Habitat happenin’s

The all-new Expérience MTL festival is well underway on its stomping grounds at the Olympic Park. Though I won’t bear witness till Saturday, I’m legit excited. Any move to open up new spaces and spread culture and entertainment affordably sounds good by me.

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the Big O and the whole gadding scenario out est are pretty much taken for granted by anyone who doesn’t live there or isn’t a tourist.

While a huge, thriving orange sphere pumps pulpy froth through its innards to customers’ cups via rollerskating waitresses off the Decarie — where U2 built themselves a shrine/mini-rock-empire last summer out of the ashes of an economy too screwed to even support a proper pony habit — the East End remains, to what’s left of English Montreal, the Expos’ cemetery.

Twelve bucks getting you in for a Jello Biafra piss-up Friday, or “Peeee Eeeeeeee in the muh-tha’-fuck-in’ house!” Saturday, is simple populist mathematics. If you build it, we will come, even with the rent cheque cashed.

On Saturday, we the people will first witness local party-starter Rilly Guilty, at 3:30 p.m. And I dunno if Montreal reggae stronghold Jah Cutta will bring the wah-wah, per se, but he will surely bring the full riddim’ experience to Expérience MTL’s Hip Hop Massive, as the event is billed.

Invading Keb body-snackers Dead Obies follow, their 4/20-released Collation Vol.1 still a gold-standard among seasonal rap release crops. Fan-favourite Chub-E Pelletier takes over from there, warming it up for OMG Collective.

On My Grind crew is DShade, Preach Ankobia and BluRum13, with the supporting vocal talents of Natty Soya, Meryem Saci and Karma Atchykah, backed by live-band hip hop sophisticates Groundfood. Expérience Montreal? Damn right.

Koriass brings us to the dusk hour and will no doubt enjoy a legion of local kids hyped on him more than anything else. Worth seeing if they are right. And Oakland’s Main Attrakionz, making a ton of noise out there, will hafta show and prove to set it up for the almighty Public Enemy.

A PE jam in Montreal in 2012, if at all like the last one in ‘10 (or before that in ‘08, or back in ’99) is, professionally and musically, a far cry from their historic shitshow of a performance at James Lyng HS circa 1990.  But every single PE performance is a piece of hip hop history, and doubly so on the local tip, so I don’t expect any less of an experience this time.

Here are some other potential experiences around town this week.

Thursday – Reggae’s what’s simmerin’. At Underworld, the institutionally ill Inword bring summertime fire with DJs Don-Ray, Doc’trin and guests. Plates-a-plenty spin up at Casa del Popolo for upstroke paradise party Pressure Drop, brought to you by Mossman, Aaron Maiden and Spoony B. Sounds like an easy double-dip for wandering one-droppers.

Friday – Deathhouse sounds like a suitable enough joint to experience some Clarity, and a little Murderface, splashed with the hip hop art-conning, rock ’n’ roll swindle of Swearwolf. I wouldn’t expect this to jump off before the Jello show is over and various drunken performers have made their way to Deathhouse.

Saturday – Many of you may just wanna go to see Lunice, a Montreal experience unto himself, co-headlining Hip Hop Massive on the Tente Magique stage at Olympic Park.

Those still partying for the right fight post-show might be interested to know that Club Lambi hosts the right-right-now cool of Hali’s Ryan Hemsworth, crack MTL producer Toboggan, Atlanta’s Jimmy Valmont, NYC’s $1 Bin (name alone merks) and hometown’s mike din, with visuals by L.O.D.

Sunday – This is for the mature types. Arena hosts Swurl 2 and a sure-to-please Labour Day club night that places MTL original sinners Quest, Majess, Eclipze, Hektik, Jo Flo, Terry and Realism on display for the mature connoisseur who now realizes that a 9 a.m. bedtime is truly untenable.

Concurrently, at Imperial Room, the man who brought hip hop to Montreal’s club scene himself, Butcher T, promises “a little too much partying” and yet another Montreal experience, so make it all count, party people. ■

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