Must… make it… through
the weekend!

by JACK OATMON

I hope you’ve recovered from the barrage of parties, patriotic and otherwise, that assaulted the city for Canada Day weekend, because there’s no end in sight. Tonight, Thursday, July 5, starts out with a bang as Winnipeg’s Moses Mayes dish out a freaky serving of jamming funk at the Jazz Fest’s Bell stage for no more than a smile and a wad of bellybutton lint as cover charge. After that, make sure to get to an early-evening shindig with the fabulous Béla Fleck and the Flecktones at Salle Wilfred-Laurier before heading off to end the evening turbulently at Saphir’s Mix Thursday with special guest, back from the U.S., Endo.

Friday night’s pickins ain’t slim, as they tend not to be around this time of year, so the choosin’ won’t be easy, but I can at least narrow it down to four guaranteed ragers. More than welcome and, in my opinion, even long overdue, we’ll see the launch of Montreal’s first indie label dedicated to repping the city’s unbeatable breakbeats circuit. And who better to set the tone than one of the city’s premier posses? The label is Roll It Up Records, and the folks at the rolling tables are SpaceKadet, DJ Nino and a battle set by two enormous turntable wizards, Sase One and Pinky38. I cannot stress how bananas these two dudes are, and a battle between them seriously threatens to cause uninsurable damage to the Academy Club. Outside that, mirrorballs.ca headman Clifford Brown launches a new weekly at Bistro de Paris on St-Denis with Romeo Kardec and Brit guest Pakman. Expect an overdose of tech-house and electro bangers free of charge. If you can’t get enough thump from that and need not one but two insane disco-filled sardine cans, be sure to go see the wonderful animals at Zoobizarre for the latest Poussez, Poussez. Michael Goodstein is the guest DJ, and, for the record, resident WhyAlexWhy? sandbagged me at the last iPod battle, at the Piknic’s fifth-anniversary—despite my having employed my best Devo, Ramones and Grandmaster Flash tracks. Much props. Finally, as if that’s not ridiculous enough a dance card for one night, Kid Koala himself will be doing things you never thought possible with vinyl at Club Soda. Holy fuck!

It don’t stop, cats, because Saturday night’s a goodie. Snort up the blinking, bleeping and crooning of the Blow (sans Yacht, malheureusement) at la Sala Rossa before retiring to Academy for an evening with Studio 54 legend Nicky Siano. Come wearing stilettos. That same night, Zoobizare will be bouncing to the booty, baile, breaks and B-more of Ghislain Poirier, Poontz and MlleX.

Sunday night, don’t forget about West Coast jam disco entourage Wassabi Collective as they hit Divan Orange, spicing up the bland sashimi that is your life and making boogie every last stoner in the environs.

Finally, I have received word that Super Discount mastermind and French Touch granddaddy himself Étienne de Crécy will indeed be gracing our fair city this fall (!). To get yourself in gear for what should be the electro-house-lover’s pinnacle experience, might I suggest you get your digital mitts on my Banger of the Week, Étienne’s ridiculous remix of Fox ’n’ Wolf’s “Youth Alcoholic.” And if you haven’t heard Super Discount 2 and you’ve ever wondered just what’s behind all this Ed Bangers/Kitsuné hullabaloo, get your shit together!

Hit me with your rhythm stick!
jack.oatmon@gmail.com