Modern monsters

by JACK OATMON

Halloween in Montreal—a mortifying conundrum of choice. Not only do the kinky denizens of this town stretch this most fabulous of holidays out for an entire week of partying, but there are so many freaky things happening in the world right now that costume options are at an all-time high.

Thursday, Oct. 25, lumber down to the SAT for a robot-themed night of mechanical beats and technological visual art that delves into the relationship between human and machine. Friday night is best spent being irradiated by the robotic rockabilly and futuristic smut of Chernobyl Cha-Cha and Pornorobo, joined by DJ Sentimental Sénéchal of Automelodi, at Zoobizarre.

On Saturday night, catch a rare edition of Jordan Dare’s Voyeur at the SAT with Aussie Muscles and locals NROTB. Stop by Friperie [pøtÂ:tr] for a zombie-themed thriller with DJs Jay Watts III, Heidy and Trebek, Hovatron and Robophonics. That’s in screaming distance of the monstrous loft rumbler at Death of Vinyl with the U.K.’s Hatcha and Benga as well as an unprecedented chunk of the city’s dubstep mafia on the turntables. Just a jaunt further north in Little Italy, there’s an all-night grave-rave goin’ down at 7061 Alexandra, with plenty of “haunted house” and “hell-ectro.” Also that night, you can witness the possession of le Social by Ottawa’s Illo and Drastik, backed up by Peer Pressure poltergeist A-Rock.

Finally, I’m planning on hitting Rocky Horror on Wednesday, October 31 at Théâtre Rialto (5723 Parc). Keep your ears to the ground for a number of little late-night shakers happening in that very neighbourhood after the show. Also, you can drop by OLDgOLD on Mont-Royal for info about one of their all-night funky house and electro parties, also on the 31st.

To get in the mood for freakiness, I suggest you obtain a copy of the recently released Black Devil Disco Club album 28 After, a follow-up to their self-titled 1978 masterpiece. The album, released in 2006, 28 years after the original vinyl, has a recording history that’s a bit of a mystery, but one thing’s for sure: this is the sleekest, most brooding and sinister Italo disco record ever to be unleashed. Farting bass and howling synths unite with eerie, reverbed choruses to evoke mental images of midnight highways and lumbering industrial behemoths in a way that would make retro-futurists like Kavinsky run and hide under their bedcovers.

RIP Piggy… jack.oatmon@gmail.com