Montreal Rave Culture Shines at Halte Festival feat. Marie Davidson, Frankie Teardrop and more

Montreal welcomes a new electronic music festival this summer that truly encapsulates our underground scene. Halte is the city's first independently run open-air event, taking place at Bassin Peel from 3-11 pm on May 30th to June 1st, with a different rave crew or collective curating each day.

Photo from last year’s festival provided by Halte

Halte transforms a forgotten industrial space into a cultural playground, blending cutting-edge electronic music with scenography, architectural heritage, and community co-creation. Inspired by European pioneers like Horst and XRDS, the festival aims to offer more than just music; it creates a temporary sanctuary where sound, design, and people connect.

After a successful pilot edition in 2024, Halte is back this year with deeper collaborations, a forward-thinking lineup, and a mission to build an experience unlike anything Montreal has seen before. From daytime grooves to after-dark rhythms, Halte invites everyone to stop, listen, and absorb.

Come early, stay late.

Photo from last year’s festival provided by Halte

DAY 1 - Latex & Hauterageous    

Divina • Frankie Teardrop • Crissemarqueur • Badgalquirit b2b  Pretty Privilege • Mossy Mugler • Lyzza

DAY 2 - Octov    

Xaviera • KORVN • JKS • Elli Acula

DAY 3 - Autobahn  

Jade B2B • J.Rom • Miasalav • Marie Davidson (dj) • UFO95 (live) • Askim B2B • Xia

Photo from last year’s festival provided by Halte

Halte Festival

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Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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Cold Visions Take Over Igloofest 2025 (Bladee, Zeds Dead, Skepta, Strawberry Gothcake)

In true Drain Gang fashion... 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓥𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 have come to Igloofest this year with killer headliners like Apashe, Four Tet, Marie Davidson, Strawberry Gothcake, and—of course, the Icedancer himself—Bladee.

The coldest festival of the year kicked off last weekend with Michael Bibi, Apashe, and Claptone, who had all the colourful snow-suit-clad ravers dancing the night away. The programming continues this week, with Bladee on Thursday, Zeds Dead on Friday, and Skepta on Sunday.

If you're questioning whether the cold is worth it, each major headliner has two supporting acts and a healthy dose of official afterparties branded as "Après-Ski." London's COUCOU CHLOÉ, Swedish House Mafia's own Steve Angello, Turkish star Mahmut Orhan and Belgian producer Maxi Meraki will also grace the stage of Igloofest this year. Plus, the programming includes local legends of all kinds, pulling from every corner of Montreal's underground rave scene – including Homeby6, Strawberry Gothcake, Lia Plutonic, and Unicorn.

You'll find us at Bladee's set on the 23rd and Strawberry Gothcake's showcase on the 31st, but it's safe to say that every weekend is absolutely stacked with heavy hitters.

Igloofest

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Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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Exposé Noir Ushers in Summertime with a Three-Day Festival

Exposé Noir closes out its 2023/2024 season with its first-ever three-day program. The electronic music collective will take over the Montreal Science Center from May 17-19 with more than 41 hours of musical programming.

The mini-festival in the Vieux Port de Montréal's belvédère, terrace, rooftop, and hangar is a melting pot of musical talent. It features all of the city's DJ sweethearts, including Marie Davidson, Esther Côté, Regularfantasy, and many more.

The program will also include the groundbreaking UK techno artist Surgeon, as well as three members of the esteemed Berlin collective Mala Junta and long-time Panorama Bar resident Massimiliano Pagliara. Catering will be provided by Fleurs & Cadeaux, one of Montreal's best Japanese restaurants.

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For the occasion, Exposé invites acclaimed photographer Sven Marquardt, the iconoclastic bouncer known as the "face" of Berlin's most renowned nightclub, for the second-ever presentation of his innovative large-scale photo installation "DISTURBING BEAUTY."

The DISTURBING BEAUTY exhibition will feature a selection of his first photo works captured in 1980s East Berlin, shortly before Marquardt took a hiatus from photography following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent explosion of unified Berlin's club scene. The cutting-edge installation uses artificial intelligence to shift and rearrange the haunting black-and-white photo works in dynamic and inventive ways.

In Sven's words, "For more than thirty years, club culture has determined both my life—as a curator of countless nights—and, of course, my life as a photographer. In a city in transition after the wild eighties and the fall of the Berlin Wall, I had put my camera aside for the first time. It was at the end of the 1990s that my camera again became a stylistic device for expressing our attitude towards life. Berlin has always been the setting and inspiration for my pictures and projects."

Exposé Noir

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Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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What's Cool at Taverne Tour 2024

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It goes without saying that Taverne Tour is our go-to fest for thawing the wintertime slump. In line with years past, the 7th edition of the Montreal music festival is packed from brim to brim with stellar inter-genre programming, highlighting artists from the city’s local music scene and beyond. On this weekend from February 8th-10th, here is our list of must-see acts from the festival’s lineup. Read along while jamming to our offical Taverne Tour playlist below.

Full disclosure: Some shows have already sold out — we hope you scored your tickets in time!

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Ben Shemie via Taverne Tour

Montreal’s Ben Shemie—known as lead vocalist and guitarist of art rock outfit SUUNS—moonlights with his experimental solo pursuits. Playing on his classical compositional training, Shemie dabbles in astral string arrangements, frenzied, yet melodic, feedback loops and contorted vocals in his latest avant-pop feat. 

Shemie plays La Sala Rossa Thursday, February 8th.

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DahL via Taverne Tour

With their forthcoming album That’s It in the works for March, Montreal’s DahL has perked up our ears with their savvy splicing of trip hop know-how, post-punk textures and arresting flow. The project is the brainchild of Nassir Liselle and Purplefield, who have joined forces with long-time collaborator and producer William Winston on synthesizers and Edward Scrimger on drums for an unparalleled live performance. 

DahL plays La Sala Rossa on Saturday, February 10th. 

Tickets are sold out!

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Daniel Romano’s Outfit via Taverne Tour

Daniel Romano’s Outfit is road tripping once again in anticipation of their next release, Too Hot To Sleep, arriving March 1st on You’ve Changed Records. Sporting power pop sensibility on Too Hot’s first two offerings—“Field of Ruins” and “Chatter”—we’re keen to experience the Welland, Ontario group’s newfound spunk alongside their longtime country flare. 

Daniel Romano’s Outfit plays La Sotterenea on Saturday, February 10th. 

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Marie Davidson via Taverne Tour

Reigning queen of Montreal’s clubscape, Marie Davidson, made an impressionable comeback performance at M For Montreal this past fall. The local electronic music producer, singer, songwriter and poet floored the audience with her coy stage presence and enthralling beats. Knowing that we’d accept a taste, but are eager for more, Davidson’s appearance at Taverne Tour is sure to bring the house down. 

Marie Davidson plays Le Belmont on Saturday, February 10th. 

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Pantayo via Taverne Tour

Toronto ensemble Pantayo promises to entrance audiences with its harmonious dialog of kulintang, electronica and indie pop. Combining traditional Filipino music with contemporary influences and experiential sounds, the queer, diasporic Filipinx quintet inspire mesmerizing, powerful and grooving atmospheres through collaborative percussive magic.

Pantayo plays Le Ministère on Friday, February 9th.

Tickets are sold out!

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Safia Nolin via Taverne Tour

Revered Quebec City singer-songwriter Safia Nolin is a breath of fresh air amidst our heavier Taverne Tour selections. Strumming with tenderness, Nolin’s stilling voice is like a reverie paired with her uncluttered, frank acoustic compositions. Nolin’s recent EP ET SI, DE/main l’oiseau chills with its poignant dexterity — charting fragility and renewal all at once. 

Safia Nolin plays Le Quai des Brumes Thursday, February 8th. 

Tickets are sold out! 

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Slash Need via Taverne Tour

Our standing review of Toronto’s Slash Need is that we would gladly let them step on us. The duo’s floorboard-thumbing crossover of industrial punk and performance art is always a treat. For seduction, camp, leather, lace and hounding instrumentals, look no further than this spectacle of daring debauchery.

Slash Need plays Le Ministère Thursday, February 8th. 

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Sun Entire via Taverne Tour

Sun Entire is a three piece shoegaze outfit made up of Montrealers June Moon, Nico Serrus and Ivan Urueña. Hot on the heels of their debut LP Fit To Break, the band intrigues with their honeyed sound — awash with 90s-tinged, luminous whimsy.

Sun Entire plays L’Escogriffe on Thursday, February 8th. 

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Sweeping Promises via Taverne Tour

All the way from Lawrence, Kansas, post-punk pair Sweeping Promises charms with their playful take on raw angularity. The band’s 2023 LP Good Living is Coming For You inspires shoulder shimmying from back to front, complete with surfy bass riffs, vintage synths and Devo-esque vocals. 

Sweeping Promises plays La Sala Rossa Friday, February 9th.

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Roost.World via Taverne Tour

Fall into a dark wave rabbit hole at our Taverne Tour co-pro with Burlington, Vermont synth troopers Roost.World. Shake the week’s edge off with the Roost.World’s intergalactic goth rhythms, and introspective sets from special guests Lola 1:2 and Marontate.

Join us at Casa Del Popolo on Friday, February 9th!

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Taverne Tour

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