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Montreal’s most recent large-scale festival is a stunning display for both the eyes and the ears. Three stages make up the grounds, where ice sculptures and mulled wine can be found at every turn, backed by the thump of ever-present basslines. Don’t let the cold turn you away, even if heated wine isn’t in the budget; the body heat from the crowd is a wonderful thing, and leaves you feeling like you’re (at least) at room temperature without the buckets of sweat that accompany a trip to an indoor venue. Plus, if you’re too cheap for the mulled wine or not clever enough to sneak your own alcohol past the bouncers, you can take drugs (but say “no” to drugs).

Watch out for the early start, as the first acts are on by 6:30 p.m., and the evening wraps up by midnight. While this may shift your pre-drink by an hour (or three), it’s a small price to pay, and who doesn’t have drinks with dinner anyway? Tickets are $20 “at the door,” $18 with an online purchase, and $16 if you go to a listed boutique (such as Off the Hook or Moog Audio).

Igloofest has officially begun and we’ve heard good things about the last weekend. To help the Igloofest-naive navigate the many nights of revelry still ahead, we’ve written a few short blurbs about the most promising nights coming up. The cheesy titles we gave to each evening reflect The Daily’s interpretation of Igloofest’s lineup, and are not endorsed by Igloofest.

January 24 (Thursday) –“Girls in the House”

This year Igloofest has invited serious female DJ talent to an almost-all-girls night on Thursday, January 24. Local producer Alicia Hush will initiate proceedings with a tech-house set at 6:30 p.m., followed by Miss Kittin’s throwback electroclash, and finally, the good old techno of Germany’s Ellen Allien.

If we were comparing the festival’s female DJs, Russia’s Nina Kraviz would certainly come out on top (she would also stack up well against any of Igloo’s male picks). She plays on Friday with the excellent Pan-Pot. For Thursday’s fest, our favourites are still our hometown heroes, Nymra & Sofisticated, who’ve held down Piknik and Salon Daomé for years with their rock-solid house sets.

January 26 (Saturday) – “(We) Beez in da Trap”

In some circles, this is shaping up to be one of the bigger nights at Igloofest, with a hip-hop theme that will likely attract a massive crowd. On at 8 p.m. is Kaytranada, who has been making a name for himself with an array of beats that are fantastic to funk to (funk to, guys). His remix of “If” by Janet Jackson is a particular highlight. After him comes the celebrated duo of Hudson Mohawke and Lunice, also known as TNGHT, whose music looks to be a great fit for the open spaces and contagious energy of Igloofest. Trap music, polarizing as it may be, is their calling card, and the combination of minimal melodies with in-your-face bass can only result in what many are so eloquently terming “a massive party”. This is one you don’t want to miss.

February 1 (Friday) – “Acid/Techno/UK garage/insertgenrehere”

How better to avoid hypothermia and satisfy your MDMA-induced dance-lust than a night of UK garage? Going over the classics, we’re forced to ask ourselves, was dubstep ever necessary? Anyway, local garage heads Lexis and Dr. Love will be holding down the “Virgin Mobile Igloo” while a killer trio – Montreal’s Vosper, Berlin’s Ewan Pearson, and Detroit’s Magda – will be spinning various flavours of techno and house on the main stage. This is the mixed-bag night where you’re certain to find something you like, and probably something you’ve never heard before.

February 9 (Saturday) – “Techno über Alles”

Deutschland is coming to the main stage: Tommy Four Seven and Chris Liebing will be rounding off another year of Igloofest with crisply produced minimal and tech-house beats, timed to exactly 134 BPM (just kidding). But we are not kidding about the seriousness of this night: it’s a chance to catch a glimpse of the Berlin club culture without the price of Stereo or a plane ticket.

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WZRDS GNG is a group of street artists, or “writers” as they call themselves, who mainly focus their artistic abilities on painting public murals and tagging. However, an important distinction between the WZRDS and other street crews is their participation in all forms of artistic expression. As crewmember Snail explained, “Our art permeates everything we do. WZRDS not only paint, but dance, rap, graffiti, and produce music. There is a creative lens when looking at everything.” At the opening party at Greenlight Gallery (3878 St. Laurent), some members played DJ sets while others breakdanced, demonstrating the kaleidoscopic diversity of the crew’s expressions.

The group formed after graffiti writers from Vancouver and Ottawa met and developed their shared vision and passion for street art. Due to their common appreciation for a rebellious style, Snail insists they were drawn together by a mysterious magic. “All of us being who we were […], it was just a matter of time before we got together. I had dreams about him before I ever met him,” Snail said, in reference to his fellow group member Frigr the Wigger. Eventually, more artists connected and began collaborations that soon would decorate the streets of Montreal.

Self-described outcasts, these “ADD art kids you knew from school” have a common ambition for their art. With subjects ranging from bloody images of Mickey Mouse to doll heads painted with the symbols of anarchy and Nazism, the WZRDS’ art is not meant to soothe or placate. The crew rather grandiosely sees their artistic role as a position of leadership and prophetic importance. As one member said, “We are here to show the way, [to] show what’s possible. People don’t know what they can get away with. It helps to have artists who will push the boundaries of what’s possible, what is tolerated, what can physically or mentally be done.”

An important theme I picked up on from my time with the crew was the power in their images to yield revelation, and to dissect society’s manipulations and lies. With a strongly antiestablishment ethos, the crew focuses on manipulating subject matter often diluted by corporations, religion, government, and media. The WZRDS push to uncover “truth from deception,” to challenge their audience, and provoke a sense of discomfort with the current social order.

In this vein, the WZRDS emphasize their self-declared ability to subliminally expose various conspiracies permeating society. The crew is also anti-consumerist, as they strive to use their artistry to subvert commercial influences. “Art can be like magic,” one told me,  “a charm used to battle stuff around us, such as advertising.”

The stylistic differences among the writers are evident, although collaboratively, their pieces form a continuous oeuvre. The group appreciates the strengths of each member, but explains that most of their work is done as a crew, working together harmoniously to yield the final product.

So what’s next for this self-described group of oddballs? While the crew is about to wrap up a month-long exhibition at Greenlight Gallery, they hope to have more opportunities to share their talent, especially in art-deprived areas. Although their political philosophy of art and uncanny style may intimidate some, the group is seeking to reach out to other artists around Canada and abroad.

In some ways, reaching out has been the greatest challenge for the WZRDS GNG. They have struggled with a persistent lack of dialogue among street crews and freelance artists. The material has become old and uninteresting. The WZRDS don’t claim superiority to other street art, but want to encourage a greater collaboration of ideas, passion, and style in the community.

“We want to bring people into our world so we can share worlds. No more closed off circles, we are not elitist – not ‘underground.’ This crew is mission-based; we realize we are part of a movement that is bigger than us.” Just as each current WZRD has a shared vision of the impact their art might make, they believe this vision ought to be shared with other artistic movements. By diversifying, they will impact more people, the WZRDS say, and have already begun brainstorming possible ways to expand.

There seemed to be a hint of dissonance among group members when discussing this future plan of integration. While some members projected an enthusiastic desire to make WZRDS GNG a more public collective, others remarked on the allure they have cultivated by being so elusive. When I mentioned how difficult it was to research the artists online, a member replied, “But that’s what’s so cool: there is nothing about us.”

Another incongruity was  mentioned by a  female member of the crew, who complained of how difficult it has been for women writers to make a name for themselves in such a “macho sub culture.” Star Child Stela expressed her shared desire with other female artists to form their own subset of graffiti focused on de-marginalizing queer and female street art painters. Specifically, she mentioned their future plans of developing a sector of WZRD GNG artists who will focus their work on the femme queer community, which seems especially apt for a city with a large queer community.

Although most members have gathered in Montreal due to the liberal atmosphere of the city, there are “WZRDS across Canada,” as one artist put it. The group shares a global vision for their artwork, and hopes to spread the ethos of WZRDS GNG as far and wide as possible. The creative intensity of these individuals, and of the collective as a whole, continues to brighten the streets of Montreal, while they attempt to grow into a movement that transcends geography. Their confrontational, maniacally engaging style speaks to the well of inspiration this young collective has to draw on. As Frigr the Wigger tagged it, “Coast to coast, it’s the hocus pocus!”

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