Friday night fever by KRISTA There's been a strange rumour floating around about promoters 514 wanting to buy into or take over Stereo. No such transaction will be taking place any time in the near future, as far as I can tell. However, a transaction of another sort has taken place over the weekend, between a Sona DJ and Stereo. Three-year Sona resident DJ XL handed in his letter of resignation early Saturday morning. It would seem that he has come to an agreement with Stereo and will be starting a new Friday residency there on May 7. Ironically, while other DJs in this city have left Sona muttering indiscretions and cursing the owners, XL's split with Sona seems to have been an amicable one. "I feel bad to leave them, I have nothing against them. They have everything for a club to work, it's just that it's been three years and I need a new challenge," XL told me at our clandestine meeting at Inbeat late Sunday night. "But from the very first time I went to that club [Stereo] I fell in love with those six stacks of speakers and I just knew that I had to play there." 514 of course had no idea that XL was thinking about leaving Sona and admitted that they were a little shocked by his announcement and are sad to see him go. But they also say they have no feelings of ill will toward him, and hope to maintain a healthy business relationship--in other words, XL will still play at Swirl 5, regardless of his position at Sona. Segue to a little new age babble here. Ultimately, change--although it may not always be easy or seem like the right thing--is always healthy. And let's be honest. Both Stereo and Sona have been in need of a little kick in the pants to help get the energy going again. I'm sure that this new development is going to send promoters in both camps into a tizzy reinventing their Friday nights. I could be wrong, but we'll just have to be patient and see what develops... Next up: DNA Records and Science. Montreal's premiere techno and drum & bass record store is planning to merge with Montreal's premiere hip hop record store. Sometime between mid-May and the beginning of June, Science and Moog Audio will move into the DNA Records space on Pine for a three-month trial period. Personal note: that's a whole lot of testosterone to fit into that little space. This Friday, April 30 at Laika, there's a going-away party for DJ Maüs, who will be embarking on a mini European tour in May. Among others on the bill are Soundshaper and Martin Dumais. $5 at the door, 4040 St-Laurent. Last but not least, legendary drum & bass night, the Session, takes over Sona bar again on Wednesday, May 5, with rumours of a V-Recordings tour touching down in the very near future. Watch this space.