Experience Québec
2009 Black & Blue Festival
They dance with the light
Midnight mass. Some ten thousand pilgrims from far and wide, from all walks of life, will gather at the Montréal Convention Centre, at the black and blue Mecca of music and of light, for the liveliest dance event in Montreal this fall. Three dance-floor gods together for the first time in the Metropolis. Make way for Black & Blue 19th Edition on October 11. After 19 years, the circuit party movement may finally be nearing its last gasp, but Montreal, with its Black & Blue, is certainly not out of breath yet. And how is that? The quality of its performances and the unflagging party spirit that Montrealers love continue to guarantee the success of Black & Blue..
Three icons on one dance floor
For this Montreal premiere, three international stars will be sharing one stage: Brits John Digweed (Bedrock label) and Dave Seaman (Therapy label) along with German Sasha (emFire label), all of them high profile recording artists. One thing is for sure: on October 11, the Palais des congrès will pulsate to a different beat, not the rustle of suits and ties!
From 10 p.m. on Sunday till noon on Monday, thousands of people are meeting in thanksgiving for electronic music and its artists. Every year, Montréal’s Bad Boy Club (BBCM) tries to make the event even more spectacular than the year before, outdoing itself in ingenuity. With their use of the new lighting and sound technologies, Black & Blue has become an international reference point in the entertainment world.Spectacular light
The BBCM spares no expense when it comes to creating spectacular lighting. François Roupinian, president of Lightemotion, “lights up” when people ask him, “What will you be doing?”. The spark in his voice ignites, “I want festivalgoers to have an experience that goes beyond non-stop lights flashing to a beat. I want them to feel the very essence of light, of its simplest form in extreme high tech, light as an immersion experience, as the ultimate decor.”
Lightemotion, with Roupinian’s creative imagination, is responsible for the architectural illumination of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for the lighting for the permanent exhibits of the National Museum of Singapore and the City Museum (Washington D.C.) et and soon also for the buildings of the Place des arts and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, as well as the Canada pavillon at the World Expo to take place in Shanghai in 2010.
Other Festival events
The official program for the Festival, which will run from October 7 to 13, will include the inevitable Leather Ball (Friday October 9 at the Medley) and Military Ball (Saturday October 10 in the Telus Room) as well as the participation of renowned artist and international icon Amanda Lepore and Party Recovery (Monday October 12 at the Circus), in addition to a whole series of activities at the clubs in the Village. This year once again, the Black & Blue Festival distinguishes itself by its musical performances and by pushing the envelope a little further when it comes to a dance party! Montrealers await you impatiently!
André Quenneville
Photos: Bob Hendricks
2009-10-02
