Lalla Lab: Friday Nights in Montreal

Lalla Lab: Friday Nights in Montreal

Montreal is in full bloom early this year. The Canadian Currency is prime and our weak winter has left the natives feeling strong, cocky and a bit crazy. With such vitality in the air I haven't had much time to sit down with the old artificial intelligence engine over here mano-a-mano, but that's usually a good sign.

Montrealers have long looked to Friday nights for the cathartic release of their weekday work rage. Sona and then Aria set the standard in the 90s with techno nights each Friday, kicking off a weekend-long dance and hedonism orgy with aggressive, repetitive four-on-the-floor beats.

-sick pic of Aria's main room when empty. Uberzone played later that night in June 2003.

Spectro's Silver Fridays at Sona was the earliest instantiation of this trend that I can remember. Eventually taken over by Mickey Mental and partner Benny Baxter (the two also organized the massive outdoor festival Arrival), Sona's Friday night programming would set a pattern of techno that would be repeated and aped by competing after hours clubs and rave promoters for many years. Mick himself would eventually move to Aria when they opened their doors, as many of Sona's resident DJs would also, include one of the city's most inspiration techno DJs and musical figures, founder of Terminal Records and Inside Records, Yaz. Other notable techno DJs who held Friday night residencies included Philgood, Pfreud and Tiga at Sona, or Preach and Mateo Murphy at Aria.

For many years Blue Dog's Junglist Friday ruled the roost in terms of local underground electronic club nights, paralleling the dominance of purist techno albeit in a different genre and in a much smaller location. Because Saturday is a day of rest it will always be more attractive to suburbanites, tourists and out-of-towners, or to thrillseekers who may not be hardcore enough to go out after work, only after they've had a day to relax and prepare. For all these reasons Friday nights continue to attract promoters and DJs who want to take their underground sounds to the next level.

-This is a great shot of Blue Dog Friday at its best, check out this link for many more

Techno-wise St-Denis' diminutive Pearl Club (2021 St-Denis) hosts Tekmission each Friday, one of the city's only weekly events dedicated purely to techno, although attendees have to be warned that, in keeping with city-wide trends over the last few years this often means minimal techno, tech-house, and groovier techno sounds. Don't expect to hear The Advent or Chris Liebing at Tekmission; to taste the harder, big room Swedish, UK, German and Detroit techno sounds that ruled the afterhours milieu through the 90s and early 21st century you may have to dig a bit deeper. Tekmission's host and resident DJ is Fancy Fhreek, a charismatic minimal techno DJ who tends to invite a wide range of locals to play each week. Local collective Eresys take over once a month. To keep up to date with Tekmission's bookings check out their fb page. If you've got a bit of an appetite visit Eresys' homepage where they host some mixes, a fledgling digital label, and a bunch of info about their techno music crew. Again, all of these artists are on the minimal techno tip.

-Pearl ain't a big place but it gets the job done: big sound, big bass, intimate vibes, wooden dancefloor, decent washrooms, terrace for smokers in back.

Last week I finally got a chance to check out Jordan Dare and Mike Mind's Voyeur weekly at Foufounes, upstairs in the brutal cavern/showroom where many great metal and hip hop acts have also performed. Jordan Dare, long one of the most in-demand local DJs, has had long-lasting relationships with drum and bass, rock, metal and electro through a local DJ career that I'd guess spans close to 15 years now. I remember him playing DnB regularly at raves and early club nights (The Session) in the mid nineties. Lately Jordan is proud to call himself a techno dude, and the Voyeur night models itself on this same premise. Unfortunately two unwanted invitees were on the decks when I arrived, playing some fidgety electro-house garbage. I could not find out who they were, but if there is a God then they won't be back anytime soon. Needless to say the young, degenerate crowd would surely have kept drinking themselves into a frenzy and grinding on the dancefloor no matter who was lurking behind the decks onstage, but it made a big difference to me and the other handful of music fans in the room when Jordan got back on. For those that have never been to this legendary Montreal institution, Foufounes Electriques (87 Ste-Catherine E.) is a sprawling, multi-leveled complex scarred by years of debauchery, graffiti and punk, and infused with the sweet, rotting odour of metal, punk and urban subculture. Heavily vomit and piss-stained, anyone will agree that it possesses mad character. The sound system in the room where Voyeur goes down is amazing, the beer is ridiculously cheap (2.25 for a Molson Dry, 2.50 for a Boreale, 3.75 for a Heineken), the 5$ cover is reasonable, and though the bouncers have a city-wide reputation for not fucking around (though I was happy to see my old friend G. working there now, although he's 7 feet tall he's a real nice guy), the bar and coat-check staff are always polite and energetic. Techno-wise Jordan delved into some Detroit, some booty-influenced stuff, a lot of peaky rising mid-range party stuff, and even a bit of big room full-on schranzy style techno, diverse, dancey and perfect for an amped up room. Though it is officially presented by I Love Neon, this night had little to do with the musical vibe, cultural relevance or attending demographic associated with the popular electro and fashion-friendly promoting team, and therefore I'd heartily recommend adding this to your list of reliable Friday night jams.

Legendary punk/counter-cultural shithole Les Foufounes Electriques, a must-visit establishment on so many levels.

Soiree Risquee recently took over for a Friday night at Pearl, lining up an all-star cast that included Akufen, Vincent Lemieux, Stephen Beaupré and Bleuchut. For those that are unaware Musique Risquee is a stellar Montreal-based label that has housed the music of Akufen, Guillaume & the Coutu-Dumonts, Jichael Mackson, The Mole, Chic Miniature, Bruno Pronsato and many more since they began in 2003. They have recently partnered with MUTEK to help out releasing festival-related works as well, and for anyone into the micro-house sound, groovy minimal techno and tech-house, treat yourself to an exploration of their artists and catalog. Where and when their Soiree Risquee lands next is still a mystery but you can keep up to date with their doings via their fb page and you can find their music at any reputable dealer.

-Montreal minimal techno players Pheek, Mossa and Vincent Lemieux, respectively. (editor's note: I think this pic may have been hi-jacked from Washington Life?)

Another good techno party is Ostrich all-night event 13%, which seems to happen every couple of months or so. As well as an ambitious and efficient organizer, Ostrich also happens to be a great DJ with good taste and a continuing appetite for vinyl, a rarity that virtually guarantees mindless praise on this blog. Ostrich celebrates two years of 13% events with the booking of Daniel Bell on May 14th at legendary afterhours club Stereo (858 Ste-Catherine E.). Also known as DBX, Dan Bell is up there with Hawtin in terms of Canadian contributions to the international techno scene, co-producing (with Hawtin and Acquaviva) the 1990 cut Technarchy, subsequently moving to Detroit (1992) and then to Berlin (2000), cementing his stature as a pioneer of minimal techno and a wildly talented producer and performer who has inspired legions of music lovers. This is a monumental booking for Montreal's techno community and if you've got any love left for said scene you will be on the dance floor for this event. Huge kudos at Ostrich for making this major move, support and gather info via their fb page.

-legendary techno artist Daniel Bell aka DBX

If you're stuck in transit or in your apartment there also happen to be some decent radio transmissions each week. Dany Fraser hosts the Boum!Tchak! show on CIBL 101.5 each Friday from 11 P.M. to 1:30 A.M., where he plays a bunch of cool electronic music across quite a wide range. He also has interesting guests to DJ on the studio's ample set up. This is his fb page, and here is a link to listen to his most recent show, including cuts by such amazing techno producers as Speedy J, Abe Duque, Alexi Delano, Pheek or Audion. I also do a radio show myself every Friday from 9 P.M.-11 P.M. on a digital station called techno.fm. In keeping with the night's traditions I play pure big-room techno, purist hypnotic beats and four-on-the-floor worry music, almost never speaking on the air, and inviting a variety of regular guests such as Level 4 Productions' DJs Kidstatik, Toltech and Kilobyte, or Kirk6's Milton Clark.

Junglists still trust Friday nights for their purist fare as well. Celebrating their six-year anniversary this month, hard DnB haven K.O. @ Campus (formerly K.O. at Chaos) happens every month at Le Petit Campus (51 Prince Arthur E.). Now hosted by resident DJ Golgo 13, K.O. have earned a rep for relentless, punishing DnB and down-to-earth, no attitude vibes. I've had the pleasure of hearing such illustrious special guests as Dieselboy, Skream, Capital J, Freaky Flow and Simply Jeff over the years, and Golgo 13 continues to go out of his way to invite international talent virtually every month. Even if they are not all superstars the initiatives taken in adventurous booking means that K.O. is a breeding ground and school of sorts for the local DnB community. As a repetitive sound aficionado I tend to get annoyed at K.O.s insistence on giving microphones to MCs who, in my opinion, ruin many of the guests and residents otherwise fascinating and excellent performances, but this is my problem, not yours, and it is a problem that most DnB nights in Montreal, not just K.O., fail to address anyhow. The venue itself is O.K.; what Petit Campus loses on overpriced beer it regains with excellent sound. It's owned by some sort of mega corporation that hosts all sorts of lame college oriented nights, and K.O.'s monthly should be your brief window of opportunity to explore the club and retain some of your cultural dignity. Local DJ veterans Rcola and Bliss perform Friday May 21 at K.O. Check 'em out on fb here.

-Golgo 13 (left) presides over the classic K.O. @ Chaos chain-link turntable setup. DJs, records, beers, can life get any better than this? I submit that it cannot.

Once every couple of months Corey K, Mayday and Jordan Dare put on a Friday night drum and bass event called Long Dark Tunnel, again continuing in the footsteps of Montreal's Friday night history with a hard-hitting homage to old school, no-holds-barred drum and bass. The night has been held at Jupiter Room of late (3874 St-Laurent), a club that I recommend wholeheartedly, mostly because it has some sort of curse/hex placed on it whereby Montrealers avoid it like the plague for reasons that really are not clear to me at all, although they seem to have their roots in some sort of controversy involving the past owners. Trust me, the bar is nice enough, the sound system and DJ booth is good, and the drinks are not expensive. If there are security working they will be polite, and bartenders are of a similar level of friendliness. This is a club to watch: when the hex vanishes as mysteriously as it appeared the local promoters and DJs who host nights here will find themselves in a very fortunate position.

Due to the shifting pressures of commercial viability and street cred, Friday will always be a proving ground for promoters and clubs, for better or worse. The added attraction of weekend crowds will tempt many to widen their appeal, but history has shown that risky underground club nights have their best chance of long-term success when staged on Fridays. Long live techno!