Rating: NNNNN
montreal movers
Solma’s residency at Red Square has developed into a quality weekly house event. This Saturday the focus was on Canadian female DJs, including Montreal’s Krista and MightyKat and Toronto’s Denise Benson and Zuzana Grimm.
They drew a good-sized crowd, but not so large as to uncomfortably pack the venue. Adding a second sound system in the lounge is a nice touch.
This week the Solma residents were joined by surprise guest Lady Linzee, who’d intended to be at the Miami Winter Music Conference but, like many Toronto DJs, was denied entry due to increased border paranoia.
The stars of the night were definitely the women of Montreal, who combined upbeat bangin’ tracks with a trippy undercurrent as well as occasional glimpses of house’s more soulful side. The crowd ate it up, eagerly dancing wherever they could find room to move.
hello, brazil
The vibe was electric Thursday at Lula Lounge. A slate combining techno and samba featured Guiomar Campbell and guest DJ El Shaman along with special guests from Brazil Vida Brazil.
The dance floor was much more active than at the typical techno party, although the electronic embellishments were for the most part buried in the mix. This big samba band has some electronic percussion helping to propel it, but they’re much more Brazilian than techno.
The venue’s a beautiful, big hall with a classy vibe, but not too chi-chi or yuppie. Even speaking as a smoker, I couldn’t help but appreciate the glassed-in smoking room and the resulting fresh-smelling main room. Word is that the management’s interested in more of these types of crossover acts, so keep an eye out for more electronic-Latin fusion bands.
promise broken
Tried to catch the last few hours of Promise’s three-year anniversary, but the liquor authorities beat me to it, shutting down the event earlier than had been anticipated.
While it’s understandable that police want to enforce special-event permits to the letter, to crack down on a party as wholesome as what the Pro-mise guys do seems a little unnecessary, especially considering that there are numerous completely illegal booze cans each weekend that attract much rougher crowds.
Kind of like arresting kids for weed while many neighbourhoods are experiencing major crack problems.
benjamin.boles@sympatico.ca
