by RAF KATIGBAK

All right, people, I have a confession to make. I didn’t go out last weekend. Not because there was a lack of things to do, far from it. And it wasn’t because of a broken leg, or a case of that sniffly, snotty cold that seems to be causing most of my friends to hork up random chunks of lung. I stayed home because of the most insidiously addictive time wasting device ever invented since the crack pipe. The Playstation 2. Instead of doing things like “going out” and “being social,” I’ve spent my time holed up in my apartment doing more important things like “eating ramen” and “stealing virtual Lamborghinis” in GTA3: Vice City. But this week there is too much good stuff going on, so I’m taking that little black box and shoving it into the vault next to my other precious time-wasting obsessions (my recently completed NKOTB action figure set and my “hoofs of the world” collection).

Of course the big news on the techno scene is the Mutek/Kompakt night this Friday, Sept. 26, as German superstars Michael Mayer and Reinhard Voigt take over the SAT for their first-ever appearance in North America. Don’t be fooled by the minimal tag, these guys turn the party out like nobody’s business. It’s gonna be full-on madness so you need to be there, y’hear? Alternately, the same night, the Neon Love crew will be launching their semi-monthly Pastel night over at Mile End Bar. Stemming from a desire to fill a hole in Montreal’s Friday-night dance-music landscape, Jordan Dare, Sean Kosa and special guest Kenny Glasgow will be on hand to bring some seriously infectious beats, past, present and future. Expect much debaucherous revelry and free CD giveaways! Ten dollars at the door.

The second annual Pop Montreal gets into full swing this weekend and here’s the electro-fied stuff you need to check out. The Alien8 show at la Sala Rossa with the Unicorns, Soft Canyon, Shalabi Effect and DJ Tim Hecker, electro-pop trio Echo Kitty at the Missy bar, local D&B heads Dr. Noh, Erna and Black Market at the Grey Room (101 Maguire), Tiga, Evening and Hrd Vsion at the SAT and finally, my pick of the fest—Michigan digital noise soldiers Wolf Eyes will be tearing la Sala Rossa a new one this Sunday alongside DFA’s Black Dice. If you’re into the weirder end of the electronic spectrum, make sure you’re there, it’ll be a doozy. Check the www.popmontreal.com site for details.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, DJ Luv and Ramdac will be giving beat-heads something to write home about as they host another Robot Rock at Saphir. Cover is 5 bones with a fiver for two on beer till midnight. Oh, yeah!

Over at the Rialto, check out the Latin house flavours of DJ Guapo from midnight to 3 a.m. as he helps launch the North American premiere of El Esclavo del Rocanrol, a documentary film on legendary Mexican rock group El Tri.

Monday, Sept. 29, check out DJ Poontz’s monthly Mashup Monday at Blizzarts, where special guests DR One and Fatsak will be dropping some custom bastard pop bootlegs/mashups/mixups inna breaks, hip hop etc. stylee. Come out and support some original Montreal ingenuity at its best. Best of all, no cover!

Never odd or even… Diskoakimbo@sympatico.ca

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