Ladies, ladies…

by JACK OATMON

It’s International Women’s Day today, March 8, a day when all us mouthy, leering, chauvinist jerks have to go stand in the corner, think about what we’ve done and remember that we’re not too old for soap in our mouths. It’s also a day to remember that some of the best DJs in town are chicks. So whether you get out to Parking for Mini, or to Saphir for a wild blend of house, electro and drum & bass by Maüs, Rue and Miss Bijoux, keep in mind how boring life must have been just 50 years ago, when women couldn’t even go to bars.

On Friday, March 9, you’ll have two great options for all-night debauchery. Eddy Jasmin will be at Stereo, dealing out a funky, soulful helping of house and electro beats, with Mini also on the bill to satisfy those in need of noise. With Eloi Brunelle and the Autist holding down Stereobar that same night, this is an excellent excuse to take advantage of the venerable afterhours. The trick there is to e-mail Eloi at guestlist@eloibrunelle.com to get on the list, providing you show up before 1:30 a.m. Then, once you’re on the list, get there before 12 a.m. and hunt down the $25 pre-midnight ticket that gets you 10 drinks and free entry to the afterhours section. Bang! Wasted and dancing all night for $25.

The big lookout for Friday is, however, the Trigger Recording all-night rager at 20 Queen in Old Montreal. Seattle’s Bob Hansen and Dave Pezzner, aka Jacob London, will be seen alongside a slew of other quality DJs, rockin’ till 8:30 a.m. The irony of dance music is that, while it’s supposed to be all about partying and having a laugh, it’s next to impossible to find well-produced tunes that retain a sense of humour and humility. These West Coast purveyors of freaky, silly house, however, manage to make seriously chopped-up, groovy, analog-laden tracks that don’t take themselves too seriously. That, as well as the fact that this party is happening in a venue I’ve never visited and the reasonable price tag of $15 in advance (available at InBeat Records on St-Laurent) make this the most promising party of the weekend.

While the phrase “new rave” may just make you want to puke, it might interest you to know what this flash-in-the-pan terminology represents. There’s a dance-punk band from London called Klaxons. These young cats came up with the term “new rave” jokingly, to describe their sound. New Music Express poster boys that they are, the term has, for better or worse, spread (despite the fact that there is literally only one band in the “genre,” and that members of Klaxons have vehemently dismissed the term). There’s even a bar night in homage to it in Montreal. Klaxons will be at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on April 8, but you can go to Vinyl for the Nu-Ravers on the Block night this Saturday, March 10, to hear tunes by their electro-rock ilk.

What’s more, the latest Moondata LabProjects session, at O Patro Vys on Saturday, features members of Bell Orchestre and godspeed! you black emperor, as well as Bleubird, special guest Amon Tobin and a handful of other noteworthy musicians and visual technicians. Sweet!

Rounding up the weekend’s fun, the SAT is, as usual, a good bet, with Peer Pressure and Team Canada hooking up on Friday, March 9, while Voyeur features Bliss, Romeo Kardec and Jordan Dare on Saturday, March 10.

Tell it like it is. jack.oatmon@gmail.com