by RAF KATIGBAK

Since February is the month when everyone will be seeing red (mostly in the form of cut-out cupids and heart-shaped boxes), it’s time to show some local love. We got a lot to give, so let’s do it to it! First off, to make up for the glaring omission of techno legend DJ Rush’s show at Club Soda last Friday, Disko Akimbo quelled a growing techno-head mutiny by dispatching a secret stealth operative to the night. The operative, known only as Mike W, reports that Rush basically blew everyone’s socks off with banging techno. He only sang one of his songs, “Get On Up,” but later hung out in the crowd, receiving hugs and chatting with partygoers in a most refreshingly unpretentious way. Classic.

Ghislain Poirier has a few reasons to pop his collar—his latest CD Bounce le Remix, featuring mindbending versions of club bangers, is officially off the chain. Check the downloads section of XLR8R.com for a free MP3 jack of his Busta Rhymes remix. Killer!

The Level 4 Crew inaugurates their move downstairs to the main room of Saphir with a blowout Mix Thursdays bash tonight, Feb. 2, featuring Sick Puppy from NYC, scratch wizard DJ Mana, Poontz, Pinky38 and Ramdac in full-on quadraphonic sound. Expect the unexpected!

Friday marks the triumphant return of Montreal’s longest-running electro-techno weekly, Voyeur, which is now an electro-tech monthly. DJ Bliss, Jordan Dare and new host Emmanuelle welcome NYC’s Tommie Sunshine to the decks at the SAT. Tix are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Make sure you come by early to catch the Perplex & Lola fashion show (as an extra incentive, the first 100 get a Jordan Dare mix CD)!

Tuesday, the Mile End Bar will certainly be bumping, as Montreal’s queen of groove, Misstress Barbara, launches her latest mix CD Come With Me... While it’s only out on Tuesday, I can already tell you it’s banging, more on the electro-house/techno/minimal tip, and that it’s fan-freakin’-tastic. Expect no less from the Misstress. Full review next week. Also next week, Salon Daomé’s Dizzy weekly once again gives people a reason to get sweaty and shitfaced on a Tuesday. This time, they invite Berlin’s Matt John to turn it out with a live set, which, if it’s anything like his killer release on Perlon, should be akin to detonating a hydrogen bomb in your ass (in a good way).

Finally, on Monday, Blizzarts is hosting a fundraiser for some people that lost everything in the Parc/Bernard blaze last weekend. Love Thy Neighbour kicks off at 9 p.m. with a slew of top-notch rock DJs—Mlle Bacon, Leather Snake, KD and more—with special raffle prizes that include Cinéma du Parc passes, Kidnapper Films DVDs, haircuts from Pure and Coupe Bizarre, Cocoa Locale gift certificates, a number of concert tickets, artwork and more. The five-dollar minimum donation at the door includes a free drink, so basically, there’s no reason not to go!

AS THEY SAY IN QUEBEC, “LOVE H’IS H’IN DA H’AIR...” Diskoakimbo@sympatico.ca

>> Music Listings