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Review: (((Stereo))) Grand Re-Opening Weekend
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| The Highroller |
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written a review. I usually only write reviews when a party really does something to me. It had been a while before that had happened.
The Lead-up
I planned to go to Montréal this weekend only because one of my best friends (oldschool420) was visiting. I traveled Europe with him, and hadn’t seen him in over a year, so this weekend was already being lined up to be something great. We decided to go in mid-August, and we were so excited about it, we talked about it almost every day. I haven’t gone out that much this summer because summers are usually filled with a lot of nights out for me, and I had a decently busy semester at school in the winter. Once we decided to Montréal, I decided to avoid going out for all of August, just so I could enjoy Labour Day weekend. You can imagine the anticipation that I built…
…You can also imagine the disappointment I felt when I heard that Stereo was lit on fire for the 3rd time, at 4:00am Wednesday morning, 2 days before it was supposed to open. This was piled onto an already rough week for me after having lost my iPhone and hitting a severe administration snag at school. Justin was more than just a little upset too because had come all the way from Alberta for this. Also, we had spent about 80% of our budget already, and barely any of it was refundable.
The week leading up to the Stereo Opening weekend was almost like a high drama movie. I’ve never even a heard of a city where a club gets set on fire 3 times within the span of 1.5yrs-2yrs. Message boards, Facebook, and the Montréal Gazette website exploded with reactions of surprise, disappointment, speculation and anger. “Why was this one club the victim of suspected/actual arson 3 times within such a short period of time?” “Who was responsible for this?”, and most importantly, “Will it ever open again?”
Until Thursday moment, there hadn’t been so much as even a post by a worker at Stereo about what was going to happen. Finally, on Thursday afternoon Angel Moraes posted on a Facebook group that on the day of the explosion (Wednesday), over 100 volunteers showed up to help clean up. (Can you believe that? Where would this ever happen in Toronto?) He said that it didn’t look likely, but they were going to see if they could open it on Saturday. We didn’t get another announcement until late Friday night which said that they would open pending city approval. I was pretty skeptical about this because the article said that the club had sustained heavy damage. Also, I found it unlikely that the Fire Marshall would approve them so soon, especially since the police had considered it arson. Therefore, I still had the same feelings about it when I first heard about the news: that it wouldn’t open.
Saturday
We got to Montréal, settled in, and went to see James Holden @ Piknic Électronik (to my surprise, we saw three advertisements on the metro for the party on the way there). He played some decent tracks. Otherwise, his mixing was dodgy, and his programming wasn’t that good. However, this event became pretty insignificant when we finally found out, at 8:30pm, that Stereo would indeed be opening. I can’t remember the last time I was so happy to hear something. I was literally jumping up and down with excitement.
We left Piknic shortly thereafter to get ready for Stereo. Even though it opened at 1:00am, we decided to get there for midnight because we didn’t want to have to wait forever. By the time we got there at about 12:15, there was already a line-up of about 30 people. It’s not very often you see people line-up that early to get to a club.
We waited in line for a bit. Then a bit longer. Then even longer. During this time, they started the sound system a couple of times, only to have it turn off shortly thereafter. By around 2:15am, I started to get quite angry. It had passed the point of reason by that point. No one knew what was going on and no announcements were being made. The crowd broke out into a “Let us in!” chant a few times during the wait. At around 2:50am, everyone in our group started to look like they were giving up, and the whole line was getting livid. Some were about to leave, when at 3:00am, they finally opened the door, and the crowd erupted into applause.
Once the door opened, the staff were in a mad panic to get everyone inside. You could see the anxiety and determination in their eyes to get the angry patrons inside as soon as they possibly could. You could also see in their faces how tired they were from how hard they worked to get that club open. After almost 3.5 hours of waiting, we got in at 3:30am (I have only once had to wait longer than that to get into a club). I was pretty mad in line, but I could tell that they had done the best they could to get it open on Saturday: there was still much visible damage to the downstairs area.
I started walking up the stairs to finally see the club that everyone had been raving about, the club that I had wanted to go to for so many years, a club that has had so much drama in its history, and a club that is known all across the world.
I walked into the lobby area, and saw one set of stairs that goes to the dance area. It leads you to the back of a speaker, behind which is the back-center of the dance-floor. The DJ booth is directly in front of you, but very high up, and it is quite darkened. It is a struggle to see the DJ. This is a bit of gamble and is quite unlike clubs you see anywhere else. First, it is near-impossible to see the DJ due to the dark lighting, and it is uncomfortable for DJ-watching, due to the height at which the booth sits. This takes the focus off the DJ, and as a result creates a very different vibe. Everyone is focused on dancing with their friends, or off in their own little zone.
I didn’t seen any particularly epic hands-in-the-air moments, but as you walked through the crowd, it seemed like almost everyone is dancing a lot, but talking little. I haven’t been to very many clubs where I can say that from 3am-9:30am, on both nights, at least 75% of the crowd was dancing. This gives it a very, raw, serious vibe that I haven’t quite experienced anywhere else. That isn’t to say that it’s better than everywhere else, but it makes the club unique.
The club was full of old-school partiers, and it felt like everyone was on the same level. There was no aggression, it wasn’t overly messy, and everyone kept it together. There wasn’t much socializing amongst groups, but there was a common respect from each other.
I remember hearing mostly French being spoken, so I assume that the club was mostly Québecois. Coupled with the fact that I saw very few from Toronto, it would be interesting to know how much of the crowd were tourists.
There are big screens on each side of the dancefloor which play visuals that can be entertaining at times. I’m not a big visuals guy, so unless it’s extremely impressive and noticeable, I don’t really pay attention. The lighting rig seems to have potential, but I have a feeling I didn’t see the full show. They didn’t do too much with it, but it was used effectively. They did go a bit overboard with the strobes, however. One thing that is interesting to notice about the lighting though is that although lots of times the lighting is kept a normally dark level, there are lots of times where they shine the light quite brightly. What makes it interesting is that the brightness at which the light is shone would cause instant tension and anxiety in a crowd in Toronto at the time in the morning, whereas the people in this club didn’t seem to mind. And in being from Toronto, I didn’t mind it at Stereo either. I’ve also seen this done at Bal en Blanc and a few other parties. Is this a Montréal thing?
There is a large, well furnished seating area with a bar in the middle at the back of the club with ample seating and place to dance. Most of the seating faces the dance floor from an elevated perspective which permits you to look in awe at the sea of people that seem to move in unison. I can’t count how many times I turned to the person sitting beside me to express my disbelief at how many people were still there and still dancing at ungodly hours of the morning.
Angel Moraes took to the decks first to tune the system and work the crowd in. He played a lot of house classics with big vocals, and lots of melodies. It’s hard to comment on the set considering for most of the time he was tuning the sound system. Hector Romero came on next, which was the perfect choice for this time at night. I think he played from about 3am-6am if I remember correctly. He picked up where Angel left off with circuity house anthems. After not too long, he started letting those chuggy, tribal bass-kicks that we all know so well, pulse through the Stereo sound system. Let me tell you that this type of sound takes on a whole new meaning when played on the Stereo sound system. It is loud, monsterous and relentless. It almost feels like you are being pleasantly assaulted by the bass. The sound is at Stereo is indescribably intense, and seems to weigh down on you.
Sometime around 5am, Hector played this one track with a beautiful vocal, whose drop was met with a burst of light from the lighting system. This caused what I can only describe as a dam being broken, with relief, joy, excitement and unbrideled energy instantly flooding the club. Stereo had finally open, and the party had officially kicked into high gear.
Tribal sounds appeared in Hector’s set more and more, perfectly setting it up for Chus & Ceballos. Until about 8am, their set was great. Lots of harder tribal and tech house that really made you understand what this sound system was capable of. Their set got boring after about a couple of hours though. Their set started to lack variety, and there didn’t seem any sense to their programming. They just seemed to be more interested in banging the tunes out.
Sunday
We woke up on Sunday morning at about 4:30am and got to Stereo at around 6:00. We walked up the stairs, and the place was packed. More-so than the night before. It is quite the experience getting a full night sleep, waking up, and immediately being thrust into that: quite disorienting to say the least.
Although I hadn’t seen him before, I was most excited to hear Roger Sanchez. I have been getting quite bored of techno and tech house lately. It seems like that’s all I’ve been hearing in Toronto. So, I was thirsty for some fun house music. I had listened to a few of his sets before, and that’s what I thought I’d be getting. Although he may have played that before I got there at 6am, I certainly did not get what I was expecting.
At the beginning of his set, he was playing that Ibiza electro-y tech-house sound (think Release Yourself or Carl Cox @ Space) with a lot of big builds. It didn’t impress me too much, but it didn’t last very long. From 6:30am, it was just a relentless assault. Through-out his whole set was this deep, rolling, forceful bass line that just did not let up. The percussive patterns that he played were just maddening. He used builds sparingly, and when he did they weren’t very long. It is so hard for a DJ to do this well, but because of what he did, he locked me into a groove that I could not escape from for 5 hours. His set demanded my constant attention, and I actually had to leave the dance floor a couple of times to give my mind a break from the intensity of the experience. Roger Sanchez played to this room impeccably, and I could not have asked for a better set. He played the perfect afterhours set.
I have the utmost respect for DJs like him. His night Release Yourself in Ibiza, where he plays more commercial house, is in the top 3 or 5 highest earning parties on the island. The fact that he can switch from that to the kind of set he played at Stereo is impressive to say the least.
Not only is his programming amazing, his technical ability is rivaled by few in comparison to other house DJs I’ve seen. At points he had 3 tracks going, throwing in samples and EQing with a sniper’s precision. Throughout the night, you could see him with his flash light in his mouth, constantly doing something on his equipment.
The 5 hours of Roger Sanchez that I saw gets 9.5/10. A set impresses me that much maybe 3 times a year, if that.
Monday
In the time between leaving Stereo and getting to the Stereo/Neon party at Ile-du-Vieux-Pont, reflecting on the fact that I would be going to a party of that caliber bewildered me. I could not wrap my mind around a party with that much potential being immediately after what I had just experienced.
After a few hours relaxing at the hotel room and a late lunch, we made our way to the party. It was a bit difficult to find, and I imagine any who were not from Montréal probably had a hard time finding it. The venue itself was sort of a small amphitheatre made of grass, behind which was the river. My friends got there early and got a seat on the top tier of the amphitheatre, where we proceeded to enjoy the nice day and the free table service (although the drinks were a bit on the pricey side). Although I expected much more people at the party, it was the perfect way to end off the weekend. Everyone just sat around and recounted their respective weekends.
After one of the Audiofly guys had been playing for a while, I decided to get up and dance a bit. Shortly after I did that, I noticed Clive Henry lurking in the background. I wondered if they could be playing together, but quickly shook the idea out of my head on the grounds that it would be too good to be true (I had been looking forward to Clive Henry and Audiofly more than anyone else that day). The cherry-on-top of the weekend came when Clive Henry put on his headphones. I had been expecting that day to be more about talking and enjoying the nice weather than music, but Clive and Audiofly shattered those expectations. Did those two ever tear that place a new one. Their set was a blurry, wobbly whirlwind of tech house. Their mixing and EQing were perfectly unanticipated. Their set artfully lacked stability, which made for another set this weekend that was played perfectly for its atmosphere. Amidst all the cheese we have been hearing recently, this was tech-house done right.
I can’t really comment on the rest of the party, because I was just dead by this point. By the time Beyer came on, I was just sitting down almost falling asleep.
I hadn’t had a weekend like this in over a year. As someone who has been going out for a while and is kind of losing interest, this weekend hit me like a freight train. I didn’t even know I was still capable of enjoying clubbing like that. I will remember this weekend for a long time.
Although I don’t live there, I imagine that Montréal needed a weekend like this. I check the Montréal events frequently, and although I’m sure some will disagree, Montréal has been lacking compared to what it used to be. I remember looking in envy a few years ago at the stacked long-weekends that Montréal consistently had. Montréal is a very unique city, and is still one of my favourites out of all the cities I’ve seen. When Montréal is on, magic happens. So I really hope that with this stellar Labour Day weekend and the re-opening of Stereo, the continued success massives and of Piknik, that the Montréal scene will pick up again.
Stereo is quite simply a world-class club. I don’t know what it looked like before, but I’ve partied in lots of the “famous clubs”, and this club is just as good as any of them. Stereo has the potential to create that atmosphere we all know, where it literally feels like the sky has been ripped open and heaven is shining down onto the dance floor.
There aren’t many parties I look forward to anymore, but I eagerly await the next time I get to experience Stereo. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | | it is uncomfortable for DJ-watching, due to the height at which the booth sits. |
I like this... Less watching, more dancing!
:D :D :D |
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| VolumE_TO |
| great, detailed review. I would love to make it out to stereo this year. |
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| *~LiSa-LoO~* |
love love love your reviews Graham.
I'm looking forward to Cribby's detailed review, and Knox's too! |
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| oldschool420 |
Amazing review. Thanks buddy for giving me something to read back on and remember this weekend for the memory books.
Montreal wins once again! I love this city more every time I visit. Maybe someday I will call it home.
Good friends, good music and good times. Life is good or as Cribby would say I Love My Life 2009!! :) |
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| Sly_Guy |
| quote: | Originally posted by The Highroller
Stereo is quite simply a world-class club. I don’t know what it looked like before, but I’ve partied in lots of the “famous clubs”, and this club is just as good as any of them. Stereo has the potential to create that atmosphere we all know, where it literally feels like the sky has been ripped open and heaven is shining down onto the dance floor.
There aren’t many parties I look forward to anymore, but I eagerly await the next time I get to experience Stereo. |
Dude, I've always told you Stereo is the best clubbing experience I have ever witnessed. The sound unrivaled. I can't beleive it took you so long to see it dude!
Awesome review BTW, and if it were me, I would have found the legs for Beyer, no matter how many hours I'd logged on the weekend already! |
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| Intangible |
Wow amazing review!
Cant wait for Danny Howells :) |
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| kaniz |
I'll add my review (although shorter...) + adding in a Sunday Piknik
Saturday:
The main thing that made this PikNik worth going to was the weather - after having the last few Pikniks I've gone to be a bit ruined due to weather (blast you Mutek!), it was nice to finally have a beautiful day.
The music for the most part was OK, but didn't get me rocking out very much. Spent a better part of the day just sitting and relaxing and chatting with friends. Creator played some OK tracks, but his style of builds/breaks left me standing on the dance floor more often then dancing.
FM Radio Gods had some good moments and had me dancing the most of the day.
James Holden gets a big "meh" from me. But, I've seen him before, listened to his sets in the past so I knew what to expect so cant say that I was surprised. Now and then he'd get into a few good tracks, then drop something that sucked hard. His mixing was dodgey at best.
The few good tracks he dropped that I really enjoyed didn't really makeup for the mediocrity of the rest of his set.
But, 10 bucks, nice weather and good friends - still a nice day out.
I was only doing Stereo for one night (Sunday), so my Sat night was pretty unremarkable.
Sunday: Piknik
Madness.
Got there at around 4:00pm or so, and the place was already fuller than it was at 'peak time' the day before. I'm not sure who was playing when I arrived - but we quickly setup over by the waterfall to sit down and relax before the party got going.
Don't think I danced at all during the opening DJs and I didn't venture towards the dance floor until Mistress Barbara was on. As I was getting ready to go and dance, we decided to go down to the water front for a smoke and relax befoer going up to the statue - and was suprised by how many people were there.
Usually, this is a nice 'get away from it' spot - but people were lining the water front as far as the eye could see. Picked a spot, sat down and relaxed a bit - but soon after Mistress started playing and pulled me to the dancefloor.
I've /never/ ever seen Piknik this packed before - the place was a zoo. Mistresses set was amazing, and the vibe of the party was nuts. Now and then I'd try and work my way deeper into the crowd - but it was almost too much and I'd end up retreating back towards the sides.
The one time I did get into the 'thick of things', people were starting to body-surf. Being that into it at times is fun, but at the end of the day I want room to move my arms and dance - not be squished like a sardine, so I'd venture back to the outer edges of the dance floor.
I really had no idea what to expect from her - I think I've only listened to a downloaded set of hers once before, and never seen her live. All around I'd say it was the highlight of my weekend - stuck it out until the end, then relaxed in the park for an hour after.
A++++ day.
Sunday Night
Got to stereo at around 2:30-3am or so, no real lineup to get in - only a few people infront and was inside quickly.
I really like the layout of the main room now. It has a clean modern feeling, but also 'underground' at the same time. Massive speakers on the sides, no sitting area on the dance floor, and with how the speakers / elevated areas / etc are setup - you can't even see any of the bars/etc - giving a feeling of just being inside one massive box of sound.
I didn't enjoy the opening DJ very much - he'd tease out parts of songs for too long, seemed to be a lack of building/progression and all around left me unimpressed. Was happy once Roger came on the decks.
I really love the vibe of stereo, the focus really is on the music / dancing - not about DJ worship, not about "being seen". Everyone is super friendly or off in their own world, everyone dancing their asses off like their life depended on it.
It's almost a surreal feeling when its 7am, the place is going off - you look to the 'seating' area, and even there its packed with people dancing above you.
Sadly, I started to get tired out and left a bit before 8:00am - I really wish I had taken more time to recover from Piknik/napped and gone to Stereo for 6am or something. I should have known' better - ahwell :)
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As much as I kind of like the idea of 'secrete Saturdays' that Stereo is doing - I think it's going to hurt the tourism factor of the club. I know quite a few people that are willing to travel to Montreal for a specific DJ --- but as much fun as I had, I'm not willing to make the trip /just/ for Stereo.
That said, as long as Stereo doesn't catch fire again - any time I'm in MTL for a party weekend, Stereo will be one of my destinations. |
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| Geoffb3 |
| quote: | Originally posted by The Highroller
[color=ccff00] |
* applauds * |
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| XxGreekStylexX |
| great review graham, u should create your own EDM magazine |
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| Aleks_B |
thnx 4 posting Highroller...
I can't wait to checkit this fall/winter! |
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| Big Boss |
Great review!
Originally, I wasn't going to make the trek for the Stereo opening because I don't like Montreal on Labour Day weekend because of all the Torontonians that act like idiots and give Toronto a bad name. But , I've been waiting for this place to open for over a year, so I couldn't miss it.
I'm not going to give a detailed review because of the chaos leading to the opening. Opening nights at any venue are messy, unorganized and chaotic and considering Stereo was trying to clean up the mess from the arson, the probability of being disappointed would be really high.
I had a really good time on the Saturday night. Being in that room gives me an indescribable feeling. To me, Stereo is freedom. It's where a DJ is free to play what he wants without a bar owner pressuring him to play commercial for the booze sales. It's where a patron is free to enjoy the night any way they want. You wanna go in track pants? Fine. Nobody cares. You wanna go shirtless? Fine. You wanna dress up like a chick? Fine...it's all about freedom.
Opening night was working out the kinks. The sound was pretty good, but it was clear as day (and understandable) that there would be some minor sound issues. Some distortion issues aside, the sound was impressive.
Sunday, I was beat from Saturday. I had no intention of going for Roger. I respect what Roger has done for music, but I think him a pretty cheesy DJ...
...until I heard him at Stereo. WOW! I've seen Roger in Montreal several times and he's always sucked. But man, the beatdown he gave at Stereo was unexpected and unbelievable. I have new respect for the S-Man. He turned that club out with an 8 hour set, which is more impressive because he played the night before in Miami for 8 hours. (I hate seeing DJs on the back end of marathons. They are usually so drained/coming down from the night before. Not Roger.)
Stereo is back, and thank GOD! What a venue. Half the fun is going to be figuring out who the artist is on each Saturday night. But it's not that hard to find things out if you use deductive thinking and DJ's myspace pages. |
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