The Nuit blanche of the Montréal en lumière festival will be in its 20e year of existence, but today we could reset the counter to zero: thanks to the efforts of the organization MTL 24/24, an activist for real recognition of nightlife, as well as the pilot project led by the City of Montreal as part of its future Nightlife Policy, this night will finally be truly white, with a multitude of cultural proposals that will take place until sunrise. The first to rejoice is DJ Lexis, founder of the event Les 24 heures du vinyle, scheduled for Saturday at the Society for Technological Arts (SAT).
“Our event has always had the vocation” of an all-nighter, says Lexis, and she stuck to it, even when the room had to be closed to the public at 3 a.m. or 6 a.m. to reopen the doors at 10 a.m. on Sunday. No eviction this weekend: the night will be truly white, the public being invited to attend all the performances of the guest DJ friends. “It will be the first time that we will be able to experience the event “face-to-face”, like a big party lovers of vinyl”, at the SAT, which obtained a special permit authorizing the sale of alcohol after 3 a.m., for the pleasure of the dancers.
Joy ! No need to stay glued to the computer screen to listen to the full webcast of the event. The musical marathon will see artists with musical inclinations as varied as DJ Mini (techno, avant-garde), Ellxandra (house, garage), GLOWZI (house, afrobeats, etc.), Kriss Guilty (groove omnivore) parade behind the decks. or the American Veronica Vasicka (from the Minimal Wave label, popess of new beat and industrial electro), all keen on the round, black format.
Record collector, DJ, creator of the Music Is My Sanctuary platform and professional music lover, DJ Lexis started Les 24 heures du vinyle about ten years ago to “pay tribute to all those who have kept vinyl culture alive. , before the renaissance we are witnessing today. For twenty years, vinyl continued to exist through DJs and collectors; today, this community has become much broader, amateurs from all walks of life who have rediscovered the ritual of placing the needle on the record and listening to music”.
A healthy nightlife
Listen to music, any time of day or night. That’s what Montrealers can do at the MTelus (until 6 a.m., with a special permit to sell alcohol) during party free 20 years of Nuit blanche, during which Choses Sauvages, Valaire, Claudia Bouvette, Kid Koala x Lealani will perform, and will mix DJs Vincent Lemieux, Audrez Bélanger, SHADYA and Mr. Touré.
The latter, who will also be on duty at Ausgang for the Afrobeats Le Maquis evening (until 6 a.m., with a special alcohol permit and lots of DJ friends), considers tomorrow’s Nuit blanche to be a victory: “This real first, it is the result of the work of MTL 24/24 and the Night Council,” says Mr. Touré, who took part in the consultations conducted by the Council. “It is a beautiful symbol of the change in mentality about nightlife, which still lives with prejudices. The middle of the night has suffered a lot from the pandemic, it has provoked a lot of reflections on his condition; we understand better today the importance of having a healthy nightlife. »
Such will be the magnitude of this whiter than white night, including the now traditional Karnival evening, organized by Poirier, will now become the hallway of the night since Club Soda, where it will take place, will close at 3 am! “It was indeed very rare, in the past, that events lasted all night at the Nuit blanche”, also indicates Poirier, welcoming the historic opening of this edition. “We are going to give it our all! at the Karnival, along with DJ Kyou, rapper Waahli and the dance troupe Uplift514. Caribbean carnival music will be in the spotlight – expect to dance especially on hard partyby Trinidadian Bunji Garlin, crowned the most popular song of the Port of Spain Carnival last Tuesday.