The dancing of the mad

by JACK OATMON

There is a proverb that appears in various cultures, proclaiming that to the deaf onlooker, the dancing masses must certainly appear mad. While this anecdote is surely meant to highlight the fact that each individual’s personal biases, context and limitations are at the root of a great deal of social misunderstanding, here in Montreal, there is one instance when this allegory can be taken quite literally.

While I’m the first to admit that it doesn’t take deafness to make Montrealers’ dancing look like the result of some form of neurological disorder, the effect will be all the more drastic at Silent Disco!, one of the many killer events taking place during this weekend’s Nuit Blanche festivities. Tech house duo Soundshaper and Nathan Burns, masterminds of Telephunk Tuesdays at Salon Daomé and other assorted ragers in the Montreal area, will be transmitting the beats via free wireless headsets, and VJ Crazy Tapis will set the visual context, while families wander by, mouths agape with confusion at the inexplicable behavior of today’s youth. That takes place at the Loto-Québec Sphere at the Old Port from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday, March 3.

Also that night, La Nuit Électronik goes down at Metropolis from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m. The evening begins with an epic special edition of iPod Battle featuring a diverse line-up of contestants from Piknic, Neon, MUTEK, Bande à Part, La Presse (!), Ninja Tune and flaming new wavers, Sexy Boy. Later on you can catch Londoner James Holden’s psych-minimal techno and Hamurg’s DJ Koze as well as scene regulars the Mole, Ernesto and Bender.

For your convenience, La Nuit Blanche will be sponsoring free shuttle buses around the city until 6 a.m. Be one of thousands of people from all walks of life to engage in this esoteric festival, the likes of which can only be found in a handful of places in the world.

The weekend is also rife with Montreal’s usual barrage of fabulous shows. For some hip, psychedelic, analog-laden disco and indie synth-pop, make sure to get out out out out to the Main Hall on Friday, March 2 for Shout Out Out Out Out, Norwegians 120 Days, DJs Sean Kosa and Huggs. On a similar note, Sunday night should be a great time to cut loose to the freaky flailings and energetic grooves of Holy Fuck at Cabaret du Musée Juste Pour Rire.

On Saturday night, you can see a battle set between TTC’s DJ Orgasmic and Peer Pressure’s eclectic inebriators A-Rock and Hatchmatic, after Cuizinier throws down his “just for the ladies” set, a shining testament to the male preoccupation with being the centre of the affection of a throng of young women. That’s at Club Lambi, and by the time you read this, you’ll probably have about two hours to get your shit together and scrounge up a ticket for that before it sells out.

Bonne Fête, cher moi! jack.oatmon@gmail.com