by RAF KATIGBAK

So, I hear you had the best Sunday ever. I don't believe you. What's that you say? First you found a loonie on the ground, and with it you bought a lottery ticket and won $23-million, which you spent on the finest silks, wines and the purest Afghani opium that made you feel like you were soaring on the velvety wings of a giant luck dragon? Then, totally high, you foiled the assassination of a prominent Southeast Asian spiritual leader who then presented you with an ancient medallion that, when accidentally broken, contained a secret map to a cave of treasures that led you through a maze of Montreal's secret underground passageways? Well, to tell you the truth, I don't care if your lucky loonie led you on a Goonies-like adventure that did nab you a barrel full of gold Krugerrands and bonded you to your rag-tag bunch of friends for life - if you weren't at La Tulipe on Sunday watching M.I.A. and LCD Soundsystem tear Montreal a new one, then you weren't doing shit. Yes, the hottest ticket in town lived up to its expectations - whether it was worth the unbelievable $100 scalper ticket prices commanded at the door depends on the person.

M.I.A.'s short but thunderous set was overflowing with audience participation and wine-wine bashment moves and, while she wasn't completely insane on stage, what she may have lacked in hyped-up energy, she more than made up for with charm, wit and a custom patchwork glittery teal jump suit that was vibrating on some otherworldly frequency.

Armed with a drummer, bassist, guitarist, keyboard player and singer, it was LCD Soundsytem that turned it up to 11 as they blasted through some of their key disco-punk hits and, at their peak, asked for only the disco ball to be turned on, effectively whipping a hall full of indie rockers, middle-aged yuppies, fashion victims and electroclash kids into a whirlpool of pure rave energy. Insane! My personal highlight of the night was their first encore, when they dropped a live jam version of a track by Detroit techno pioneer Carl Craig (I think it was "Throw" - somebody please hit me back with a confirmation). All in all, an insane double bill!

If the electro-disco-punk sound is floating your boat these days, then put the hammer down and steer your convoy to Parking's new Electruck Wednesdays, as DJ Frigid returns to the Village hot spot.

There's a few reasons to celebrate this week, as the 3 Monkeys clothing store and Salon Daomé's Dizzy Tuesdays celebrate 365 days of repping the local scene. This Saturday, between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., drop by the 3 Monkeys shop in the Cours Mont-Royal and pick up an invite to their special Mile End shindig with Miguel Graça. On Tuesday, Salon Daomé welcomes Musique Risquée and Tigerbeat 6 artist Original Hamster for a live set with DJ Mighty Kat. Amazing! Tonight, May 26, Montreal laptop artist and label head Mitchell Akiyama returns triumphantly from his recent European tour for a show at Casa del Popolo with NYC's Mountains and Japan's Fourcolour.

ANYONE UP FOR A TRUFFLE SHUFFLE? Diskoakimbo@sympatico.ca

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