Images that make us smile and nostalgic at the same time!

Directed by: Martin C. Pariseau, Anthony Martino-Maurice, Xavier Lévesque
Music: Far Nearer - Jamie xx

It was in ideal, almost dreamlike weather that Piknic Électronik ended its 9^th season last Sunday with its second biggest attendance ever : 6113 piknicers. The season ended as it started on May 22^nd, when the absolute record of attendance was broken to start the year with 6895 entries. In total this summer, more than 56,000 music enthusiasts came dancing under Calder’s famous L’Homme statue and the enchanting Jardin des Floralies of Parc Jean Drapeau. It is also more than 110 invited artists, veterans and new blood, who came and testified to the electronic music world’s vigour and effervescence. Here’s a recap.

Programming: pleasant visits from nearby and elsewhere
Piknic’s raison d’être remains to broadcastthe richness of the world of electronic music. Between the established currents and the newest explorations of this constantly mutating universe, our programming strikes the perfect balance to satisfy acquired tastes as well as curious appetites. (...)

Just like the first time, I made my way to Île Ste-Hélène in search of rhythm and melody to keep me on my feet until nightfall. Stepping out of Jean-Drapeau metro, I got a glimpse of a future, in which I found myself immersed in a flux of pulse and cadence.

Just like the first time, I met up with my friend Catherine G. on the grass to the east of the main bar. In 2007, she introduced me to the Piknic experience. Four years later, we’re still attending. We enjoy a drink, we chat a little and we dance. Thank you, Catherine, for showing me that Sundays could be synonymous with something other than “Tam-tams”!

Just like the first time, I was won over by the featured artists. While the music of Arsen and John Acquaviva captivated me when I was first initiated, Nymra & Sofisticated as well as Mightykat confirmed my belief in the diverse talent of local DJ’s. After dancing until my feet were swollen, I took a break to catch my breath and enjoy another drink, and wandered to the pond and from to one site to another, drink in hand, greeting the members of the Ekip along my way. (...)

As the 9^th season of Piknic Électronik draws to a close, we want to express gratitude to all our partners, collaborators, suppliers and all the folks without whom such an event would not have been possible. There are quite a few but they’re all worth mentioning.

Thank you to our season partners: MOOG audio, Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Ministry Québec tourism, GURU, Sapporo, STM, MOJO, Amarula, Jägermeister, Romeo, h2O, Bande à part, V, Nightlife, 33MAG, CISM, Urbania, Camuz, Resident Advisor, Globalsound, La Vitrine, Wenite, Passeport Éco, OSHEAGA, MUTEK and Pop Montréal.

Thank you to our PikniCubik partners: Hostelling International Youth Hostel, Café Campus, Balroom Bar, Velvet, Fabergé, Laïka, Bota Bota spa-sur-l'eau, Aérodium de Montréal, Horizon Roc, the S.W.A.P. Team, MASSIVart, En Masse, Planet Break, Tohu, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Théâtre de La Chapelle, Maison de l'Architecture du Québec, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the Contemporary Art Museum of Montreal.

Many thanks to Ékip Piknic and Jean-François Millette’s medical team.

Thanks to all the Montreal artists. Once again you’ve proven what a wealth of talent we have in this great city.

And last but not least, thank YOU, dear Piknicers, for you loyalty, participation and spirit!

On se retrouve cet hiver pour l'Igloofest! Rendez-vous les 12-13-14, 19-20-21, 26-27-28 janvier 2012!

Can you believe our 2011 Piknic season is coming to an end already? Why, it only seems like a few weeks ago that we were setting up under the Calder for the first time, and marveling as thousands of piknicers rolled in for Dubfire and company. Ah, the memories!

Well, we’re going out with the chootzpah that got us started, and we’ve partnered with our good friends at POP Montreal to bring you an extra-special finale. So strap on what’s left of your tattered summer dancing shoes and get down to Place de l’Homme this Sunday before we move on to Igloofest!

***IMPORTANT::: We strongly recommend that you take the metro to get to this event. Due to the Montreal Marathon, there will be several road closures in effect, hence driving will be difficult.

The gates open, as usual, at 2pm, with Salon Daomé residents and all-round cool ladies Nymra & Sofisticated working the decks with their touch of deep-tech, tech-house, and techno. One of Montreal’s club veterans, Mightykat, graces the decks at 5pm for another three hours as we give the Piknic soundsystem a run for its money on this final day. Come 8pm, our favourite trio of French hooligans, dOP, crosses the Atlantic to deliver their version live vocal bro-house! (...)

Regard métaphorique pas très scientifique du dernier Piknic décliné en 3 théories!

Le conditionnement de Pavlov
Dimanche matin tôt, mon cadran sonne. Mes glandes salivaires s’activent. Je m’installe fébrilement à l’ordinateur pour rassasier ma faim de météorologie. Tel un automate, je déploie la toile virtuelle pour assouvir ce conditionnement acquis depuis quelques semaines et dévoué à l’analyse de carte radar d’environnement Canada et autres prévisions imprévisibles.

Hélas, rien à se mettre sous la dent. Quoi un pictogramme de soleil sur Météomédia? Pas un mosus de nuages sur les images satellites? Pas de vent. Pas d’orage. Pas d’humidité. Niet. Nada. C’est plaaaaaate……… not! (...)

• A photo album by our photograph Miguel Legault

• A flash mob video filmed last week at Piknic
  
  
• A photo album by Jasmin Le Blanc

With only two more weekends left in the Piknic 2011 summer season, we arrive at the Place de l’Homme this Sunday with one of the hottest international producers on the circuit right now, one of Montreal’s leading DJ divas, and an entire crew from one of Montreal’s most exciting new labels! Can it get any better? We don’t think so!

Presented in collaboration with Jägermeister, the main stage gets started with a 3-hour set by Cristobal Urbina, co-founder of the Montreal techno imprint Fur Trade Recordings and the man behind the decks at Laika on Saturday nights for the past few years. At 5pm, Fur Trade collaborator Billy Dalessandro shows up to perform a live set no doubt based upon his fifth album, Cracktime, due out this November on the Lisbon-based label Soniculture! We then move from a Portuguese connection to a Spanish one, as Valencia’s Maceo Plex (known better to some as Maetrik) hits the stage at 6pm for another live set that’s ready to showcase just why many people are already calling his Life Indexalbum one of the best of 2011. Podcast here! (...)

Photo by Miguel Legault

To all the precocious spectators and nay-sayers who already declared summer over just because their meager vacations ended, put this in your pipe: summer officially ends on the 21^st of September, and these remaining days of exquisite luminosity are among the season’s finest.

According to those who were there last Sunday (close to 4000 piknicers), something magical took place. Trying to explain how things went down to someone who wasn’t there is always a bit tricky. How does one sum up a moment of grace without diminishing the magic? The temptation is to just say, “you had to be there, and that’s all”.

Nonetheless we’ll try to pinpoint exactly what made for such a perfect occasion. The theories waver somewhere between the excitement of the comeback to work/school and the (arguable) effects of the full moon. Let’s just say that all the elements were perfectly aligned to create a perfect Piknic, starting with glorious weather and good music. (...)

Did you see the superb photographs taken by Miguel Legault, Jasmin Le Blanc, Mathieu Olingue and Cindy Boyce that were on display at PikniCubik? You know the ones, the gorgeous big COLOUR photos that were going for $50 or $75 (depending on the size), with one third of the proceeds going to Leucan? Either way, you’re in luck, because you can still get a hold of one, hang it up for all to see, show your folks that you have taste, let the world know how fresh you are for attending Piknic, and also show off how supportive you are of a good cause. So go ahead, choose your pic and drop me a line at maud@piknicelectronik.com! I’ll take your donation and I just may tell you “You got it goin’ on, Daddy Mac!”

To see all photos, click on Read +!

If you’re like us, chances are you’re still recovering from the three-day Labour Day weekend that was PikniCubik. But when for die-hard piknicers, there’s no rest for the wicked. This coming Sunday we’re back under the Calder with an all-Canadian line-up ready to work the kinks out of your feet. And all these artists are signed to the My Favorite Robot Records label!

Presented in collaboration with Bande à Part, the main stage gets underway at 2pm sharp with classic house provocateur Aaron Santos. At 3:45pm, the house music moves into the able hands of Nitin, who arrives in Montreal to showcase just why people all over the globe have been looking at Toronto is once again an exciting hub for the classic Detroit/Chicago fusion the city once turned out in spades. At 5:30pm, Rekids artist James Teej jumps into the booth to push Place de l’Homme toward its peak hours. At 7:15pm, Montreal duo My Favorite Robot finish things off by brining the beat back into hometown hands. (...)

This past weekend kicked off the very first edition of PikniCubik. But you may have noticed (we hope) that despite all of Ékip Piknic’s efforts to throw a real classic Labour Day long weekend festival, mother nature got involved, forcing us to cancel Monday’s STM Kids Stage with Poirier, as well as DJ XL5’s Videophonic Zappin’ Party’s Ciné-Piknic on Sunday. Nonetheless, there were still plenty of memorable PikniCubik moments to be had, which we’ll share with you as the six sides of the PikniCubik now embedded in our memories forever.

I heard
Last weekend was a trip across myriad musical styles: a day of breaks (Rogue Element podcast coming soon), Mistress Barbara’s unforgettable set under the torrential rain (read all the comments), and a much-anticipated day of techno to wrap up PikniCubik. And let’s not forget the kids that ripped it up on the dance floor! (...)

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2nd (OUMF Festival)

DjRickyMD RT @Piknic: C'est officiellement parti pour le Piknic @OUMF avec Soundshaper!#piknic http://t.co/iRU5HD1

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3rd

shawnamadill : I don't care what you're doing, if you not at Piknic Electronik then you're not having as much fun as me #daywasted

laedanlateiteia : PikniCubik !!!!!! & Swapping !!! You can't miss it !

djluvsrecords : Back from entertaining the kids (literally kids) at Piknic. A great time, thanks to all who came. Now time to relax http://t.co/iqa6URW

Maxence_Qc : Faire un @Piknic avant d'aller voir @cafedeflorefilm, ce serait une journée merveilleuse :-) (Gagnant du concours!)

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4th

Misstress Barbara : Merci merci merci à tous ceux qui sont venus au Piknic hier et qui encore cette année en ont fait une soirée épique et mémorable!!! Il a tellement plu et personne n'a bougé! C'est de l'amour ça, beaucoup d'amour et ça me touche vraiment!! Je me demande aujourd'hui, combien d'entre vous êtes malades!? Atchoum?? ;) (...)

If this Labour Day long weekend is your last chance to have a social life before you crawl into an avalanche of textbooks, highlighters, and spiral notebooks, I have a suggestion for you. Actually, it's more than a suggestion: it's a strong prescription. Twenty artists over three days, an STM stage for kids, movies under the stars, visual arts extravnaganzas, S.W.A.P. and MASSIVart on site, a chance to play at "La guerre des clans" with the V team (uh huh)... and all of it one place. Yes! When is this all happening? During the traditional triple-header Labour Day weekend (3-4-5 September), which this year takes shape as a mini-festival: PikniCubik! Let's talk about programming.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3^RD
Some of you may have been wondering where the breaks have been hiding all summer. Well, we’ve been saving them up for the launch of this mega-weekend! Lined up for the main stage, we have in store a boatload of DJ’s and producers from Montreal’s white-hot Planet Break crew. Best of all, they’ve decided to donate all their proceeds from the event to LEUCAN, a charity for children with cancer! Now that’s class.

The day gets underway at 2pm sharp with the devious tagteam of electro-fusing breaks DJ Murdock and his MC-in-crime, Regimental Oneton. We’re not warming up the Calder… we’re setting it on fire right from the start! At 3:30pm, we move on to another Planet Breaker, Pinky 38, who’s built a decade-long career behind the decks spinning breaks that delve into the world of house on the right and electro on the left, with a little hip-hop scratching to mix things up. Forty-five minutes later, Planet Break label founder Spacekadet takes the stage, ushering in a version of breaks that hearkens back to the genre’s 90’s rave roots. The Planet Break team rides into its grand finale with none other than Deyond, one of the founding producers from the label’s beginnings and a DJ with over 20 years of breaking beats under his belt.

At 8pm, just as the sun is starting to set, the Planet Break crew gives way to international breaks sensation The Rogue Element, in from the UK and ready to showcase why everyone from the Crystal Method to Stanton Warriors have called upon his skills to remix their tracks. (...)