I must start by saying this event was very different..
Lets take it from prime time...
Igloofest was a complete mayhem. It was amazing to see so many people come out there and celebrate the electronic scene. However, I dont think igloofest or circus are the right venue for James Holden.
Igloofest needs the DJ to interact with the crowd more often and feel em out.
Still it was alot better than what i had expected.
Music wise, it was really good.. I would say the highlight of his set at igloo was 4 tracks in total probably.
CIRCUS on the other hand was verryyy sketch.
Everyone was out on a mission seperate from the other.
You had you holden fans standing behind the booth, or trying to get his attention and take a picture with him, but ofcourse he was rolling on a whole nother level!
You had your randoms who had no idea who holden is but were just complaining why the music is so slow, especially when the guy opening was playing electro 2 mins before holden started.....
Holden's set was good, it was nothing exceptional, but i feel like circus was not the venue for it. The place was way too hot..way too packed..and everyone was confused. There were atleast 20 people with me that night, and they all felt that bender made it up for them .
I liked both sets, but i am just saying it would have been much better if it was in a different scene.

id give this hole shabang a 7 !
Passable event

Afterhour crowd is different from the Aria days it seems. Names like Holden should be at places like Piknik, Salon or Telus Theathre etc...

Picnic is pretty much like Igloo only in winter i find. I think Igloofest is a great venue for him because of some of the massive tracks he has that wouldn't fit in a place like Circus (listening to his set on my IpoD tracks like the one at 094:00 [which by the by has been ID'd in the tracklist forum as 94:00 - Cursor Minor - Exult] would never work in Circus). It's true he doesn't interact with the crowd but it seemed to have worked and he played almost 3 hours so I'm sure no one's complaining...

I do agree that Circus didn't really fit him too well, even though i enjoyed his set there more and i didn't find it to be so hot (i was one of those holden fans in the back..). His best set in Montreal to date was his Metropolis gig a few years back...it was absolutely mental and i wish he got booked there again or Theatre-Sans-fil is a good choice too..

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Originally posted by Dj Nacht Afterhour crowd is different from the Aria days it seems. Names like Holden should be at places like Piknik, Salon or Telus Theathre etc...

Salon Daome would never work...haha not at all...

I liked a lot of the stuff he played at circus, didnt make it out to igloofest so i can't really compare his sets.

But yeah I definitely enjoyed what he played at circus...if you're only expecting straight 4 to the floor stuff then obviously Holden is not your guy..he thinks outside the box and its obviously not for everybody...but its definitely refreshing to hear him if your up for it but yeah its definitely music for the mind. The crowd was into it though, a couple of people had puzzled looks on their faces but for the most part I remember people dancing like crazy. Although the crowd was a bit too aggressive for my liking...

Whoever said his set was terrible and lacked direction...were you at the same club as i was? haha shiiiiiiettt..and im one who really isnt into the melodic trancy techno stuff at ALL ...i never listen to that stuff on my own time but if I have to listen to one guy play that stuff his name is James Holden.

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Originally posted by julien2 will attend i hope people who will attend will believe he still plays trance i hope he does do a fucked up trippy groundbreaking set like he did at sonar two years ago and that people will leave and be pissed. montreal aint ready for the new holden i <3 james holden

i'm happy

so i got injured at igloo and skipped circus, but from the comments, i would have loved that set.

anyway, holden is not for everyone.

you have an obligation to get acquainted with what a dj will play. of course if you were expecting 4-to-the-floor trance beats you got disappointed. but that's not what holden delivers.

Brancatella I'm 100% with you.

Honnestly, I don't usually listen to a lot of Holden sets...unless I'm really in that kind of mood. But a show like that, once or twice a year, is a must.

I think it's really cool that we had a different booking in a Montreal afterhour. Really glad we double-booked him.

I can definitely understand how some people can be puzzled...I think that's what I like the most about Holden: you never know where he's gonna take you.

I have a lot of friends who weren't too sure about that sound but they just let go and ended up having a great time and loved the musical experience.

Funny also because there were mixed groups of tranceheads and techlovers all mixed together and appreciating the music on the same level...I though it was pretty cool.

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Originally posted by Passskal Brancatella I'm 100% with you. Honnestly, I don't usually listen to a lot of Holden sets...unless I'm really in that kind of mood. But a show like that, once or twice a year, is a must. I think it's really cool that we had a different booking in a Montreal afterhour. Really glad we double-booked him. I can definitely understand how some people can be puzzled...I think that's what I like the most about Holden: you never know where he's gonna take you. I have a lot of friends who weren't too sure about that sound but they just let go and ended up having a great time and loved the musical experience. Funny also because there were mixed groups of tranceheads and techlovers all mixed together and appreciating the music on the same level...I though it was pretty cool.

You are forgeting a lot of people go to afterhours to get fucked and listen to fist pumping beats.

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Originally posted by zeKsg You are forgeting a lot of people go to afterhours to get fucked and listen to fist pumping beats.

Fine. But it's also people's responsability to check who the artist is before going out to a special event.

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Originally posted by julien2 you have an obligation to get acquainted with what a dj will play

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Originally posted by Passskal But it's also people's responsability to check who the artist is before going out to a special event.

You cannot be serious.

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Originally posted by Passskal Fine. But it's also people's responsability to check who the artist is before going out to a special event.

This is only true if you are actually going for the music and you somewhat care about the scene.

A lot of people who go to get fucked don't give a damn about who is playing... All they care about is that the are good and there is a constant beat.

quote:

Originally posted by zeKsg This is only true if you are actually going for the music and you somewhat care about the scene. A lot of people who go to get fucked don't give a damn about who is playing... All they care about is that the are good and there is a constant beat.

If i did drive from Hull to Montreal just for that does it means I went for the music? :P

Last time I went to circus was for Gareth Emery and Aly&Fila...I think ill keep going since they book DJs I like...

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Trance is porn to my ears. (Quang 2007)