by SCOTT C

Suoni per il Popolo has been slowly growing into a force to be reckoned with, and this year’s lineup will provide a great alternative for the entire month of June. Names like Amiri Baraka, Hamid Drake, Toni Blackman, D’bi Young and the Revolutionaries and Big Gold Hoops & DJ So Called are only the beginning. The festival of jazz, experimental and “out-there” sounds runs from June 1 to 26, and you can find out more at www.suoniperilpopolo.org.

This week marks the triumphant return of Team Canada (DR One and Grandtheft), who’ve been on the road, sowing the seeds of love for the last couple of weeks. On Saturday night, May 7, these guys will be throwing down all the pirate booty from their travels over at Back to Basics at Blue Dog. They’ll be joined by special guest DJ Delay from NYC, who has a handle on funk and classic hip hop. Expect to hear some nuggets from this soulstrut.com affiliate.

On the Mix is back for their 23rd edition, believe it or not. Still going strong, this month the hip hop showcase features Sans Pression and Mista Snake (who are also responsible for the new On the Mix mixtape), Cuba’s Obsesión, Naes, DJ Kobal, Mini Rodz, Manspino and FX. Still only $5 to get in, you can find this show at Quai des Brumes.

After you’ve made the big decision of whether to check out Common, Roots Manuva or both this Friday night, you might want to check out the continuing Bustin’ Loose saga over at Blizzarts. Monthly resident Skratch Bastid joins Kobal, and told me this week that he has an LP in the works. Check out the Web site www.skratchbastid.com to see what the son of Halifax is up to.

Trainspotters can head out to Sub-V (5666 Sherbrooke W.), where they’ll be presenting Les Traineux, a freight-train graffiti exhibit happening Saturday, May 7. Featured works include contributions from Labrona, Ahcer, Dark and more. Music will be provided by DJ Twitch and Sixtoo, and you can find out more info at www.subv.net.

Looking ahead, Monster Mash III is coming to destroy the city on Thursday, May 12, with a show at la Sala Rossa. The extended family of Island City Monsters, including Belle, Eye2Eye, Offsides, Memo and Meta4ce, will be performing, as will the Mosquito Coast DJs, with DJ Mana, Fat Sak, DR One, Twitch and You Know Who. Tix are $7 in advance from www.admission.com, and doors open at 9 p.m.

Seven reasons Scottie needs a new pair of shoes:
1. Dimlite “Exact Fingerpointing” (CDR)
2. DJ Format “Black Cloud” (Genuine)
3. Roots Manuva “Too Cold” (Big Dada)
4. GB Soundtrack for Sunrise (Sound in Color)
5. Stevie Wonder “As If You Read My Mind” (Tamla)
6. Nomadic Massive “Sad But True” (CDR)
7. Feist “Gatekeeper” Do Right remix (Do Right)

AVI KUMAR SINHA HAS ARRIVED! fathead@videotron.ca

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