Autumn’s here, it’s raining, and you’re thinking about whether it’s too early to turn on the heat in your apartment. Wait a second! Before you start wrapping all that Piknic paraphernalia for your holiday gift-giving just yet, keep in mind that the Piknic summer does not end until this coming Sunday, when you will have one final chance to dance under The Calder and relive all your favorite electronic memories from the past five months. For this admittedly nostalgic event, we’ll laugh and we’ll cry along with our friends at POP Montreal, who’ll be joining us to end the season on a high point.

Finally, the victory lap we’ve all been waiting for: a back-to-back British invasion arriving on these shores to knock Montrealers out till Igloofest. At 5:30pm. Legendary micro-house duo Swayzak hit the decks, bringing their veterans’ crates with them to take us on a journey filled with 15 years’ worth of leftfield house, minimal techno, and a touch of melody to keep it all sweet. And then, Meat Katie has the distinction of turning out the lights on a long and fruitful 2010 summer season with some of the sweatiest showcases we’ve had the pleasure of presenting. For a taste, check out this footage from Burning Man 2009.

Kicking things off, Toronto-via-Tokyo DJ Terence Kissner is in the booth to charm your ears. From the Peer Pressure crew, Montreal’s Hatchmatik will drop by to showcase just why he’s gotten his fingers dirty remixing the likes of MIA, Chromeo, and Thunderheist.

The STM stage offers stiff competition, with locals Pheek and Q.G. holding court. Pheek is someone we’re always eager to have on board, as he comes with a long and reliable history of stealing the show at numerous past Igloofest and Piknic events. Q.G., a surprise from our friends at POP, is no doubt a discovery won’t soon forget.

So, we’re waiting for you: we’ve got a date Sunday at 2pm. Don’t make us wait out on the curb in our high heels for too long.

Photo: Jérôme Suard // Nightlife

Not easy to make choices when everything’s so good. That was the feeling hanging over Parc Jean-Drapeau last Sunday, and it resulted in a lot of walking back and forth between stages to try and catch the best of everything.

To begin with, there was the exceptionally executed score unfolding over at the STM stage, where the hands of the introspective Des Cailloux et du Carbone were laying down a set of potent old-school minimalism, a veritable candy jar for connoisseurs. They were followed up by Basement Maxxx, another duo known for their eclecticism on the decks. Beginning with Johnny Cash and Lou Reed, and finishing off somewhere closer to hypnotic dubstep, these guys managed to string a world of music together, right up to the last beat, without a single errant seam.

And that says nothing of the temptation resonating from the main stage, where Vincent Gauvin set the day’s table with a judiciously impeccable set. It was a subtle collage that alternated between different strains of dance, ably setting up the audience for the contagious energy of X-Cube, who were on next. (...)

SUN OCT. 3: POP Montréal @ Piknic :: Swayzak - Meat Katie - Hatchmatik - Terence Kissner
STM Stage: Q.G. - Pheek

See you there!

Guess what? He’s back! Who’s that? Joooooosh Wink! It’s not really a surprise, but it does warm the heart to have him back among us for the 4^th time (including Igloofest). For this occasion, he’ll be mixing it up for... 4 hours! Don’t miss a minute of what’s sure to be a breathtaking journey, beginning right at the strike of 5:30pm.

For everyone who’ll be there from the beginning, Vincent Gauvin is in the house from 2pm onward, ensuring that your feet warm up nicely, and X-Cube takes you through the rest of the afternoon. Wanna get a sense of what he’s all about? Check out this exclusive set he put together for Piknic here.

Never far from the middle of the action, the STM Stage will be hosted by Basement Maxxx (blog here) and Des cailloux et du carbone. In the Partner’s Space, GURU will be offering 2.0 beverages to participants of the Photomatonvu, all while the SUPER-FIRE SALE continues over at the Piknic Boutik. T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops : all going for cheap!

Come one, come all, it’s your second-to-last chance of the 2010 season!

Photo: Jérôme Suard // Nightlife

And one more for the books!

It’s on account of a radiant pre-autumnal day that the DJs at last Sunday’s Piknic rolled out onto the stage like it was a runway, modeling the most fashionable selections from their 2010 musical wardrobes. Leading the catwalk, Maudite Machine showed up “prêt à porter”, as they say, delivering a sound that was a lot less “maudit” than his name would have you believe. Early arrivals were lucky enough to be draped in a minimal-electro fabric coloured by hues of funky. The boys in Madkids took up the mantle next, lifting the vibe from “ready to wear” to “rearing to dance”, proudly doling out taste-making trends to the audience, who were visibly seduced by the work these musical designers were unrolling before their feet.

Not far from the main stage, the STM Stage offered up a double bill of contrasts, getting underway with the delicate textures of F.AN before giving way to the soulful house permutations of the endless + slap quartet. Together, they made for a comfortable alternative to the more upbeat main stage, brewing up a perfectly relaxed and warm atmosphere.

As evening set in, the highly anticipated supermodel Riva Starr raised the temperature under the Calder with a resolutely top-shelf set, injecting a vial of joyous energy into the veins of Piknicers, who could do nothing less than beg for more! No doubt she brought a party to the scene, with dancers flying off in all directions to techno à la mode. All in all, in presenting their lines, the artists certainly won the day: they revealed their creative styles, stitched together a provocative fashion sense, and gave ample reason for the audience to return to the Piknic catwalk for the final two Sundays of the season!

This week, the team behind the Photomatonvu continues his stop-motion photography project!

To participate, show up at the Photomatonvu, which is next to the Boutik Piknic. Then, you have to 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 (including participants from last August 15th). You’ll also 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!

Come the end of this week, we’re waiting to pounce on your dancing shoes like a hungry cat! As the gates open, you’ll be treated to the minimal electro of Maudite Machine. Next, we’re throwing the two gents from MadKids at your feet, because we know they can do damage. They proved just as much at previous Piknic events, most notably Piknic @ FOÉ (Gatineau), Piknic @ FME (Rouyn-Noranda), Nuits Sonores (Lyon), and at Igloofest 2010 (um... here). We’ll finish things up with British tech-house diva Riva Starr, who’ll send your heartstrings shimmering with hooky melodies (it all reminds of an irresistible little track from last year, “I Was Drunk”, with Nôze). Riva has recorded for all the greats, such as Jesse Rose’s Frontroom and Claude Vonstroke’s Dirtybird, as well as her own label, the aptly titled Snatch! This visit by the rising starlet constitutes a Montreal premiere, and Piknic couldn’t be prouder.

At some point throughout the day, we expect you’ll get adventurous and check out the STM Stage, where for the first two hours of the day you’ll have the opportunity to take in the F.AN project, a concept performance driven by influences at once intense and soft, minimal and subtle. As well, from 4pm onward we’ve got the [endless+slap] quartet. The pair, who’ve been working together for nearly ten years, have concocted a unique blend of house music aimed squarely at your limbs, which means one thing: that’s right, you’re gonna dance there too! Under the sun, we hope.

End of season = SALES! Over the next (and final) three weeks’ worth of events, the Boutik Piknic is offering many items (T-shirts and tank tops from last year) at reduced prices. PLEASE NOTE :: We don’t have a boutique online, so if you want to buy some Christmas presents for that special Sunday dancer in your life, now’s the time.

Till Sunday!

Due to circumstances out of our control, the first part of the newsletter is not translated this week.

We apologize for any inconvenient.

Dame Nature ... Non, non, non, je me suis promis de ne pas en parler, même si la tentation est forte... Soyons PoPositif!

Dimanche dernier, était attendue la diligence de l’étiquette Turbo dont l’écurie armée de talentueux disc-jockeys – Mike Mind, Thomas Von Party, PoPof et... Thomas Von Party – nous promettait une journée à fond de train.

Au coup de semonce, une amorce en douceur mais de fort calibre. Enfin un artiste qui vise dans le mille et qui garde à l’esprit (oups, la pognez-vous) le concept de set d’ouverture! S’en est suivi un crescendo de 3 heures de prospection sonore composée d’alliages de « mine-nimal », de techno et d’électro-hum pavant la voie à un Thomas Von Pow Pow – bien en selle et fort sur la gâchette – qui a sévi à feu nourri. (...)

Swayzack

The programming for the final Piknic of the 2010 season, presented alongside Pop Montreal, has always been ample reason to do something extra-special. For this year’s grand finale on October 3^rd, we’re bringing in none other than British duo Swayzak! Never ones to miss an opportunity to throw another log on the fire that is DJ one-upsmanship, the long-running pair are geared to bring their unique brand of smooth minimal house to The Calder. And that’s not all. Piknicers also get sets by Terrence Kissner, Hatchmatik, Meat Katie, Pheek, and Q.G. that day as well. Come in droves, as it’s your last chance to dance in a trance. The next Piknic after that won’t be for another eight months!

The September sprint continues with another fine tradition: Turbo day at Piknic, helmed by none other than Thomas Von Party! The Montreal label, founded by our national dream Tiga, is hosting some of our most highly anticipated guests of the summer: France’s Popof, who’ll be making his Canadian debut; Thomas Von Party himself, and Mike Mind. The STM Stage presents Duvall and Seb Diamond. We can’t wait.

Well, it’s official. Autumn is at our doors, and we had some frank exposure to it last weekend. The temperatures weren’t as mild as we’d hoped, but that didn’t discourage our invited artists from pulling off an excellent edition of the weekend triple-header. On Saturday, violent winds resulting from the after-effects of Hurricane Earl left us seeing all sorts of colours (which is just a figure of speech, because the skies were otherwise grey as can be). Speaking of colours, we had the right to one meteorological consolation prize: two splendid rainbows, graciously delivered by the bi-polarity of Mother Nature. Right, enough talk of weather... Saturday, Ninja Tune provided us with a line-up bursting at the seams, celebrating their 20^th anniversary with Ghostbeard, Shuttle, Steinski, and Toddla-T. The young British sensation Toddla-T set the decks on fire with a vibrant set mixing up everything from soca to dancehall to dubstep and back. At the same moment, an imposing swarm of mayflies unfurled above our heads, and soon enough they were in our eyes, our mouths, and in our beers! (...)

This Sunday September 12, Piknic will split once again. While Popof (Fr) will be the guest of honour at the Turbo @ Piknic event in Montreal, our friendly ambassadors will be in Gatineau for Piknic’s second presence at the FOÉ (Festival de l'Outaouais Émergent). Local talent If Then Do and Math Rosen will get things rolling. You’ll have to go to Parc Jacques Cartier to know the rest!

Piknic @ FOÉ Sunday Septembre 12th Gatineau :: Parc Jacques-Cartier 1:00 PM If then do (CA) 2:40 PM Math Rosen (CA) 3:30 PM Living~Stone (CA) 5:30 PM Lunice (CA) 7:00 PM MadKids (CA) FOÉ website: http://festfoe.ca/accueil

Ce dimanche 5 septembre, l'équipe de tournage du film CAFÉ DE FLORE sera de passage au Piknic Électronik pour y tourner quelques scènes. Cette co-production Québec-France mettra entre autres en vedette Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent , Hélène Florent, le tout sous la gouverne de Jean-Marc Vallée. Après avoir réalisé C.R.A.Z.Y. et The Young Victoria, il nous propose un film où musique et envolées lyriques seront au premier plan. Soyez aux première loges !

Synopsis:

Entre le Paris des années 1960 et le Montréal d’aujourd’hui se déploie une vaste histoire d’amour aux accents épiques, à la fois sombre et lumineuse, troublante et malgré tout pleine d’espoir. Film teinté de fantastique, baigné d’une lumière parfois presque surnaturelle, Café de Flore raconte les destins croisés de Jacqueline, une jeune Parisienne mère d’un enfant unique, d’Antoine un DJ montréalais, ainsi que des femmes qui l’entourent. Ce qui les relie : l’amour troublant, maladroit, imparfait et inachevé... humain.

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The last stretch of the season comes in like a lion with Piknic’s awesome triple Labour Day punch. To celebrate Ninja Tune’s 20th anniversary, Piknic will be hosting guests from this renowned label on Saturday the 4th. All eyes will be on Toddla-T (podcast here), who, despite his youth, has already chalked up an impressive resumé, including the production of Diplo & Switch’s first album (Major Lazer). The must-see Ghostbeardis back at Piknic after a winter stop at Igloofest, where he ripped up the stage with an amazing set. Steinski and Shuttle (mix here) will also be in attendance and ready to leave your ears ringing. And it doesn’t stop there! (...)

Piknic sets by Mary Hell, Flosstradamus and Ostrich are newly available at the "Podcast" section of our website. Please note that they’re also available via iTunes, like all the rest. Click, download, listen, enjoy. Happy ear candy!