Outdated, overrated
or elated?

By JACK OATMON

Early last Friday night, as dozens of primped and perfumed young dilettantes flocked to Coda Club to take part in one of the numerous trendy anachronisms of Montreal, someone said to me that after that night, classic disco was either going to boom or bust in this town. I agreed. Why? First off, the attendance for James Murphy and Pat Mahoney was enormous compared to the usual 100 people who show up for such nights. The club was so horrendously over capacity that I guarantee the first word you will hear out of the mouth of anyone who went is “sweat.”

Secondly, disco fandom has been slowly building for the past couple of years amongst those disillusioned by the explosive commercialization of new-school electro. This, easily the biggest disco party in recent memory, was bound to be decisive. Thirdly, it’s fun to imagine disco booming and the streets being overrun by polyester-shirted, moustachioed dandies and lippy, coiffed blondes in turquoise tops instead of all the tired, cruddy-haired rockism that plagues this city’s youth. Sigh.

ELECTROHOUSE THROWDOWN: Miskate

Alas, bust is the operative word this season, and not in the low-cut animal-print blouse sense. The crowd was hot and lethargic, the sound was weak and the skipping of records was more than just a coincidence. It was a reminder that those records have been sitting in basements warping for decades for a reason: people don’t like that music anymore, no matter how hip it may seem. I personally had a blast, loved the music and remain a diehard classic disco fanatic, but the amount of bitching and complaints I’ve heard from across the board this week is enough to convince me that folks are over it. I’m more than happy to continue getting my disco fix at small-scale nights tailored to the initiated. And, of course, in the intimacy of my apartment—which, for the record, actually has a full-size disco ball, a shag rug and a handsome collection of vintage, chrome-detailed furniture (call me!).

So this week if, like me, you’ve still got the fever, go check out DJs Davey Lahteenmaa, Adam Hodgins and Why Alex, Why? at Zoobizarre on Friday, August 22. If you’re over disco, but still hunger for trendy anachronism and indulgent attire, Mod Club at Jupiter Room is offering an open bar till midnight this Saturday, August 22, with special guest Jordan Dare. For a twinge of nostalgia without the dated tunes, go for a bit of Ghislain Poirier’s somewhat-resurrected bounce with Maysr and Big Toe’s Hi-Fi, also at Zoobizarre, on Saturday night. That night you can go all-new with some medulla-vibrating sub-bass as dubstep DJs Secret Agent Gel of NYC, Sase One, Omshant1 and Hosta hit Le Social. Other than that, Friday night is stacked with a new edition of French ou Meurs at Salla Rossa with

Sunny Duval, DJ Alix and DJ Grandom, Gitchkrieg at Les 3 Minots with Muteknight, Taperecorder of Brooklyn and guitarist Vince Rossi, and lastly a wicked tech and electrohouse throwdown at Academy Club with Philadelphia’s Miskate as well as Clifford Brown, Sequential Factory and Yan Parenteau. Take your pick.

Meanwhile, let’s hope the Bridgeburner peeps get to continue with their inspired events planning next summer, with rumours flying around of all-day jams, bars and multiple stages to come.

WHAT WOULD GIORGIO DO? jack.oatmon@gmail.com