CJLO Photo Diary << Igloofest 2013 << February 31-02

Photos and text by AutoBeat DJ MNJIVR 

The second weekend of Igloofest 2013 began in Arctic-like weather! Indeed, with temperatures on Thursday hovering around the -30 degrees Celsius mark, one might think that people would stay indoors. Wrong! The frigid temperature didn't stop festival goers, and the stellar lineup could even get a hibernating bear out of its cave for the party.

Igloofest 2013: Equipment

Its ladies Night and the Feeling's Right... at -30 Celsius?!

Opening night featured a trio of the best females DJs rocking the decks! First up was Alicia Hush, DJ/producer and head of Hushlamb records. She got the weekend going with her tech-house grooves. Up next was Miss Kittin, who by her Facebook post clearly enjoyed her Igloofest experience, and Ellen Allien head of BPitch records.

Igloofest 2013: Games

On Friday, a house gangster started off the night! Pierre De Lux opened with an excellent selection of the different variations of house music. It's been a good year for Pierre, first with Piknic Électronik and now opening at Igloofest.

Igloofest 2013: Pierre De Lux

Up next was the superb Nina Kraviz, a Serbian DJ who played a techno-heavy set and seemed quite at accustomed to the freezing weather. The performance was solid, but at some points monotonous, yet she still managed to get the people dancing and ready for the next round of DJs.

Igloofest 2013: Nina Kraviz

As I've seen on more than a few occasions, a set that starts off strong only gets stronger. This was the case for Pan-Pot's set. The crowd started dancing within seconds and continued straight through the night. They have the right recipe for a cold night, and did not stick within the confines of the usual techno and house. The duo branched out to other styles that made the dance floor move in unison, forgetting the current temperature!

Igloofest 2013: Pan-Pot

TNGHT is the Night!

Probably the most anticipated night of Igloofest (and the warmest of that weekend) was Saturday, February 2nd. The line-up itself spoke volumes about the kind of night it was going be: a memorable one!

Montreal DJ Tronald Trump started it off nicely, getting the assembling crowd ready.

Igloofest 2013: Stage

Up-and-coming beat producer, Kaytranada took it to the next level with his hip hop infused beats. Alongside other local producers like Vlooper, High Classified, and KenLo Craqnuques, Kaytranada has been at the forefront of the "Piu Piu" movement.* It's been a very interesting year for the young producer, with a critically acclaimed first album, invitations to perform with many international acts, and now Igloofest. He did not disappoint with a solid performance that got everyone pumped and ready for the next musical onslaught!

Igloofest 2013: Crowd

TNGHT, a duo composed of über wonder producers Montréal's Lunice and the Scottish Hudson Mohawke, have been setting dance floors ablaze with their self-titled debut EP. Although missing the Scottish half due to illness, Lunice came prepared to flatten most of the Jacques-Cartier Pier by slowly building the mood during the first few minutes with a couple of atmospheric tracks before literally kicking it into overdrive. For once, I was glad that I wasn't in the middle of the crowd, which at that point turned into a sea of bodies dancing and jumping in unison. It was a sight to behold!

Igloofest 2013: TNGHT

After TNGHT came the power-packed set by German duo Schlachthofbronx. Their fast-paced beats and rhythmic tempos kept the sea of people in front of them dancing to the very end of the night! No dance-worthy style of music was left untouched by the duo, everything from techno and house to dancehall/cumbias and hip hop. One could almost say that the proverbial kitchen sink was thrown, it only had adds to one amazing night at Igloofest.

Igloofest 2013: Schlachthofbronx

* For those who might be wondering about the "Piu Piu" movement, it's a new wave of Montreal producers experimenting with and bridging the gap between hip hop sampling and electronic bass music. They create highly intricate rhythms with heavy bass lines and half time beats as opposed to the traditional 4/4 time.

Igloofest 2013: Paskal Daze

Igloofest 2013: Ice Castle

Igloofest 2013: Visual Effects