While ordinary mortals sleep, night owls seek instead to emancipate themselves, to escape their daily lives and to express sides of themselves that are still unexplored. More numerous than one might think, they represent a saving of 2.26 billion dollars, according to a study published last May. The nocturnal party market, especially in the electronic music world, could also be stimulated and promoted more, according to the City of Montreal, which this weekend launched a pilot project testing the sale of alcohol until breakfast. morning.
It was the Darling Foundry, in collaboration with the collective Exposé noir, which inaugurated a series of ten parties in different places, partly subsidized and supervised by the municipality. At 8 a.m. Sunday morning, dozens, if not hundreds, were still dancing to the steady beat produced by a smiling, petite DJ. There were more people than at 8 p.m. the day before in the heart of this former metallurgical plant in the Cité du multimedia district, filled with smoke for the occasion.
Christian Roy, he danced for almost twelve hours, from the beginning to the end of the event. “I should do this more often,” said the grizzled translator-reviser, who was dressed comfortably: running shoes, baggy pants and a gray t-shirt.
Mr. Roy regretted never having taken part in a rave in the 1990s, a prosperous period of clandestine parties that brought together thousands of people in this same industrial district. However, he has always loved the night and electronic music. On the verge of his 60th birthday, it was now or never. And he didn’t see the time pass, absorbed by the cadence and his own “random spasmodic movements”.
“It’s an atmosphere in which we bathe. It’s almost liquid, like a whirlpool,” he described, adding that the mind wanders at times.
A 12 hour marathon
About 900 people like him had bought their tickets for this 12-hour marathon. Representatives of all ages were present. Their common point? The desire to let off steam in a place without judgement, where all identities are allowed.
It was behind the bar that Jackie Brown spent her entire night. According to her, the sale of alcohol has been good throughout. A practical nurse, she says she is used to long shifts. That night, she had a lot of fun serving customers.
“I like humans,” she said at 7:40 a.m., before serving an IPA from the brasserie Dieu du Ciel!, which sponsored the evening, to Noah Gitelman, a regular at the parties electronic music for more than twenty years.
“I’m a programmer, and the best time to program is at night, when there’s no one to disturb you. I’m naturally a night person, so it’s just natural for me to be awake at this time,” said Gitelman, dressed in the theme of colorful Japanese fashion. He says he welcomes the all-night booze sale, particularly because it gives an option to people who don’t want to use other types of substances.
Welcome income
For the organizers, the sale of alcohol extended after 3 a.m. makes it possible to plan for a larger budget, and therefore better programming.
“The bar is a big part of our income,” said Morgane Lecocq-Lemieux, communications manager for the Darling Foundry, pointing out that such events are expensive, given the large number of staff. “There, we really have several headliners,” she rejoiced.
According to those responsible for Exposé noir, the City’s seal of approval can also help to legitimize, or even de-stigmatize, nighttime electronic music events. For five years, they have been offering techno evenings in original locations.
“Sometimes we are frustrated because we come up against a lot of suspicion from the authorities and the managers of the venues. We often get hung up on when we say we want to do an electronic music event,” explained M., one of the members of the duo behind Exposé noir, who prefers to remain anonymous in order to to preserve the mystery surrounding their organization. “However, we try to do everything right so as not to create problems. »
The neighborhood, made up of businesses and a few condominiums, has been notified. To limit noise travel, insulating mats were placed outside and curtains were put up inside. The safety of the participants was also taken seriously. Interveners from the Psychosocial Research and Intervention Group were on site to prevent possible unfortunate situations related to drug use. All employees received training on how to deal with harassment, and some of them were assigned to watch the dance floor.
A festive and caring space
The organizers have also found that a large part of their clientele is part of the LGBTQ+ community. It was very important for them to offer him a welcoming and benevolent space.
These efforts were greatly appreciated by Antoine Paradis, Maxime Balthazard and Romy Desgroseilliers, a group of friends dressed in black, leather and high nets. “Even in events made for LGBTQ+, there are often people who are not open. There, that they say in the description of the event that homophobic or transphobic behavior will not be tolerated, it is a step further compared to what is done elsewhere, ”explained Mr. Paradis.
I think it’s nice that Montreal is trying to show off more on the electro music scene.
He and his friends recently returned from Berlin, where they did a research stay for their Masters in Architecture. They loved the festive and healthy atmosphere of the electro evenings, which are often open 24 hours with no limits on the sale of alcohol or the dress code. Darling XXX is the closest thing they have found in Montreal to this life-changing experience.
” I find this nice that Montreal is trying to show off more on the electro music scene. We have the potential, as an open and artistic city, to put these events more in the spotlight, that they be more publicized for the general public, “said Ms.me Desgroseilliers.
A tourist potential
Such positioning could also have tourism potential. Some participants from other Canadian provinces had made the trip specifically to attend the event. This was the case of Jason Liang, 27, resident of Vancouver.
“It’s a beautiful culture. It allows you to connect with others and escape from normal life,” he said, sitting in the area dedicated to breaks and visual art.
Since the Darling Foundry is above all a space intended for exhibitions, several contemporary works by the artists in residence were available to participants who wanted to decompress between two more frenetic sessions. Small groups sat in front of soothing videos of a woman watching a wood fire or were surprised by a disturbing figure leaning on an ice cream vending machine.
The future of such celebrations of techno culture will depend on the progress of the pilot project, then on the action of the City of Montreal, which plans to develop and submit its nightlife policy by next fall. This reform is intended to be an economic positioning, but it also aims to regulate events that currently take place in an informal, even illicit framework, explained Luc Rabouin, responsible for economic and commercial development on the executive committee of the City of Montreal.
Other measures are also being considered for this policy, including the extension of the hours for the sale of alcohol in bars, in order in particular to avoid the chaos caused at 3 a.m. by the expulsion of all the revelers.
At the Darling Foundry, the party ended gradually, with serenity, reflecting the attitude that animated the majority of the participants, until the first rays of the sun.