Imagine you are a McGill student. This may be tricky, but give it a shot. You've just had the most absurdly difficult week of your life. Your compounding due dates were further compounded by a lack of concentrationÂÂ - kudos to the second-rate drummer living in the apartment below you. To top it all off, your wench of a roommate unloaded a year's worth of her emotional baggage onto your emotionally stable doorstep. You need to unload. You just want to dance.
By living in Montreal, you have either intentionally or unintentionally situated yourself within a breeding ground for some of the world's most talented DJs. Nights of fruitless bopping to the beats of a best friend's boom-box are a thing of the past. Welcome to a world where global superstars like Chromeo make unannounced cameos at Coda, regaling club-goers with their innovative electro-funk fusion. When the beats become too hot to handle, cross the street and chill at The Blue Dog Motel, to be wowed by the mixes of owners and Montreal natives Team Canada. If they're not toting their turntables through Tokyo or Paris, DJs Grand Theft and D.R. One will take your favourite classics, such as Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," and wax them with a little hip-hop flavour. Over at Club Jupiter, catch DJ Mayday mixing club beats with an electro flavour, but do it fast, before she hits "knew her when" status.
With upwards of 100 clubs cluttering its streets, Montreal has provided a fertile musical mecca for natives-turned-international artists such as Tiga, A-trak, Chromeo, and Team Canada, to hone their craft. Electro DJ Tiga was a staple in the Montreal club scene during the early to mid-nineties, and has gone on to create his own successful production label, Turbo Recordings. His album Sexor gave him international credibility and won him the 2007 Juno for best dance recording of the year. Montreal's A-trak has experienced similar success. As the younger brother of Chromeo's Talk Box, A-trak had big shoes to fill. He went on to win the DMC World DJ Championships at 18 and is currently Kanye West's official tour DJ. Like Tiga, A-trak has translated his successful DJ career into an equally successful production career by founding his record label, Fools Gold. The label represents a whole slew of up-and-coming musical talent, including recent billboard staple Kid Sister. With these acts experiencing success on such a global scale, it's getting difficult for us Montrealers to keep them in our own backyard.
In a city that never sleeps, the onus is on local DJs to brew a vinyl blend sure to keep club-goers grooving into the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, the city's burgeoning electro-baristas are more than happy to oblige. Gaultier Paré, who spins under the name Bleuet, is a newcomer to watch out for. Bleuet first broke onto the scene by mixing a track called "Vertebrate," created by local staples TechJio and BSBTRGDclub. "My friend worked at a grocery store where TechJio worked, that's where we met," says Paré. "I was producing trance at the time."
Under the influence of TechJio and BSBTRGDclub, Bleuet fell into the electro scene, but he doesn't like to reduce himself to a strictly electro genre. "I don't like to categorize myself too much because it kind of restrains me when it comes to musical creation," says Paré. At 18, Bleuet is not yet a resident DJ at any of the local clubs, but you can hear his tracks spun by TechJio and BSBTRGDClub on October 25 at Zoobizarre.
What is it about Montreal that provides young DJs like Bleuet the agar to nurture their talent and translate it into A-trak-level success? Ch3rk, a resident DJ at Vancouver's Republic, attributes the phenomenon to the sheer number of venues and to Montreal's geographic location.
"Montreal has a lot of venues to spin at, and the crowd is musically knowledgeable," says Ch3rk. "In Vancouver, it is very rare to spin a night where you can play that sweet fuckin' music," he says, referring to electro. He also notes that Montreal is situated in close proximity to New York and Chicago, which both have well-established and world-renowned DJ scenes. Because Montreal has such close ties to its French heritage, successful French and Belgian DJs have also had a heavy influence. "France and Belgium have 50 per cent of the best producers in the world," notes Bleuet.
"DJs exchange songs like currency," adds Ch3rk. "And it certainly doesn't hurt to have a collaborative connection with Paris' s Justice and Daft Punk."
This exchange also brings many international acts to Montreal. Students looking to "do the D.A.N.C.E." can catch Justice live at Metropolis on October 28 as part of their "A Cross the Universe" tour. Edgewater's DJ Diplo, who describes himself as being "cooler than the other side of your pillow," will spin with Mad Decent and Peer Pressure at Studio Just for Laughs on October 18. Diplo's mix of Sainthood's "Starstruck" is life-changing, making this set a must-see. On a more local note, the aforementioned Chromeo, who pride themselves on being "the only successful Jewish-Arab union," have a set with The Big Bang and Calvin Harris at L'Olympia on October 10. Bust out your "fancy footwork," because this performance promises to be the best threesome of your life.
You're living in the middle of a music phenomenon. Go out and enjoy it- you will not be disappointed. Last night a DJ saved my life.
2008 Woodie Awards
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