>> Divers/Cité’s DJs make the
people come together

by LORRAINE CARPENTER

What would pride week be without beats in the streets? The 15th edition of Divers/Cité promises a wide array of house, techno, trance and Latin rhythms, both indoors and out. And in the midst of all the free outdoor revellery, friendly drag queens will pass collection plates, so don’t forget to give a little coin or cash.

The needle drops at the Sunset Party at Émilie-Gamelin park on Friday, Aug. 3, following a live set by former Star Académie ingenue Émily Bégin. Taking the stage at 7 p.m., Miami DJ Tracy Young is a versatile spinster who specializes in tribal-house, a style she’s honed at celebrity-packed parties around the world—she even manned the decks at Madonna’s wedding in 2000, and crafted remixes for Madonna, the Pet Shop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, Shakira and Christina Aguilera. Rounding out the bill is Brazil’s Ana Paula, who’s probably still coming down from Sao Paulo’s pride festivities in June—her house piquante will do wicked things to your hips. Young and Paula come together again on Saturday, Aug. 4 for the annual dyke massive, Lesbo Monde, at the Just for Laughs Museum at 9:30 p.m. While Young and Paula pack the dancefloor upstairs, soul/R&B DJ Baby Girl (aka Sandy Duperval, another Star Académie alumnus) and hip hop DJ Torus lay it down in the studio space. The complex also features a cinema lounge and a chill-out room for those who want to get cozy. Tickets cost $30.

Also on Saturday, back at Émilie-Gamelin park at 5 p.m., New Society showcases some of Quebec’s top trance DJs, a first for Divers/Cité. Longtime turntable jockey Ulrich Van Bell has catapulted his tech-house/tech-trance juggernaut from Quebec City to Europe. According to his bio at Techno.fm, the DJ “always transports his public to the wire of his experiment in a voyage of ultimate and major feelings”–

who could ask for more? Sharing the bill is DJ Insomnia, aka the Queen of Trance, a resident at Stereo’s Trancemission, and the organizer behind two of Montreal’s biggest annual Halloween and New Year’s Eve parties, Mascarade and Silver. Not to be outdone, DJ Wizz has taken on the title Master of Trance, and will cap this party with the kind of slamming set that has earned him props on the afterhours circuit.

Seventies shakedown

Get ready to party like it’s 1977 on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Émilie-Gamelin park, where the one and only Nicky Siano will spirit you away to a time when he was one of Studio 54’s first residents, and the first DJ to release a record. Le Grand Bal Disco starts at 2 p.m. with Siano’s three-hour set of disco classics, followed by DJ Mario Bros–and while the DJs spin, choreographer Jean-Marc St-Yves and his dancers will create a boogie wonderland for all to see. Also on the menu is a live performance by Patsy Gallant and fellow disco icons Kim Richardson, Dr. Draw and local bilingual trio Toulouse. To wrap up this disco throwdown, V.nus will deliver an interpretation of Madonna’s Confessions tour. Freak out!

Meanwhile, over at the Berri north stage, tens of thousands will flock to La Grande Danse, the annual outdoor blowout that welcomes back headlining DJ Offer Nissim, hauling progressive and tech-house all the way from Tel Aviv. Like Tracy Young, Nissim has remixed Madonna and Christina Aguilera, as well as Donna Summer and Beyoncé, and his mad skills have set off parties around the world. Book-ending his set are local favourites Alain Vinet and Stéphan Grondin (with live vocals by Lulu Hughes), along with afterhours mainstay Nicola Torriero, accompanied by renowned R&B singer Kim Richardson.

Finally, on Sunday night, two parties to end all of this year’s pride parties: The D/C Party at Unity, from 10 p.m.–3 a.m., features Nissim and local DJ Malick, an eclectic house stylist you may know from Blended Productions or Red-Lite. And over at Stereo, the D/C Ball gets rolling at 1 a.m. with Montreal’s own Jester, Toronto’s Deko-Ze and Peter Rauhofer in the headlining position. The acclaimed Austrian DJ is also a label founder (Star 69) and producer whose remix clients include Madonna, Cher, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston and J.Lo–he won the Best Remixer Grammy in 2000. But outside of the studio, his forte is bringing the dancefloor to life, which he’ll do with a five-hour set to end Divers/Cité ’07 in style.

For more details, go to
www.diverscite.org