Here’s what’s on at Igloofest 2014

Igloofest 2013. Photo by Cindy Lopez
 
UPDATE: Igloofest has announced the addition of a pile of new acts to its 2014 program:

Art Department: The Toronto techno/house duo feat. Kenny Glasgow and No.19 label owner Jonny White
Basic Soul Unit: Toronto’s Stuart Li spins funky techno, jacking sounds, soulful & deep house and disco
Kenny Larkin: L.A.-based specialist in soulful techno
Love Thy Brother: Montreal-based bros Conor & Liam Clarke fuse myriad electronic styles
Myfrienderic vs. Jay London: The former crafts electronic/hip hop hybrids, the latter house and deep tech, both under the banner of local crew Saintwoods
No Kliché: From Paris, now based in Montreal, No Kliché cuts the fat from house
Pat Boogie: Toronto house meister
RYAN Playground: Local pop/electronic/hip hop DJ/producer on the rise (hear a mix she provided for Cult MTL this summer here)
Thomas Von Party: Montreal party bro (and bro of Tiga) Thomas VP is locked in to hot local labels and venues and knows his way around the decks
Tazz: Local mainstay on the deep house and tech house tip
 
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Winter is officially on, and though some of us are grumbling as we acclimatize to the cold right now, soon enough we’ll be looking for ways to make the season work for us. Luckily there’s Igloofest, the annual series of outdoor dance parties organized by the folks behind Piknic Électronik.

This year, the festival runs in the Old Port Thursdays through Saturdays, Jan. 16 to Feb. 8. They’ve ditched the small igloo dancefloor in favour of considerable expansion: there will be a Vidéotron stage and “immersive universe” a short walk from the Sapporo stage and indoor space we all know.

With Iglooboutique, Igloofest is extending all the way to the Plateau, with a storefront at 4523 St-Denis. That space opens at 4 p.m. on Dec. 10, and will remain open for the duration of Igloofest, selling tickets and merch.

Most importantly, Igloofest has just announced 2014 programming.
 

The DJs and producers we’re most excited about:

U.K. low-end specialist Skream

hip hop producer Just Blaze, associate of Jay Z and Eminem

German techno producers Âme, founders of the Innerversions label

NYC classic house revivalist Levon Vincent

U.K. DJ and Hotflush label founder Scuba, hauling post-garage bass music

San Francisco Claude VonStroke, playing back-to-back with Dirtybird labelmate Justin Martin

a Circus Company showcase feat. French DJs Nôze, dOP and Sety
 

Also coming to Igloofest 2014:

American deep-house pioneer Sharam (formerly half of Deep Dish)

avant-garde techno auteur Stephan Bodzin

Swedish hard-techno DJ Adam Beyer imports his Drumcode techno nights, costarring Ida Engberg

Audion, aka U.S. producer Matthew Dear veering from his usual techno-art to club tracks
 

And the locals:

There are of course loads of local DJs booked at Igloofest this year, including Booty Bakery’s Compton Chic and Phil Sparkz, Bass Drive’s Vilify, A-Rock, Hatchmatik and Shaydakiss, Mile End Records’ Maus & co., Hissy Fit, whatever Saintwoods has cooking (artists TBC) and Montreal mainstays Misstress Barbara and Mateo Murphy.
 
See the complete schedule here. It’s going to be a good year. ■
 
Igloofest Festival passes cost $95 (early bird) or $120 (regular), weekend passes cost $40, individual advance tickets cost $16 until Jan. 10, $18 after or $20 at the gate. See box office details here.