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BOOMTISK VOL. 1 – THE REVIEW (Friday, 25th July)
Written by: Nikola Grozdanovic
Being a part of something as special as last Friday night was a great honor and a personal privilege for me. With various cancellations and weather conditions playing their part and not too many international DJs coming in anyway, Montreal’s scene has been moving steadily downhill as of late, at least from my experience. It’s seldom that I get the desire to spend my time and money on an electronic dance music event. Then again, I haven’t really made an effort, for many reasons, to follow the scene so closely as I used to. A night comes along, though, that changes your nightly pattern, exceeds all expectations and reminds you that the underground scene can spice things up and provide for a unique and wonderful experience. Boomtisk 1 was such a night and what follows are some thoughts from the night.
At ten o’clock on the dot I witness the setting of the Mile End bar being prepped up and it’s like seeing the movement of props and scenery just before a performance. Four giant screens make up the elevated four walls that stare down at the dance floor destined to be packed head to head with fans of Moevalith and his haunting musical style. What gives those butterflies in our stomachs extra zest is that this time around the dance floor, and the upper level that looks down on it, won’t be full of just Project Underdog or Moevalith fans. Boomtisk 1 as it was advertised and promoted is a cross creative experience, where many artists mingle and feel free to express their art. So apart from the regular dance addicts, the setting promises an experimental night of sorts, with different faces and various arts.
The upper level that is usually deserted and is solely the VJ’s domain, is set up to accommodate, among others, a masseuse and her table, a sketch artist, a black-ink graffiti-like artist, and the VJ, naturally. The masseuse sticks out because the lady is pushing 60 easily but gives off such a good natured vibe and gives you the sense that she isn’t out of place; she is Grandma Masseuse tonight and she will make your experience all the more exceptional.
Half an hour passes and it has officially begun. The lights are off and the darkness begs for beats. As tribalism fills the airwaves and the suspended chandelier glistens from the ceiling, the first wave of participants come in pairs and threes and by 11 there’s already an extra artist in our midst’s. A contact juggler, or as I like to call them, ball enthusiast. Those that make believe the ball has a life of its own as it slides and glides on the human body, making it its own amusement park. It’s something to see and it provides for a great analogy for the way the party is headed. Our minds are about to be taken on an amusement ride, one that will be full with aural and visual feasts.
The music pulses dark tech-house with a resounding horn that works as a calling for artists and it seems to be working as the gathering increases in size. Our latest additions include a youthful group of glow-stick dancers dressed in neo-punk clothing and more painters that take up the only spot available on the artist level. The dancers take their spot in one of the corners of the dance floor and absolutely eat what Moevalith feeds them with relish; their glow sticks adding extra visual nuances. By now it’s almost midnight, had Cinderella been in the crowd she wouldn’t have cared about any pumpkins or dresses and would have just danced the night away in her rags. A group of friends share some shots to remind me that it’s not all about the art and the music tonight while Moevalith and I share a moment with a song that has the most contagious hook around. Mile End bar is filling up like a midnight showing of The Dark Knight, people are coming prepared to dance their heels off and the spectacle is under full swing.
From midnight until the clock struck 3 a.m., Boomtisk was an event that grew and succeeded in every respect. Smiling faces, jumping bodies, warm interactions, admiration for the painters, relaxation and comfort from the likes of Grandma Masseuse, the translucent orb that the juggler carefully controls, videos from Bandit that at times erupted like Jackson Pollock’s favorite dream painted in his own style, and the always impressive mixing skills and track selection that at times spouted Bjork-like vocals and on others made you feel like you were in a German basement, all made up the general vibe of the night. It’s hard to describe it but it’s simple enough to understand for those that had a similar feeling during an E.D.M. event: you felt good to be a part of it.
I was one of the few people who, through photographs, videos and writing, did their best to eternalize the night, I can only hope that an extended review and my own personal account of the night can help those who couldn’t make it, who had doubts or who simply didn’t care, to listen and pay closer attention next time. Events like this one that don’t revolve around the name of an international superstar DJ, or the location of a venue, are few and far between but are there to remind us that it’s really about the energy everyone involved creates. Needless to say, the energy of Boomtisk was a force that will be remembered for many nights to come, a breath of fresh air into the lungs of the Montreal electronic dance music scene.
The principal orchestrators of the night; Moevalith whose concept was realized and whose music continues to astound, Juan Carlos who was the host of the night greeting everyone and infusing them with happy thoughts and good vibrations, VJ Bandit whose visuals greatly complemented the whole night, must be thanked. The night couldn’t have had a beat, of course, without its heart: artists and everyone else that helped made the whole event possible.
The photographs and the footage of the night will prove its success far better than these words, but I needed to extended my notes into this review to cover all the bases and to, with a bit of luck, inspire anyone who has yet to witness a Project Underdog special event be a part of it the next time. I can hardly wait… -- Nikola Grozdanovic AKA Mitsutranza
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http://moevalith.com
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Defo enjoyed myself and seems like everyone there was rocking out too sooooooooo...
