival. “We are flirting with parity in our lineup this year,” he said. “We have been very lucky to find exceptional women artists, such as Nina Kraviz and Charlotte de Witte.” This will be minimal techno DJ de Witte’s second performance in Montreal, following a successful show at Osheaga last summer.

If festival-goers had been complaining about lack of representation of women in music festivals recently, they also raised important questions regarding sustainability. Cournoyer said that Multicolore, the company responsible for Igloofest and Piknic Électronik, will do more this year, as past editions’ efforts might not have been enough to reduce their environmental footprint.

Not only does he claim they will try to compensate for the gas emissions caused by the transportation of their guests by planting hundreds of trees, he says Igloofest will also ban plastic water bottles and will bring reusable cups and straws this year.

Once the festival comes to an end, Montrealers can measure if these efforts have been successful. Until then, they can fight off winter blues by dancing to their favourite DJs.

For more details about the programming, visit https://igloofest.ca/

 

Photos by Youmna El Halabi

Categories
Music

Igloofest helps Montrealers brave the cold

Photo by Mackenzie Lad

The premier electronica music festival is a favourite amongst partygoers

Each winter, Igloofest brings thousands of eager festival attendees together in a shared space to celebrate decades of electronic music—a genre which has defined Montreal’s underground culture for years.

Taking place from Jan. 18 to Feb. 3, the festival features electronica acts such as a Bonobo DJ Set, Izzy Vadim, Joachim Pastor, Kaytranada, N’to, NIGHTMRE, The W4rriors and Worakls, to name a few.

Ice-themed furnishings decorate the space, creating an overall vigorous, worry-free vibe. You’ll hear this every year, but it rings oh-so true—the biting cold temperatures are an afterthought. Though it might sound exaggerated, the festival’s consistent raving energy really gets the blood pumping. With beats on constant blast, you can easily lose yourself in the trance of the performances.

The 2018 Igloofest lineup consists of premier local and international DJs. Always a surefire way to kick off the new year, it’s an added benefit that the festival takes place in arguably the foremost party city in the world.

Photo by Mackenzie Lad
Photo by Mackenzie Lad
Photo by Mackenzie Lad
Categories
Music

Montreal’s eclectic DJ: Amir Javasoul

The house DJ performed at Igloofest’s opening weekend

Igloofest brings thousands of people together to dance in the ice-cold winter to the beats of the world’s best DJs. The festival kicked off on Thursday, Jan. 12 and will be going on until Feb 19. On Saturday, Jan. 14, Amir Javasoul, a house DJ based in Montreal, closed the Videotron stage from 10 p.m. until midnight. His high energy techno beats kept the crowd warm throughout the night. The audience danced enthusiastically to his European style techno sounds until the very last minute. Javasoul has been Djing at Igloofest for the past 10 years and is known for performing at other festivals and clubs in the city, including Piknic Electronik and Stereo. “Igloofest is something unique. I can’t think of any other festival in the world that brings over 10,000 people to dance in the cold,” said Javasoul. According to the Igloofest website, 2016 welcomed 79,000 people to the festival, 25,000 of which attended the opening weekend last year.

A computer engineer by day and a renowned DJ by night, Javasoul began spinning vinyl 20 years ago. Growing up in Montreal, he started going to clubs which, he said sparked his passion for electronic music. “I just really liked the complexity of electronic music,” he said. “At the time, most people were listening to rock or pop. Techno and house was a new type of music that had endless possibilities.”

According to Javasoul, It was Derrick Carter, a legendary Chicago house DJ and producer, who first inspired him to take on the art of mastering house and electro beats. Javasoul said there are three cities that are important in house music: New York, Detroit and Chicago. New York house was a by-product of disco. Detroit experimented more with new technology and machinery—it was more industrial and techno-oriented. Chicago was in between, combining elements of house and techno.“Usually, people who started Djing back in the days, they connect to these original sounds. I connect most with Chicago house, ” said Javasoul.

Photo Courtesy of Amir Javasoul.

It can be easy to confuse house and techno music. “House music has a more organic sound to it. It derives from disco, and when you listen to a house track you hear more instruments, baselines and percussions,” said Javasoul. “Techno is much more linear. It is more industrialized and computerized.” According to Javasoul, today’s technology makes it easier to mix a lot of different sounds and genres together. “There is less of a need to distinguish between house and techno,” said Javasoul. “You can create a beat that has both elements combined. We can simply start to call all of it electronic music.” He said technology has also taken away the actual need to know how to mix records. Today, a computer software can do it all for you. “When I started, it was about mixing vinyl records together. You learned the real craft of mixing records,” said Javasoul.

Whether Javasoul plays at Igloofest for 10,000 people or at Stereo for 1000 people, he said he needs to adapt his music to the crowd’s ambiance. “I never plan in advance. It’s always on the fly,” he said. “I get there, I feel the crowd, I test some tracks here and there to see how the reaction goes. It’s always been an impulsive process.” He said his number one rule about Djing is to never program a set—it’s what makes electronic music different from all other genres of music. “You have the liberty of creating on stage. DJs can play live sets and create beats right on the spot,” said Javasoul.

In 2001, Javasoul moved to Paris, where his musical career bloomed. He got to try out his music with a completely different crowd and was able to gain experience Djing around Europe. “I got to play in many cities such as Paris, Berlin, London and Ibiza,” he said. “I was in France for 10 years and it was the most important years of my DJ career.” He played in renowned clubs such as Queen, Studio 287, The End, Ministry of Sound, Pacha Ibiza, Crystal Istanbul and Fabric.

Amir Javasoul Djing live in Fabric, London. Photo by Nick Ensing Photography.

In January 2015, Javasoul played in the main room of club Fabric in London alongside Craig Richards and Ricardo Villalobos who are both  renowned DJs in the underground scene. DJ Ricardo Villalobos also came to Montreal for the MUTEK festival in 2014. “Fabric was the most important gig of my life,” said Javasoul. “I played with the two best DJs in the world in one of the best clubs in the world.” Javasoul has also performed at the Burning Man festival and multiple times for Piknic Electronik. “Piknic Electronik and Igloofest organizers are the same crew. They love to showcase local and international talent and they find a good way to blend both together,” said Javasoul.

It’s Javasoul’s interaction with the audience and sharing his love for music that makes the experience of performing most worth it, he said.“The best part is when you get the reactions of the people you play for. Being an international DJ has also made me a lot of friends from around the world. You become friends because of the music and then your friendship grows” said Javasoul. Recently, Javasoul has been working on a collaboration called “Creatures of Habit” with DJ producer Maher Daniel. Together, they released a vinyl record last month. Stay tuned for Javasoul’s upcoming shows, where his house beats will send you running to the dance floor.

Categories
Student Life

A silver lining for Montreal’s winter-haters

Check out these five January events to combat the post-holiday blues

Barbegazi Festival
Jan. 6 to 8 and Jan. 13 to 15

Barbegazi is a winter sport festival that takes place every year at the Îlot Clark of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. The best part about this year’s festival is that it’s free for all in honour of Montreal’s 375th birthday. Activities include snow-skating, fat-biking and winter obstacle courses and challenges. This festival is perfect for all of those winter-sport lovers out there.

Igloofest
Every weekend from Jan. 12 to Feb. 19

Going into its 11th year, Igloofest is a popular outdoor music festival that takes place in Montreal’s Old Port. The winter festival goes all out with icy décor, a giant playground and, of course, electronic music. Many international DJs will be attending the events, including Apparat, Deadlift and Carl Cox. This year, Igloofest is extending its stay for six weekends in honour of Montreal’s birthday. The online price for a regular pass ranges from $15 to $22, depending on whether the purchase is for Thursday, Friday or Saturday events. The festival also sells Igloopasses, which include access to 12 evenings. The online price for an Igloopass is $120.

 

Fête des neiges
Every weekend from Jan. 14 to Feb. 5

Montreal’s Fête des neiges is a family-oriented winter event that aims to help Montrealers enjoy winter a little more. Fête des neiges is located at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Some of the activities include a tube slide, ice ship and zip-lining. There will also be fast-food concession stands and warming areas. An Accropase will give you unlimited access to the main activities during eight days of the festival, and costs $16 online, or $50 for a package deal. Some other benefits of this membership pass is a discount on various restaurants and free membership to the Stewart Museum and Environment Museum during the weeks of Fête des neiges.

Winter Clubs Fair
Jan. 17

The new year, new you kind of craze can also mean that you want to get more involved in university life. Concordia’s clubs fair is the perfect way to get another shot at checking out what’s happening on campus.  The Winter Clubs Fair is part of Concordia’s Student Union 2017 Kick-Off week. The event will be held between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the seventh floor of the Hall building. Some of Concordia’s clubs include the African Students Association of Concordia, Best Buddies, Artopia, CARA, Cupcakes for a Cause, Muslim Student Associate our own newspaper, The Concordian, and so much more. There might be a unique club that is just right for you.

Categories
Music

Montreal wraps up another edition of Igloofest

Photo by Keith Race

Most people cringe at the thought of winter. The cold and the snow just doesn’t seem to sit well with most; especially in a city like Montreal. Despite the harsh times that hit Quebec, more than 10, 000 people each weekend filled the streets of the Old Port throughout the months of January and February to celebrate the beautiful winter wonderland known as Igloofest.

Photo by Keith Race

Igloofest is a winter festival that spans over the course of four weekends, where they play various types of electronic dance music. According to Billboard, 85 000 people attended this year’s event; a record breaking number for the organizers.
Igloofest started in the winter of 2007 as a one-weekend gig, and has grown to a four-weekend event due to the large demand for winter partying. This event has put Montreal on the global map for the first ever winter EDM festival, according to Billboard.
In the past, there have been a series of up-and-coming DJs that have had the pleasure of spinning at the main stage, such as Diplo, Lunice, Caspa, Pan-Pot, TNGHT, and many more. This year’s lineup was actually quite versatile, with acts from RL Grime, Adam Beyer, and Foreign Beggars. The musical vibe at the main stage set a hip-hop and trap influenced environment, whereas on the smaller stage, tech house and deep house, which is a more danceable genre, was mostly played.
What makes Igloofest so unique is that some people come for the music, while others come strictly for the party and the experience.
“Fifty percent of the crowd is not here for electronic music,” said Michel Quintal in an interview with Billboard.

Quintal is the Director of Programming and Sponsorships of the festival, as well as one of the event’s co-founders.

“They’re here for the experience, the fun, the party. Our job is to find those creative, interesting, artistic DJs who can also please those people too,” he added.
There is certainly an Igloofest culture that has emerged since the event’s inception. Because this event is found in such a cold climate, everyone absolutely needs to dress up and get prepared for partying in the snow. People love to come dressed in the most ridiculous outfits and wear vibrant colors to stand out. There are even competitions for the most ridiculous outfit inside the festival.
The interesting thing about the music being played at Igloofest is that it must be genre restrictive. When people are partying in sub zero temperatures, they need to be moving constantly to avoid getting cold. For this reason, upbeat music with high BPM needs to be played to keep the crowd going. This final weekend truly portrayed this with energetic sets. The final few days of the festival included stellar sets from Montreal based Djs Shash’U and Mayssam, and New Jersey native Justin Smith, better known by his stage name Just Blaze.

The main dance floor was filled with thousands of people jumping around in this 8th installment of the festival with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees on some nights.  Some people were even crowd surfing proudly along the front of the stage. Then, when you needed a break, you could simply head over to the fire pits for marshmallows and hot chocolate. Or grab a Sapporo or Jager bombs at one of the multiple bars? That was the beauty of Igloofest; there was always some kind of activity that suited everyone’s needs.

Igloofest 2014 is now sadly completed; with over 85,000 satisfied customers, a record for this event. The Old Port will now be a little bit quieter until summer time kicks back in. Hopefully, next year’s event will be just as mesmerizing.

Categories
Music Student Life

Igloofest in pictures

Igloofest has become an institution. It’s that time in winter where checking the weather report fires me spiralling through the stages of grief. Christmas has passed, the snow keeps falling and hoofing it through the streets is left exclusively to excursions of necessity. Right when I’ve polished my skills at finding excuses to stay home, hiding away from the snow and cursing the evanescent daylight. Right when I’m ready to give up on the season and turn grizzly; eat and sleep and curl up in a dark hole of extended hibernation. Right at this moment Igloofest comes along and reminds me, reminds us all, that there’s no amount of accursed hypothermia-incarnate that can kill this city’s party.

So we collectively bundle up. Adorn ourselves with neon, Mardi-Gras-esque costumes and an environmentally disastrous stockpile of chemical hand warmers. Welcome to the only festival that I’ve ever heard of where the beer isn’t chilled but warmed to just above zero Celsius.

A bacchic festival of electronic music and ice sculptures, Igloofest is unique to Montreal and is gaining world recognition. Last year over 70,000 revelers took part in the open-air festival of frost, and judging by the crowd in attendance on Saturday its rise in popularity is not slowing.

More Igloofest:

Breaking down the frozen fashion at Igloofest

Opinions: The upsides to having a winter music festival in Montreal

 

Categories
Student Life

Frozen fashion: how to dress for Montreal’s electro scene

Photo by Keith Race

Every January, frostbitten ears await the first sounds — usually a combination of enthusiastic cheering and rousing electro-pop beats — that signify the return of Igloofest at the Old Port’s Quai Jacques-Cartier. However, there’s also something to be said about the distinct rustle of old polyester.

Photo by Keith Race

Entering its eighth year of production, Igloofest has become an event that draws not only music and culture enthusiasts but the sartorially-savvy as well. Festival-goers have learned to prepare for the city’s inclement weather and sub-zero temperatures in fun, creative ways. When cold, bundled-up bodies start to fill the performance space, there is never a shortage of either colour or personality.

Unlike its summer counterpart Piknik Electronik, those attending the winter event have to take their wardrobe into careful consideration. Factors like warmth and the ability to move around are undeniably important, which would explain the prevalence of the onesie, which has become one of the fashion cornerstones of Igloofest.

The onesies have seen better days as far back as the ‘70s and the ‘80s, when they were highly popular sportswear pieces. As the festival approaches, thrift and novelty stores are flooded by people eager to hunt down the castoffs, fresh out of the cedar closet and smelling like mothballs. The neon colour combinations, though outdated and garish by today’s standards, are exactly what make them appealing for this event. In fact, the uglier and flashier, the better. An all expenses paid tropical vacation is up for grabs in a contest for the ugliest one-piece, hosted by the event sponsors. Eccentrically-costumed partiers are photographed, and the public votes on the best of the worst through social media. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Also spotted among the crowds were morphsuits in every imaginable colour. For those not familiar with the concept, just picture those spandex American Apparel leggings stretched over a person’s entire body, sometimes layered with necklaces and sunglasses. Other people channelled Macklemore by strutting onto the Quai in floor length fur coats.

Also common this year were one-piece animal jumpers, known to some as “Kigurumi,” costumes that originated in Japan. The whimsical, hooded outfits are also practical, since they zip up easily over winter jackets or heavy sweaters.

The more conservative of the crowed donned the festival-sanctioned, pompom-topped Igloofest toques that are sold as souvenirs. The

variety of colours, textures, and characters are what have helped shape the event and make it a certified draw for tourists passing through.

“Even if you don’t like the music, you can just have a drink and people watch,” said Jennifer Glover-Drolet, a first-time attendee whose friends trailed closely behind, wearing matching penguin costumes. “Your eye can’t settle on just one place or person.”

Most people can agree that it takes quite a bit of chutzpah to dress up in flamboyant getups, but while you’re tracking your feet through the sleet and slush, you may as well entertain others at the same time.

So, in the end, even if music is a force that can unify and warm the masses, there’s nothing hotter than the unmistakable ensembles spotted at this frigid winter gathering.

Photos by Keith Race

Categories
Student Life

Decoding Montreal’s new 8-bit heroes

Pulses - creds to Facebook (promo shoot)

Pulses is Dominic Dumoulin and Patrice Tremblay, a DJ duo from Montreal due to play the Main Stage at Igloofest on Feb. 6. Sporting their signature dark sunglasses onstage during each performance, Pulses mirror their mysterious facade with equally hypnotic, entrancing, and minimalist beats.

Tuque-wearing Montrealers brave the cold for Igloofest (Press photo)

Concordian: How does it feel opening the very last day of Igloofest?

Dominic Dumoulin: We were quite surprised and quite honored to open the night for Tommy Four Seven and Chris Liebing, which are people that we respect very much for a long time […] Personally I freaked out.

Concordian: That must be jackpot for you guys, right?
Dumoulin: It’s crazy. It’s just crazy. It’s unbelievable and it’s a great opportunity. So we just work hard to make sure we’re gonna kick some ass.

Concordian: How did you both get started, and was it always techno music that you wanted to pursue?
Tremblay: I’ve been playing drums since four or five years old, when I went to my dad’s practice room with his friends. Every time I came with him, I was jumping on the drums before they started the real jam. Maybe it’s what got me into the beat. I always loved music, but I always preferred dancing stuff. Anything you can groove to, and more than rock and roll. The first time I started producing was around 10 years ago, with a friend from Quebec City, where I’m from.

Dumoulin: The moment when I realized that music was something that I was attracted to was when I started playing trumpet in high

school. I played trumpet for a few years and played drums with a few bands with my friend. And the moment I started making electronic music was back in 2000 when I got my first computer.

Concordian: The tracks that you have are really out of this world. You really live up to your name.

Pulses (Photo from Facebook)

Dumoulin: Personally, it’s impossible for me to make music that sounds like other stuff. And I tried hard to copy some stuff that’s already known just to improve myself as a producer. But I can’t, I just can’t. And when me and Patrice spoke about working together, it was clear to us that we wanted to make something unique.

Concordian: It must be challenging for you both to define your own music when everything seems to be labeled nowadays. Can you elaborate from your end as musicians?

Patrice Tremblay: At the end of the day, I mean over-categorizing music, it’s pointless. It’s just new terms to describe something. And sometimes the word doesn’t describe the music properly so I’m like, why don’t we just call that ‘music’, and if you enjoy it, who cares about the style. We’re just about having a good time.

Concordian: Where do you get your inspiration?

Tremblay: We take our inspiration from sangria, actually. Sangria is a complete part of the process.

Dumoulin [laughing]: But honestly, the only inspiration we have is to make stuff that we like, and we both like really well-textured stuff, like atmospheric. […] Every time people ask us, ‘How is it gonna be at your gig at Igloofest?’ Our answer is always, ‘We’re gonna bring you to Mars’.

 

This interview has been edited for length.

Categories
Music

A farewell to Igloofest

Press
Igloofest press photo

 

Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) DJ set – Thursday, Feb. 7

Twenty seconds into Joe Goddard’s “Gabriel” and his role in the infamous dance-pop collective Hot Chip becomes clear; he’s the magic man. When Hot Chip released “Ready For the Floor” five years ago, a YouTube-baby-phenomenon surfaced. The heavily produced track is laced with beats so simple and infectious that the choreography is instinctive.

Goddard is the sound that makes your shoulders tick, hips swing and end it all in a wild body flail — complete with hands in the air. But he doesn’t have a lot of time to spare. Goddard’s a father of two, been seen in studio with Mercury Prize-nominated Jessie Ware and still touring with Hot Chip in support of their critically acclaimed 2012 release, In Our Heads.

Catch him while you can.

Trial track: “Gabriel” – Joe Goddard ft. Valentina

 

Joy Orbison – Saturday, Feb. 8

Peter O’Grady — better known by stage name Joy Orbison — was thrust into London’s  electronic dance scene on a remarkably high note. His debut single “Hyph Mngo” was voted #1 in Fact Magazine’s top tracks of 2009, one of NME’s New Music Tips of 2010 and called one of the most ‘forward thinking dubstep’ tracks by several publications, including Pitchfork.

Four years later and he still has not released a full record, just singles on vinyl, an EP and several remixes. But he’s no one hit wonder; its quality over quantity. O’Grady is busy crafting his own genre of electronica and all that he produces seems to meet critical acclaim. Like most house music, his tracks rely on one isolated vocal at its centre to carry the listener through several movements full of deep, pulsating drum and bass.

O’Grady has safely nestled his way into the middle ground of electronica; Joy Orbison’s got something for everyone on the dance floor.

Trial track: “Ellipsis” – Joy Orbison

 

ONEMAN – Saturday, Feb. 8

Very few DJs are artists. Most of them are music lovers with a Macbook, turntable and one overwhelming ego. ONEMAN, Steve Bishop, is the exception. Bishop melds his own beats with samples of old and new, from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to the instrumental from Kanye and Twista’s “Overnight Celebrity.” He plays with his infatuations and makes them into something entirely different — this is old-school ‘90s house-dubstep.

ONEMAN’s Facebook page has almost 14,000 likes and his month-old remix of The xx’s “Chained” already has more than 11,000 plays, but he’s yet to release a physical record. Bishop has found himself among the U.K.’s biggest dubstep DJs, even opening for SBTRKT. Despite this success, the Internet is his preferred platform and the mixtape his weapon of choice.

Trial track: “Chained” – The xx [ONEMAN 119 House Edit]

 

Categories
Student Life

The way of the Arctic party warrior

Press photo
Crowds settle in for a night of electronic music (Press)

So you may have seen the visually-striking posters of people posing in their ski gear, or recently overheard someone bragging about having the best one-piece snowsuit. You may have heard stories of friends feasting endlessly on toasted marshmallows and beer while lounging around a bonfire.

Whatever it is, people are talking about it in one form or another. We’re talking about Igloofest; the city’s famed annual winter music festival. If you haven’t been yet, you’re in luck! For the first time ever, Igloofest has added a fourth weekend to its annual event, giving us the perfect opportunity to convince you to finally join in on the fun. You haven’t experienced Montreal until you’ve danced in a snowsuit in sub-zero weather.

Igloofest was created in 2007 and can be described as the winter sibling of Piknic Electronik, Montreal’s summer electronic music festival held at Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Each weekend runs for three consecutive nights, from Thursday to Saturday. The nightly heart-pumping lineup is composed of seven DJs playing across three stages simultaneously in a multi-purpose compound smack-dab in the city’s Old Port. Do the math and you have almost 80 electronic musical acts from all around the world spinning hypnotic beats to fight off the freezing temps. Acts playing in the coming week include Taal Mala, VJ ZEF, Oneman, Gridspave, Tommy Four Seven, Jay London and Moody Jones, just to name a few. Be sure to check out the DJ list before you pick your night.

Tickets can be bought online or in person at the box office, but the earlier you get them the better. I would suggest purchasing them online to avoid the ticket line. The online tickets run for $18.50 per night and tickets at the gate are $20. If you’re a hardcore party-goer, you can get an IGLOOWEEKEND ticket, granting access to all three nights of one weekend for just $40. The party starts at 6:30 p.m. and wraps up at midnight.

The Old Port is close to Place D’Armes and Champ de Mars metro stations. The STM is offering free one-way rides home as long as you purchased a bus tickets prior, going on every Thursday until Feb. 9. If you’re planning on bar-hopping until the wee hours of the night, another option would be the unlimited night pass for $4. The pass is valid from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Montrealers are well-known for their do-or-die party attitude. The most exciting part of Igloofest is the Sapporo-sponsored one-piece contest. The one and only rule is quite simple; you have to stand out—whether you’re wearing a medley of cornea-scarring fluorescent colours or sporting a unique design on your ‘80s-inspired splash pants. The prize, besides peer notoriety, is the sheer fact that you have gone through the festival’s rite of passage. But, before you flaunt your best suit, be sure to remember the large crowd and sometimes slushy conditions of the outdoor playground.

That being said, here are the most obvious pieces of advice: wear layers, get yourself a good pair of boots and try to get a good meal in your belly before heading out. You certainly don’t want to shiver and shake in the arctic temperatures when you should be moshing to your favorite musicians. Although the dance floor can get very crowded, take advantage and use the body heat to warm yourself up. If you’re freezing, you’ll end up being an Igloofest bore.

Another fun aspect about Igloofest is its dedication to social media. Right beside the dance floor is a huge screen showcasing each tweet that features an Igloofest hashtag, so be sure to bring your smartphone if you want to get in on the Twitter fun. Not to mention, it’s a great way to get your friend’s attention if you lose track of one another.

And if you’re planning on going, I’ll see you in the crowd. I might be trying to pull off a zebra onesie … or maybe not.

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