Though the weather is great today, I elected to cocoon in my stuffy apartment and write this highly informative column, buzzed on coffee and vigorously enraged by a spectacle I witnessed earlier this week at Parc Claude-Jutra, where my sunning and reading was interrupted when 10 police officers beat and pepper-sprayed a harmless schizophrenic man of approximately 45-50 years of age (affectionately known to my friends and I as Crazy Johnny).
Anyone in town for a weekend stroll or a rare downtown shopping trip from their Ste-Julie bungalow might have thought this situation an odd occurrence. So with hope I went out again last night, only to witness a similarly offensive abuse of police power in plain public view at Prince Arthur between Clark and St-Laurent. Normally navigable, the street was closed off to traffic to make way for 40 parked police vans and cars and a dozen young armed officers. Together they managed to pin down and restrain a teen who`d been having an animated conversation with his best friend. Both received public disturbance tickets.
Despite my sordid sorties this week, Montrealers continue to go out and delight in Parc Jean-Drapeau – one of the few (and clearly much-needed) green spaces where citizens can still frolic in mountains of bass, enjoy the sunlight with friends and drink canned beverages without fear of being assaulted by baton-wielding policemen. Noisefloor and Beat Concierge have organized a marathon barbeque dance party this Saturday from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. featuring a dozen Montreal artists including Bliss, Andres Velilla, Milton Clark, Golgo 13, Sarcastic, Toltech, Dialect, Miss Bijoux, Snork Construct and more playing techno, house, dubstep, breaks and beyond ($10 at Île Ste-Hélène’s Tour Levis).
Lord and master of the local dance party over the last few years, Piknic Électronik have kept their best bookings till last for the 2009 season: French artists steal the spotlight weekend as Jackson & His Computer Band, whose 2006 Mutek performance made a great impression on Montrealers, performs alongside producer of funky accessible electro-house for Versatile and his own Tigersushi imprint Joakim. Piknic will again activate the STM Stage for use as a smaller second stage featuring lesser known French artists Menjai, June and Gaby Bolivar.
Next weekend marks the return of the Ninja Tune Piknic with headliner Amon Tobin back in Montreal. Controversial when first instated, the Ninja Piknics brought syncopated beats, organic sounds and an urban aesthetic to an event that was strongly associated at the time with tech-house and minimal techno. Four years later Piknic prides itself on their "democratization" of electronic music, successfully showcasing electro, drum and bass, breaks, dubstep and more in their carefully structured program.
As such, Piknic offers the Godzilla of dubstep events in our city’s history Sept. 20, pairing genre titans Skream and Benga. In the meantime, virtually each week welcomes a dance music celebrity: Border Community magnate, celebrated DJ and local favourite, British melodic techno producer James Holden returns to Piknic Saturday, Sept. 5; Berlin’s Paul Kalkbrenner, who has changed the face of techno and electro with his minor key masterpieces for Bpitch Control, and label-mate Sascha Funke play Sept. 13; while wildly popular, inventive and unpredictable Italian electro producer Dusty Kid hits the decks Sept. 27.
12-inch of the week The six looping technoid cuts of Jeff Mills’ new EP The Drummer are each dedicated to one of his favourite drummers: Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Billy Cobham and Stewart Copeland.
