Photo credit: Parcs Canada

Good humour and generously sunny skies welcomed more than 1,500 picnickers at the first edition of Piknic Électronik @ Lachine Canal last Saturday. The half kilometre of chequered tablecloth delighted Piknic goers, passers-by and families who gathered to enjoy a meal on the grass and electronic music.

The masters of the turntable gave superb performances from the boat that traveled up and down the canal. DJ Vilify kicked off the event with an energy that spread dance fever among picnickers from the get-go. DJs Accords & Désaccords (DJ Bijoux and Mr Tea) continued with diverse sounds, ranging from soul to rock, with frequent stops at drum’nbass. DJ Mini, whose popularity drew a crowd at the end of the day, delivered a live tech-house performance that closed out the evening with dancing.

When looking back on that day, it reminds us of the first Piknic Électronik events, that translated in simplicity, conviviality and the reappropriation of the urban greenspaces.

This weekend, Piknic’s program will be loaded in order to make up for the past few gray weeks.

D’abord, ce SATURDAY august 28th from 1pm to 7pm, Piknic Electronik, in a co-production with Parks Canada, brings you an afternoon of electronic music along the historic site of the Lachine Canal. Bring your lunch, and we'll bring the DJs!

• 13:00 - Vilify
• 15:00 - Accords & Désaccords [DJ Bijoux & Mr Tea]
• 17:00 - Dj Mini

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, we will come back (fingers crossed) under the Calder to welcome a lovely gang who - hopefully - will know how to appease Mother Nature. Seb Fauteux, Konrad Black, Damian Lazarus and Maher Daniel will give you everything from deep minimal to tech-house groovy.

What else is there to say than for the 3rd week in a row, Mother Nature did not want to see her children gather under the Calder. This time she had the last word - and the direction made an executive decision to cancel the Piknic. Fortunately, the Sunday artists were relocated to a relatively drier venue (there was some rain out on the dance floor, but it wasn’t coming from the clouds!) at Abreuvoir.

Due to weather conditions, today’s Piknic Électronik is canceled. However, people can attend the performers at the L’Abreuvoir bar, located at 403 Ontario Street East (near the St-Denis street).

The event, still $ 10, will start at 9 PM:

9 PM : Green & Lateez

11 PM : Paul Ritch

00:30 AM: Bender

See you there !

It’s time to come home for good! Beginning this week and lasting through the end of the season, all Piknics will be held under the Calder. This Sunday, tech-house, minimal, and progressive house lovers will be served, with:

2 PM : Green & Lateez (Ca)

5:30 PM : Paul Ritch (Fr)

7 PM : Bender (Ca)

An explosive mix awaits you at the Scène STM : glitch, house, down-tempo, hip-hop, psychedelic electro... the invited artists will know how to get your bodies pumping all afternoon!

3 PM : Boyscout Killers

5 PM : The Gulf Stream

From Espace partenaire, GURU will offer GURU 2.0 drinks to all piknickers participating in the photomatonvu.

If you want to discover our newest concoctions, stop by the Espace Cocktail SAQ, where we added to our menu only last week. Here are the new items, just as refreshing as the originals! :::

Chic Paris : Litchee liquor, white cranberry juice, lime

Mojito : white rum, soda water, mint, lime

Cielo Blanco : Tequila, grapefruit juice, lime, blackberries

Exotic Sortilège : Sortilège, white or brown rum, lime, pineapple or orange

White cosmo : Vodka, Grand Marnier, white cranberry juice, lime

Photo: Jérôme Suard // Nightlife :: Complete album here

WE WANT SUN! Two rainy Piknics in a row can really get you down. Fortunately, it’s easy to get back on track faster if you remember the afternoon’s amazing performances. If the weather kept you from venturing out to the Jardin des Floralies last Sunday, then shame on you – you missed quite a show! Kasdal roared in like a lion to kick off the season with an intense techno set leaving the audience wide awake, no doubt about that! Scuba continued, giving us a rhythmic UK-funk before leaving Elite Force to follow with a mix of bass music and dubstep in order to keep the crowd surfing on its musical wave.

Then, 7:30pm came and Mateo Murphy took over the turntables. I was astounded by my colleague’s talent and sudden confidence: Mateo, generally so unassuming, is Piknic’s website producer. With a punchy and incredibly danceable techno, he delivered an admirable 2-hour performance, half in the pouring rain. But we’re beginning to get used to the rain! For the second consecutive week, Piknickers witnessed a meteorologically memorable moment and had the chance to show off their moves on the mud-soaked dance floor. It was quite a beautiful sight!

We should do the sun dance and call on Esteban, Child of the Sun. See you next Saturday under the Calder for a Piknic in the company of Bender, Paul Ritch, Green & Lateez, Boyscout Killers and The Gulf Stream!

Julie G.

Lovers of gardens and flowers, get your argyle sweaters and gardening shears ready! Next Sunday is our last rendezvous at our horticultural fantasy den, Jardin des Floralies! Always looking to satiate your curiousity, here’s what’s on. Coming atcha from the Cruz Control collective is Kasdal, whose music oscillates between techno, breakbeat, and dubstep, a perfect mix for what comes next. For that part, we’re bringing in the very special and very recently announced Scuba (UK). (...)

Map - Jardin des Floralies

Piknic Electronik, in a co-production with Parks Canada, brings you an afternoon of electronic music along the historic site of the Lachine Canal, on Saturday August 28th 2010, from 1pm to 7pm. Bring your lunch, and we'll bring the DJs! On the menu :

- Vilify
- Accords & Désaccords [DJ Bijoux & Mr TEA]
- DJ Mini

This free event for everyone in the city is not so much a red carpet as a rolling picnic blanket along a half-kilometer stretch of canal between Richmond St. and du Séminaire St., in the Southwest quay. People are invited to come down and have their picnic along this stretch of cloth, while a boatload of DJs sails back and forth along the canal playing a 4-hour rolling set of music from 1pm to 5pm. At 5pm, the DJs will disembark and play a 2-hour set on the grass, where audiences can dance along.

A one-of-a-kind experience. Don't miss it!

Parking available at the Nordelec building, near the site ($3 / day).

:: Facebook event's page ::

This week, the team behind the Photomatonvu comes with innovations in hand: stop-motion photography!

To participate, show up at the Photomatonvu, which is right at the Piknic site. You have to then press your head against the headphone set up in front of the photomaton lens, and give us your funniest or sexiest facial expression. Matonvu will make a quick video with all the Piknicers and their faces. That way you’ll be able to print up your own face onsite and then find it again on the Internet.

Come this Sunday, we're waiting for you!

Photo: Jérôme Suard // Nightlife

We tried. We bunched up our cheeks and tried to will the sun to come out from behind the clouds, but it still rained.

But, those who risk nothing gain nothing! It was in the this spirit that we decided to move forward and hold a wet-themed Piknic for this 11^thedition of the season, a meteorologically delicate proposition that worked out in our favour. Everyone got wet! Our theme worked! Afterwards, brought together by our thematic soaking, our dancers were ready for anything and everything. Which worked out perfectly, because we had everything and anything in store to throw at them. The Dirtybird label’s Justin Martin revved us up with a two-hour set on sunny side-up house. Would’ve been good with some actual sunlight, but that wouldn’t have worked with our theme now, would it? (...)

August 15th Piknic will take place at Jardin des Floralies (see map below). Program: Kasdal (Ca) / Scuba (Gb) / Elite Force (Gb) / Mateo Murphy (Ca) !

For the return to the Calder Man after a mid-season break, we look forward to Jackie Spade, Olivier St- Germain & Soundshaper, and Justin Martin. Over at the STM Stage, the FORWARD collective will hold centre court. Who is FORWARD ? (...)

Here is the third podcast from the 2010 season, with Lucie Lebel & Jeff Fontaine, recorded at the Piknic on May 23rd.

Podcast Piknic 03: Lucie Lebel & Jeff Fontaine by Piknic Electronik

We’ve got some savory news to feed you: this weekend, Jack & Jones will take up the partner’s chair at Piknic. For the occasion, their team will be handing out free Mr. Freeze!!! I’ll go ahead and say it like a five-year-old: Yay!!!! They will have all kinds of colors for everyone, and we hope it’ll be a hot day.

Did you miss Piknic @ OSHEAGA? Moreover, did you go and now have a hankering to relive the ambience of the festival? We got pics for you, and a video, recorded during the epic Major Lazer performance. Enjoy!

NIGHTLIFE.CA PHOTO ALBUM

33MAG PHOTO ALBUM