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Sébastien Léger heats up Igloofest

No matter what the thermometer says, tonight’s Igloofest spectacular is gonna be a hot one. Fresh from his recent Mistakes Music tour, wildly prolific French producer-DJ wunderkind Sébastien Léger is bringing his vintage Rolands to the Igloofest stage, and a decade’s worth of scorching hot house beats are coming with him.

Since his emergence in the dance scene in 1999, the French-born, Amsterdam-residing Léger has been all over the map, producing dozens of EPs, a number of hit singles (including “Hit Girl” and Chris Lake collaboration “Aqualight”) and countless remixes. He’s an undisputed champ over on Beatport. You’ve probably heard his work, even if you don’t know it; Léger has added his synthy stamp to tracks as diverse as Armand Van Helden, Justin Timberlake and even Marilyn Manson.

Once a mainstay of the underground electronic scene, Léger’s prolific and consistent quality have made him a hot commodity. Léger’s style is adaptable, with elements of Detroit techno’s analogue synths and samplers (more hints of Derrick May here), sculptured into soulful, state-of-the-art house. Léger’s trademark flair and funk attest to his formal musical background. A pioneer of his own as-yet-nameless subgenre, Léger is also the mastermind behind Mistakes Music, a label whose artists all toe the borders of house, techno and soulful electro.

What can you expect tonight from Sebastian Leger at Igloofest? To suit the weather, maybe as something as chill as this:

Terence Fixmer fixing Thursday

Igloofest might be a strange place to picture rivetheads, what with all the leather jackets and Skinny Puppy shirts, but with French techno legend Terence Fixmer on the scene, we predict they’ll be out in full force. Fixmer will be bringing his grim and gritty vibes to the dance floor tomorrow night, January 19, and Igloofest doesn’t get any colder than this.

Genre fusion has always been a feature of Igloofest, and Fixmer blends them with the best. His work combines the minimalist urgency of classic Derrick May with brooding EBM from Berlin’s gothiest nightclub, both pulled raw and bleeding out of 1989 and stitched together in an underground lab.

Fixmer has a surplus of goth cred, featuring numerous collaborations with Nitzer Ebb‘s Douglas McCarthy. His most recent full-length, 2010′s Comedy of Menace, is his most EMB-tinged album to date, and his 2011 EP Le Terrible portends an even further descent into darkness.

Though he’s been purveying his grimy sound for over ten years, Fixmer is part of a recent (and long overdue) EBM resurgence which also includes fellow Igloofest guest Green Velvet, and which itself is part of the larger modern wave of aggressive electronic music — including dubstep — which rages more than it raves.

Here’s an example of Fixmer’s vibe, all rusted-out cyberpunk imagery and claustrophobic, pulsing beats. Strap up your combat boots and prepare for a full-scale four-on-the-floor.

Chillin’ : Igloofest 2012 preview!

You can’t enjoy Montreal without, on some level, enjoying the cold. From our much-beloved winter sports to our frosty fashion sense to the whited-out Nuits Blanche and Winter Carnivals, wintery weather is a vital and celebrated element of the local culture.

There’s no greater proof of that than Igloofest, a wild idea dreamed up by the brains behind Piknic Elektronic. Igloofest has come to Old Port every year since 2007, with a unique spin on the electronic music festival: it’s outdoors, at night, dead in the middle of January, right by the wind-tossed water at Jacques-Cartier Quay. Igloofest runs from January 12 (tonight!) to 28 over three weekends.

Named for the igloos dotting the quay, where revelers can seek shelter from extreme weather, Igloofest is the electronic music event of the season. Outsiders think it’s crazy, but Montrealers wouldn’t have it any other way: Igloofest has grown exponentially each year and now boasts over 65,000 visitors over its three-weekend run. If the novelty of dancing up a sweat at -25 temperatures doesn’t entice you, or you don’t have a wild neon onesie to impress the judges of Igloofest’s hilarious snowsuit competition, then just get a load of the DJs at Igloofest’s site. Igloofest 2012 will feature some of the finest electronic music luminaries in the world.

For starters, this year’s fest brings in UK’s dubstep pioneer Mala (of Digital Mystiks), Portuguese kuduro purveyors Buraka Som Sistema, many-monikered American house-EBM oddball Curtis Jones (here appearing as Green Velvet), Juno award-winning Montreal rave beast and professional VHS retro-ironist Tiga, London house heartbreaker Maya Jane Coles… there’s a sound for electronic fans of all stripes. And who knows? The next top Igloofest DJ might be one of us.

The first course of the event begins tonight! Tickets for a night are $15, with a festival pass going for only $60. Yeah, you know you’ll check it out. Just don’t forget to zip up your parka; it’s already minus ten and dropping…

Young Empires rising 2night @ SXSW 514!

Right about now, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) showcase at M for Montreal hosted at Sala Rossa, there’s an empire rising. That’s Young Empires, three young men from Toronto who’ve been expanding their sphere of influence rapidly since their formation in 2009. A recent tour with Chromeo made Young Empires a name amongst retro-loving, forward-thinking pop fans, and their headline status at SXSW should only bolster their buzz in the local scene and beyond.

Highly influenced by Pitchforker groups of the recent past, Young Empires wear their influences on their immaculate sleeves. Music journos have struggled to compare Young Empires to bands as disparate as The Killers, Arcade Fire, MGMT and Cut Copy. Not bad for a band who has yet to even release an EP, much less a full album. Older reviews mention a certain tropical vibe to their tunes, but that’s not as apparent as the genre-blurring explorations into chillwave and indie dance-rock they’re currently pushing, which fits them well into the local scene.

Of course, the groups above have mighty shoes to fill for an upstart group in an overpopulated scene, but the comparisons don’t only describe Young Empires‘ sound — they reflect the group’s chameleonic ability to absorb and blend their influences and produce something that gels. While it all comes off as a bit calculated, and not near as rowdy as their “sexy music for sexy people” ad-line would have you believe, Young Empires seems to be on the right track — and what did they say about all roads leading to Rome?

Young Empires’ music is hard to find at the moment — they’ve tightened their tyrant’s grip on music blogs in anticipation of their upcoming EP — but you can get a taste of their sound on their Myspace and on Youtube where their videos proliferate.

Alfa Rococo @ Café Campus this Saturday!

Montreal locals Alfa Rococo are already a name amongst Francophone music fans — and not only in Quebec, either. The indie-rock duo, consisting of Justine Laberge on vocals and David Bussières on vocals and guitar, has two hit albums, two 2008 Félix Awards, 200-odd performances and two European festival appearances to their credit since their first collaboration in 2004. Alfa Rococo will be playing M for Montreal as part of the Franco M Selection showcase, and it’s a perfect venue to become a Roco-convert, as you can expect a few of their numerous Quebec radio hits to make the stage.

To an Anglo listener, Alfa Rococo comes off in the middle of the radio-friendly indie spectrum, somewhere between the girl-fronted, electro-tinged stompers of fellow canucks Metric and the pensive, reverb-heavy mope-rock of UK’s Doves. To the mix Alfa Rococo adds assorted folksy French and Quebecois influences, chiefly by way of warm male/female vocal harmonies and French lyrics. Their first album, 2007′s Lever L’ancre, has a more wistful vibe, while their second, last year’s Chasser le Malheur, is more upbeat and synth-driven.

Generally, Alfa Rococo‘s mostly midtempo pieces create a atmosphere that can only be described as pretty. It’s sweet and melancholic by turns, and no understanding of French is required to understand the mood of it all. It’s not particularly daring, but it’s slick and catchy, with not a hair out of place. As curveballs, Alfa Rococo throw in a few higher-energy, four-on-the-floor numbers that’ll pack a dancefloor fast — see the video below. Here’s hoping to see a few of those at the show!

Alfa Rococo plays M for Montreal this Saturday at 2PM @ Café Campus.

M for Montreal #6 goes global

M for Montreal is primed to explode, again. What started out six years ago as a schmoozing event for music industry insiders and journalists has now grown into a full-on music festival — an international one, no less. M for Montreal has become known for its unique format and impeccable planning: this week, sixty-four acts will occupy six downtown venues for four consecutive nights, culminating at the cavernous Metropolis hall, and all without one schedule conflict.

It’s more of a marathon than a festival, really. You’d better book some time off work. Last year we were blown away by the local talent on display, and this year the boom’s promising to be even bigger.

No doubt owing to the success of its industry networking functions, the festival has been expanding its global credentials a little more every year. M for Montreal has hosted showcases as far as Texas’s South by Southwest media convention. Even this year’s headliner comes from half a world away: France’s much-lauded electronic shoegaze duo M83, who’ve been brought in to support their latest ethereal synth trip, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

M83′s show with LA-based, similarly-themed Active Child is, sadly, already sold out. If you missed out, you’ve still got a chance to get retro: also from France comes Anoraak, alias Frederic Riviere, an up-and-coming artist from the infamous Valerie Collective. Anoraak’s velvety Italo-disco pop jams come off like an aural daydream of an ideal ’80s Miami beach that never existed. Fans of Chromeo take note.

Other class acts this year include local electronic legends Bran Van 3000 and hard-rock thrashers Barn Burner and Trigger Effect (heavy music being a recent and welcome addition to the festival — see our writeup of Priestess from last year). Last year’s M for Montreal featured the folk-rock duo The Barr Brothers and infectious electro-jazz gangsters Misteur Valaire (who headlined in 2010, as it happens, and who have been M for Montreal regulars since 2008). Both groups will be returning again to the fest’s sixth edition. Plenty of new additions fill out the roster, including Uncle Bad Touch (a sister band of our favourites The Unsettlers).

The full line-up for M for Montreal 2011:

M83
Active Child
Cadence Weapon
Karkwa
Random Recipe
Parlovr
Aaron
Absolutely Free
Adam & The Amethyst
Alaclair Together
Alexandre Desilers
Alfa Rococo
Anoraak
Ben Wilkins
Bran Van 3000
Buddy McNeil & The Magic Mirrors
Scoundrels
Concrete Knives
D’eon
Daniel Isaiah
Doldrums
Ed Wood Jr
Fanny Bloom
For a Minor Reflection
Galaxie
Half Moon Run
Hollerado
I No.
Jimmy Hunt
Karim Ouellet
Lena Deluxe
Marie-Pier Arthuer
Misteur Valaire
Of Monsters and Men
Passwords
Peter Peter
Plaster
The Midway State
Uncle Bad Touch
Young Empires

M for Montreal runs from Wednesday, November 16 through Saturday, November 19. See www.mformontreal.com for more details.

Bran Van 3000 electrifies Osheaga!

Bran Van 3000 are something of a legend in Montreal. Founded by DJ James Di Salvio and E.P. Bergen in 1994, BV3 (as they are known to fans) have survived the kind of career that music documentaries are made of – all while continuing to refine their quirky and lush brand of genre-hopping, electro-acoustic groove with rock-solid releases through the years. If you don’t know Bran Van, it’s time to get acquainted: they’ll will be getting funky at Osheaga in Montreal this Friday at 5:30 PM!

As far as Canadian bands go, Bran Van got off to an auspicious beginning. An excursion into radio vibes with 1997′s hit single “Drinkin’ in LA” (which charted once in Canada and twice in the UK) landed Bran Van brief tenure in pop stardom, including a global tour and a Capitol Records release for their 1997 debut Glee. Riding high on their success, BV3 was subsequently signed to the Beastie Boys‘ label Grand Royal for their sophomore effort, 2001′s Discosis.

Unfortunately, a sudden collapse of the Grand Royal label coincided with Discosis‘ release, tanking the album’s publicity. In the wake of disaster, the track “Astounded”, featuring vocals from soul legend Curtis Mayfield, managed to become Bran Van’s highest-charting hit, but the band re-appraised their direction nonetheless. Leaving behind labels and management of any sort, BV3 became notoriously reclusive, refusing interviews and live shows, seeming to exist only in rumour as they assembled their subsequent album, 2007′s Rosé.

Continuing critical acclaim for Discosis and Rosé didn’t change this reclusive image, and BV3 remained a well-kept Canadian secret – until an appearance at the 2008 Montreal Jazz Festival turned the spotlights back upon them. The urban myth of Bran Van was busted when over 200,000 fans converged at the show, packing the streets to see the group play their first live set in almost 10 years.

You could say it was something of a turnaround for BV3′s approach. Back in the groove of live shows and recording, BV3 released The Garden in 2010 – and it might be their best work yet. As far back as Glee, Bran Van was fusing electronic beats with rich acoustic sounds and they only push it further here, for The Garden simmers with experimentation and creative meldings of genres. Everything from singalong twee-indie to downtempo, electro-funk, hip-hop and reggae makes an appearance, courtesy of an army of skillfully-arranged guest vocalists. It’s all unpredictable but it never sounds strained – for this, The Garden has earned unanimous and deserved critical praise.

Yeah, we know what you’ll be doing at Osheaga this Friday. See you there!

Glitch Mob’s synth-war at Osheaga!

Osheaga has kicked down Montreal’s door once again, and it couldn’t get off to a synthier start. Neon and Highfood have teamed with Osheaga (and a Red Bull sponsorship) to bring us the highly anticipated triple threat: Glitch Mob, Phantogram and Com Truise at Société des Arts Technologiques at 8:00 tomorrow!

We recommend you don your neon headbands, leg-warmers and slap-bracelets for this one. With these three down-tuned, cinematic groups engaged in a war of keyboards and drum machines, we’re sure it’s going to be a synth-wave throwdown.

THE GLITCH MOB

Hailing from the bass-driven nightlife of Los Angeles, The Glitch Mob are neither especially glitchy or, technically speaking, a mob – but with an onslaught of moody, funky instrumentals spanning a whole constellation of ’80s and early ’90s synth sounds, they manage to paint a grimy portrait of neon-lit nights and Vice City violence that makes their name feel spot-on. Variously described as glitch-hop, IDM and breakbeat, Glitch Mob don’t stick to one sub-sub-genre long enough to be pigeonholed, but their sound is unified by creative sonic layering and midnight retro atmosphere as thick as LA smog. This is one mob you’ll be happy to join.

PHANTOGRAM

Phantogram have been a mainstay of the Montreal scene since 2007, delivering their unique brand of downtempo trip-hop to a growing fanbase – this writer recalls a crowd going apeshit for them at a local venue last year as they followed up the release of their debut album Eyelid Movies.

Sonically, Phantogram are firmly rooted in the sultry stylings of late ’90s Massive Attack and Portishead, filtered through a decade-plus of organic experimentation and low-fi indie sound-collage. The fragile crooning of lead singer Sarah Barthel s as likely to attract fans of Florence + the Machine as much as old-school Bowery Electric.

COM TRUISE

Com Truise has been described – as always, somewhat non-descriptively – as chillwave, but for us Nintendo Generation kids, he’s more than merely chill, he’s an architect of a certain nostalgic time and place where chill was the default state.

Stirring up a blend of laid-back, ’80s-styled soundscapes by way of classic analogue synths and samplers, Com Truise is to downtempo what the Valerie Collective is to electro. A bit of hard-edged cyberpunk (Com Truise is perhaps most well-known for his remixes of the Tron soundtrack) and spaced-out Steve Moore-ish atmosphere add further colour to Com Truise’s sound. Glitchy samples and the occasional broken breakbeat are the main clues to modernity for Com Truise; for the most part, he’s as ’80s-authentic as a Sylvester Levay film score – and just as moodily cinematic.

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THE GLITCH MOB

PHANTOGRAM

COM TRUISE

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