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5 (Non-Headlining) Artists You Shouldn’t Miss At Montreal’s Île Soniq Festival

August 12, 2015 By Zakiya

ilesoniq

After a festival season full of rain, tornado warnings, and devastating cancellations, many dance music enthusiasts in Eastern Canada are undoubtedly looking to Île Soniq for some recoupment, hoping to wrap up the summer on a good note. Set to take place this Friday and Saturday (August 14-15) in Montreal, this newly minted festival seems quite promising, having boasted a stellar lineup which features industry heavyweights, and some more underground names alike.

This will be the second instalment of this noteworthy event, with last year’s pilot edition having gone off without a hitch, earning lauds from the Canadian dance music community, as well as performers. Featuring three distinct stages, Île Soniq has managed to book some remarkable headliners of various genres and styles for this year, including Deadmau5, Mat Zo, Odeza, Above & Beyond, and Get Real (the project of electronic music aficionados, Claude VonStroke and Green Velvet) among others. Apart from these headliners, a slew of diversified, and outstanding DJ/producers have also been booked to play at this event.

We have spotlighted five of these Île Soniq artists that we feel you should definitely check out at the festival this weekend. Read a little bit about each of them, and listen to a few of their tracks below.

1. Black Tiger Sex Machine

Comprised of Montreal natives, this distinctive dance music trio have a unique, genre-bending sound to accompany their eccentric, and highly identifiable helmets. These Kannibalen Records signees are also renowned for their striking performances, in which they incorporate live elements into their DJ sets.

2. Ookay

With an infectious style that never fails to create commotion on the dance floor, Ookay has become quite prominent in the electronic music scene, and has earned lauds from many esteemed dance music icons. This Beatport chart-topping producer is sure to have a high-energy set that will mesh an interesting variety of tracks with some fan favourites.

3. Haywyre

This Monstercat artist is renowned for his distinguished style, which integrates electronic music with some classical and jazz elements, making for a truly unique coalescence of synths and sounds. Having already been on tour with widely respected artists Gramatik, and Mat Zo, Haywyre has proven to be one of the most promising artists in the scene, and his sure to be innovative set will not be one to miss.

4. Snails

Born and raised in Montreal as well, Snails has become a leading figure in the bass music scene, with a hard-hitting, and grime-abundant style that he refers to by the outlandish name of “Vomitstep”. Having just dropped a fresh new VIP mix of his fan-favourite “Pump This” with HeRobust, Snails’ set is sure to be loaded with new music, with no shortage of filthy bass lines.

5. Grandtheft

This Toronto-based DJ/producer/songwriter has garnered a sizeable fan base over the past few years, and has even earned lauds from several industry big-names, including Diplo and Annie Mac, on the basis of several noteworthy remixes and original tracks. Seeing as he is also scheduled to play a handful of dates at Mad Decent Block Parties this summer, there is no doubt that he’ll be throwing down a vivacious set that will be stacked with trap anthems, and crowd favourites.