The sound of the bass thuds through the air, shuddering through the crowd and down into your bones. Hundreds of hands are raised to the air, moving back and forth to the beat. The weather is intense — with the humidity, it feels like nearly 40 degrees — but no one seems to care: they bounce and dance to the music all the same.
It’s only day one of ÎleSoniq, Montreal’s electronic dance music festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau, but the crowd was already energized by the sound. The Montreal Gazette spoke to attendees about what drew them to EDM, and the festival.
Samuel Dufour (right) and friend Christopher Dubuc.
Name: Samuel Dufour
Age: 21
From: Quebec City
It’s Dufour’s first time at the festival, but he isn’t shy about how much he adores it. “I just love it: the ambiance, everybody’s so friendly, everybody loves each other, there’s no hate at all,” he said. “It’s a must-go. I’m coming back next year, and the year after, and the year after. For sure.”
His friend got him into EDM, and helped him to create his very own kandi: homemade bracelets that you exchange with other attendees as a symbol of friendship. He excitedly motioned down to the beads wrapped around his wrists. “Everybody’s so close to each other,” he said.
Félix Betournay.
Name: Félix Betournay
Age: 19
From: Pointe-Calumet/Laval
Betournay makes a striking entrance, shuffling in and out of the crowd in his bright pink bunny-themed onesie. He said he wears it for the same reason he’s into EDM: for fun. “I’m in love with that music, electronic music is my life,” he said. “Music is in my heart. It’s my heartbeat. It’s awesome.”
He said he goes out raving every weekend, and loves seeing other people “enjoying their lives.” At ÎleSoniq, he said he was excited to hear the DJ marshmello play. “That’s my DJ,” Betournay said eagerly. “I’m only waiting for his set.”
Julie-Anne Bérubé (left) dances with friends.
Name: Julie-Anne Bérubé
Age: 20
From: Montreal
It’s only been about a year since she started listening to EDM, but already, Bérubé said she feels like her world has grown. “It’s a lifestyle,” she said. “Once you go to a club like New City Gas, you meet people and you go to events with EDM music — it becomes your life.”
She came to ÎleSoniq with a group of 90 or 100 people — part of a Facebook group devoted to the music, that go to events together. Bérubé said they all know each other and are close, drawn together by EDM. “I doubled or tripled my friends since I (began to) listen to this music,” she said.
Ericka Robinson and David Fontaine.
Names: Ericka Robinson and David Fontaine
Ages: Both 23
From: Sherbrooke
Robinson and Fontaine might be the odd ones out at the festival: they aren’t in the EDM scene or community, but they appreciate the music. “All the DJs, one after another, it’s what we listen to at the gym,” said Fontaine. He and Robinson use EDM when they workout together. “It’s cool to be here and to listen to them live.”
“We’re not so much festival people,” Robinson admitted. It was her third year at ÎleSoniq, but she said she just enjoys coming to be with friends, and encourages others to do the same. “It’s supposed to be a social event, you’re not supposed to be alone. It’s a place to have fun, so enjoy.”
Twin brothers from Shawinigan, Julien (left) and Frédéric Arcand.
Names: Julien and Frédéric Arcand
Ages: Both 16
From: Shawinigan
The twins are alike in many respects: they look nearly identical, they speak similarly, and they share a passion for electronic music. “It’s so crazy to be here right now because I love all the DJs here,” said Julien. “I love this kind of music, I listen to it every day. Every day.”
Frédéric himself is a DJ, though he admits that he’s still very small. “I started in my house and I don’t do many things, but it’s awesome,” he said. One day, he hopes to play on the ÎleSoniq stage himself. “It’s the best festival in Quebec, even all over Canada — I think it’s the best.”
