Beats for fresh meat

I have a fond spot in my heart for the late-August St-Laurent street sale. It was on one fabled evening some years ago, as the boulevard was being blocked for the sale, that a plucky young writer with just a backpack, a skateboard and a crumpled page of scribbled directions hopped out of a van on Sherbrooke, with visions of all-night ragers, cheap hooch and asymmetrical haircuts swirling in his head.

This is the weekend we surly scenesters get our pretense and pernickety ’tudes slightly diluted by the blessed tides of new students, bursting with fresh ideas and blissfully unaware of how much we’ve been there and done that. And thank fuck for them. So, good students, new to town and ready to rock us, we salute you, we champion your poor budgeting skills, and we covet your taut asses. We covet them from every direction.

To welcome you to our (somewhat) fair isle, please feel free to attend some of our local customary festivities. To wit, Norway’s whimsical and fabulous nü-new wavers Datarock tout their unfortunately unremarkable new album at Foufounes on Friday night. Should be a good show. Local talents Mad Kids will play back some of their jams, which are as rooted in Diplo’s Brazilian street beats as they are in partner Switch’s gritty London post-dub druggy grooves. That’s Friday, late, at 1265 Des Carrieres. That, and spooky electro-tech guy Stephan Bodzin hits Circus on the same night.

Furthermore, on Saturday night at Zoobizarre, ECP and Jeune Premier of CISM’s Masala pick up where Boomboxx left off, with zounds of tropical sounds to pound your booty around, while earlier that day the latest Peer Pressure block party shall shudder the Main at des Pins.

And, finally, I want you all to repeat after me: Serge Santiago. He’s been rocking me out pretty steady this summer and I think he’s ready to pop. More to come.

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDICATION. jack.oatmon@gmail.com