Montreal, May 31, 2012 – For its 10^thanniversary, Piknic Électronik blows its curfew and presents four evenings that promise to reinvent the concept of this summer musical event that has become a Montreal must. Under the headline Piknic 10, these four evenings will offer completely different atmospheres and reimagined scenography for the many distinguished guest artists who have been invited to celebrate this momentous anniversary. On Friday June 29, Major Lazer will do the honours and launch that special series. It will be a Piknic Électronik like none other!

An impressive show for four exceptional evenings
It’s widely known that Piknic is a Sunday afternoon staple. But for its 10^th anniversary, it will take over the night shift on Fridays and Saturdays to make its famous rendezvous point come alive from 6pm to 11pm. While Mother Nature usually decorates its Sundays at will, Piknic will pull out all the stops for these four events and prepare shows with a scenography for which its creative crew has a distinctive flair. Nothing could say it better: a day and night of Piknic in one!

“Come for the weekend!”
This anniversary series is part of Piknic founders’ ongoing efforts to develop the event’s concept and encourage a greater number of people to enjoy the experience. Thanks to support from Tourisme Québec, they are able to offer these four excellent reasons to come to Montreal and savour a unique summer weekend.

Guests are like family
Experiencing Piknic by night may be new but insiders will recognize the guests who, in their own way, have forged magical memories over the years. The Piknic 10 series begins with a bang for Major Lazer whose last appearance at Piknic@Osheaga inspired a collective madness unlike any seen before. Presented by Piknic Électronik, Electronic Nation and evenko and powered by Rogers, the first event promises to be an unparalleled sensory and visual experience.

Friday, June 29- 6pm to 11pm

• Major Lazer (US)
• A Tribe Called Red (CA)
• Poirier (CA)

Piknic 10’s three other evenings are scheduled for Saturdays July 28, August 25 and September 8, and they all promise performances with equally unique ambiances.

Tickets for the June 29 evening : $30

- Bell Centre box office, by phone at 514 790-2525 / 1-877-668-8269 or at www.evenko.ca

- Rogers customers save the ticket service fees ($22,50 all in)! Rogers Wireless Box Office is a NO SERVICE FEE mobile ticketing service available exclusively to Rogers customers. Visit Rogers.com/WBO or text TICKETS to 4849 for full event listings and special offers.

Piknic Électronik would like to thank Tourisme Québec for its help with the realization of this anniversary series.

Visit our Web page and follow us online (piknic@facebook, piknic@twitter) for any information regarding the new series Piknic 10!

This Sunday’s Piknic invites our good friends at MUTEK to Parc Jean-Drapeau. The day kicks off on Ile Ste. Helene at 2pm with Quebec’s VALENTIN STIP, signed to Nicolas Jaar’s Clown and Sunset imprint. Keep an eye out for an extra-special guest at 3:30pm, whom MUTEK will announce this Friday. At 5:30pm, DFA-affiliated duo BENOIT & SERGIO jack up the house-music barometer to intense levels. Come 6:30pm, WOLF+LAMB, the duo behind the American label of the same name, arrive in Montreal for an extraordinary dusk showdown under the Calder. Listen to their latest podcast here!

The second stage, meanwhile, guarantees lots of pleasant surprises from MUTEK’s lineup. Wagon Repair’s MATHEW JONSON shows up at 2:30pm for an uncharacteristic experimental set. And at 5pm, his label mate THE MOLE.

See you this Sunday!

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MUTEK @ PIKNIC - SUN. JUNE 3RD

MOOG STAGE
2pm Valentin Stip (CA)
3:30pm Surprise guest to be announced this Friday
5:30pm Benoit & Sergio (US) Live
6:30pm Wolf + Lamb (US)

GURU STAGE
2:30pm Mathew Jonson (CA)
5pm The Mole (CA)

Sunday marked the third Piknic of 2012, and the second weekend of the season and the first day of the rest of your life! Were you there? If not, here it is in a nutshell. If you were, we’ll summarize it nonetheless just in case you missed something.

To kick things off, Wrong Jeremy and Sarath Pereira offfered up some tech-house before handing off the stage to the duo Live Affair. I was told that bras were being thrown in the air during their performance, even though it was chillier than the previous weekend.... Girls, you are so wild!

At the GURU stage, Taal Mala opened the dubstep day all soft. Dubstep and softness going hand-in-hand, you ask? Believe me, the mood was chill right up until halfway through Living Stone’s set, which didn’t shy away from some big heavy beats through our speakers, followed by another thumping set by ManyGances later. The thumpin’ bumpin’ was just the right tone to get the heads bopping and blowing off some steam.

(...)

Photo by Steven Ledoux

Photo by Sandrick Mathurin

At Piknic, we love to document! And the event has always been a dreamscape for photographers and videographers seeking great images. An impressive view of the city, the famous Calder and the eclectic crowd are an endless source of inspirations to artists.

That is why we’re calling out to all the photographers and videographers who are interested in sharing Piknic as seen through their lenses. We know that the artists who capture these images rarely come forward, and that is why we’re doing it on their behalf! It’ll be a wonderful opportunity to pay respect to those that have been capturing images of the event for a long time, while also introducing some newcomers who may have a different perspective of Piknic Électronik.

It’s easy to submit. Just fill in the submission form and send your portfolio to iannick@piknicelectronik.com!

We had a lot of fun on the grass carpet, and we made some nice promo videos for 2012 season. Here is the third one!

Concept: Écorce Atelier Créatif
Directed by: Jean Malek
Music: Jean-Sébastien Roux

With the opening weekend out of the way, we’re keeping the momentum going strong into the second weekend with more international star power and a bevy of local talents ready to keep your Sunday hopping!

The afternoon under the Calder begins with Attitude Recordings co-founder Wrong Jeremy, whom many Piknicers will recognize also as one of the main operators behind the Noerg crew. Come 4pm, French techno transplant Sarath Pereira takes over the DJ booth, and two hours later the day gets a little more “live” with Montreal pairing of two strong producers in their own right, Kressel and Mono-Poly, who come together here as Live Affair. They prime the crowd for Russian techno darling Nina Kraviz, touring behind a critically acclaimed new album on Radio Slave’s Rekids imprint. She takes over the Calder at 7:30pm, and leads us toward dusk.

Over at the GURU stage, bass and other eclecticisms are the name of the game, as two Montreal's resident DJs take up the decks for a journey through the subwoofers of some of this city's finer crews. (...)

Boy, did we ever have a beautiful (and hot) weekend! We would have had plenty to say about this splendid double premiere weekend, but the pictures speak louder than words…see for yourself!

Can you guess how many people are in this pic? It’s hard to say, but we counted 8,500 of you piknicking on the site, which is a new attendance record - and not just by a few; the last record was 6,900 strong!

(...)

Win a trip to Barcelona this September for the final Piknic of the Spanish season. Sound Good? Of course, and Matonvu is giving you that chance!

To participate in the draw tag yourself and your friends on your photos taken at the photo booth at Piknic Électronik. Your photo will be posted in the albums on the Matonvu.ca Facebook site. Don’t forget to hold on to the actual photo taken at the booth though : it’s your raffle ticket!

All the information is here.

The iPhone Piknic App, developed with our partner Greencopper, is now available through the Apple Store! Upload it for instant access to:

- The complete program
- Artist profiles
- Photos and videos
- Podcasts
- And more!

It’s convenient and it’s FREE!

We had a lot of fun on the grass carpet, and we made some nice promo videos for 2012 season. Here is the second one!

Concept: Écorce Atelier Créatif
Directed by: Jean Malek
Music: Jean-Sébastien Roux

The tenth season of Piknic Electronik kicks off this coming long weekend on a high note, with a steaming double-header!

Sunday, May 20
Toronto’s leading family of house, No. 19, joins us under the Calder for an exclusive mixdown. Hometown signing Driss Skali gets the ball rolling at 2pm with a marathon 3-hour set, followed by American Tone of Arc (live), who blend elements of 80’s electro-pop, disco, and soul in with the hi-hats and 4/4’s. The day builds toward the massive Art Department, featuring Toronto veteran producer Kenny Glasgow and No. 19 label boss Jonny White, who hold down the DJ booth from 6:30 to close. Listen to their BBC Radio 1 mix here!

Over at the GURU stage, Montreal’s Rosé Crew – whom many of you know from Tuesdays at Blizzarts – holds down the fort. The trio of Bucia, Nicolas, and Montrilla will be back-to-back tagteaming from 3pm onward.

Monday, May 21
Remember how last season we started off by shattering our attendance record, bringing in nearly 7000 people in one afternoon? Well, the man who made that possible is in Montreal next Monday for a return engagement! (...)

The Boutik is restocking!
Since we’re glowing with enthusiasm, we want to spread our joy and give you something to be happy about. Buy $45 or more of merchandise at the Boutik during the first weekend (May 20 & 21), and we’ll give you one complimentary ticket for Piknic to be redeemed in the 2012 season.

What can you find at the Boutik? Cool stuff. Useful things and great items you can wear:

• Tanktops ($20)
• T-shirts ($20)
• 10th Anniversary edition T-shirts with 2012 lineup on the back ($25)
• Vests ($40)

And for our USEFUL things collection; a mixed bag along with some kitsch!!!

• Fanny Pack ($10) => Useful if your briefs have no pockets or if you simply don’t want to carry your bag all day long.
• Viser (10$) => Useful when the sun is beaming, whether you forgot your sunglasses or you just want to look like a fashion demon.
• Bucket (5$) => Useful for building sandcastles.

Happy Shopping!

Foodies rejoice! This year Piknic is inaugurating the Mangeoire, THE spot to go to when hunger beckons…or if you just like to eat.

- WHERE? Along the path between the two stages, where the family space and inflatable toys used to be. Farewell inflatable toys and mini-putt, hello heavenly taste buds! That said, kids are still welcome…and it’s free for age 12 and under!

- WHAT ARE WE EATING? The traditional casse-croûte du Piknic will relocate and continue to serve its classic fare: hot dogs, burgers and crepes. And to diversify the menu Grumman 78 (tacos), Pas d'cochon dans mon salon (pulled-pork sandwiches) and Fruixi (fresh fruit) will be there from week to week with their respective grub.

It’s official: it’s going to smell good there…

Brutus, Princess and Rex will have to stay home from now on... Indeed, after several incidents of severe tinnitus in dogs, we would like to inform you that dogs will no longer be admitted to the Piknic site.

It's high time for a good deal! The Piknic season pass grants you access to 20 events from the Montreal regular season. If you're thinking of coming 6 or more time (4 or more if you're a student), then it's a great deal!

- The REGULAR PASS is back at the price of $70 + tax and service charge.

- The STUDENT PASS is also available at the price of $55 + tax and service charge.

Passes are on sale on Ticketpro.ca and at La Vitrine, 2 St-Catherine E (corner St-Laurent).

The price of entry to attend Piknic Électronik is $12 + tax and service charge = $14 all-in.