before, and this will mark a homecoming for the veteran Grammy award-winning DJ. Rauhofer’s devout Montreal following will be out in full force when his set time rolls around.
Dubfire is another Grammy-award winning musician and Bal en Blanc veteran, having played the most Bal parties of any artist on the roster, aside from maybe Armin van Buuren, unless our calculations are wrong. In our talks with Dubfire last month he expressed his love for the Montreal crowd, and called the city one of the finest and most open-minded groups of partiers anywhere on earth. He will be sure to set the dark techno tone early in the morning during primetime. Joining the techno titan is one of the genres newest heroes, Nicole Moudaber who just launched her own label Mood, and is incredibly excited about playing her first Bal en Blanc. We interviewed her briefly on the topic below.
This will be your first time at Bal en Blanc - what are your thoughts about this his- toric 15 hour rave?
CALVIN HARRIS
Nicole (NM): Bal En Blanc has become a tradition from what I’ve heard. There’s a mixture of the gay and straight crowd so I’m really looking forward to seeing the freaks, they always embellish the party. I have an affinity towards Montreal in general, having been asked to play this amazing event is very exciting to me, especially since it will en- able me to see my friends and fans in the city again, and make new ones along the way. I can’t wait.
You have been playing a lot at Stereo recently, what do you love about the Montreal afterhours crowd?
NM: I played just under 8 hours on NYE at Stereo, words can’t even describe what I felt and what people felt unless you were there to experience it. The connection I had with each person was incredible. We were “one”. The owners told me in their 14-year history of the club they’ve never seen Stereo like this, and to me that’s what an afterhours is. Fly all night, get on a different planet for the night. The planet of love and imagination.
That’s exactly what we plan on doing for Bal en Blanc, do you have anything special in store for your set?
NM: I’m in the studio this week to work on collaboration with Adam Beyer, I also have Skin from Skunk Anansie coming to the studio to sing on one of my records. I will be testing those babies at Bal En Blanc for sure :)
DUBFIRE
PLAN AHEAD AND GET THERE EARLY – getting 15,000 people through ticketing and security checks is not an easy task. Though Bal en Blanc has this process down to a precise science, it still takes time and the lineup can get quite large, especially be- tween 11pm-3am. It is a long night, but it can feel a lot longer if you spend an hour waiting in line, so get there early (or late) in order to avoid waiting in a long line. Plan ahead by scheduling your “unmissable” acts, and then ensure to arrive at least an hour before they start, especially if they are playing in a prime time slot.
WAKE UP LATE, AND HAVE A BIG DINNER – think of this as your pre-game meal. This shouldn’t be hard for most people since it is Easter Sunday, but remember that you have 15 hours of music ahead of you, so try to load up on complex carbs and avoid that Turkey coma – you might even want to take a nap before getting into Bal- mode. If you can, try to sleep in as late as possible on the Sunday so that you’re not getting tired by 4-5am on Monday like some people will. Most of the fun happens between 4-10am when things start getting weird, so make sure to pace yourself. This is not a sprint, it’s a music marathon!
As you can see, Nicole is equally as excited as we are for this magical night to unfold, it’s going to be a memorable experience for all in attendance. Keep reading for our top 4 tips to surviving the entire night at Bal en Blanc.