ÎleSoniq Festival | “We needed this version”

“Thank you so much for making me feel at home tonight!” On Sunday, in front of a monster crowd, Martin Garrix proved with energy and determination why he is one of the best DJs on the planet.

has mastered the art of the crescendo to near perfection Drop to hitThe 27-year-old Dutchman has had hits and has given highly acclaimed remixes to many songs by well-known artists: Luis Capaldi, Alesso, One Republic, The Weeknd, Avicii or Nico & Vince.

Not only was his work excellent, but the production went all out in terms of special effects to close out the weekend. She played with flames and jets of lights, as well as fireworks that graced the main stage.

Martin Garrix, to put it simply, was the ideal candidate to cap off this talent-packed weekend, headlining the second night.

“Last year was not so easy,” Evelyn Cote, director, programs, events and events, at Evenco, said in an interview. Pres. We expected it to be stratospheric and it was right. »

The results for 2023 are very encouraging: 65,000 people crossed the fences over two days, about half on Saturday and the other half on Sunday. After a record year in 2019, this is the best edition of ÎleSoniq in terms of the number of tickets sold.

With visible pride, Evelyn Cote praised the festival-goers who braved the rain on Saturday and stayed on site. “It gives me pleasure to work with such an audience. There is a special commitment [avec la musique électronique], being a part of something is a belief. »

“We needed it after COVID, he sums up. We needed this version. »

On Sunday afternoon, Becky Hill presented one of the only live shows of the weekend (since most of the performers were DJs). His voice rang out as the festival-goers settled quietly on the hill. Lost Frequencies put on a good show in the evening and then gave way to the British group Above and Beyond as dusk fell.

Visually clairvoyant

Over three weekends, Parc Jean-Drapeau will receive a makeover to please three different audiences: first, Osheka, then ÎleSoniq and next week, Lasso, the family’s baby country. All this on a platform capable of attracting a large number of different festival goers in a unique environment.

According to Evelyne Côté, what allowed ÎleSoniq to enjoy success this summer was “clarity from a programming perspective”.

At the center, the Oasis stage offered a selection of major artists “without sacrificing musical quality”. Also, the Neon Stage was a delight for house and techno enthusiasts, while dubstep lovers found what they were looking for on the Mirage Stage.

Thus, the audience was encouraged to move according to the desired level of production sound. They were free to experiment with different “grades” of musical genre, and satisfied “the human need for unification”.

In general, the ÎleSoniq crowd is expected to be very young. Under the usual festive attire, we find people aged 18 to 30 years or thereabouts. This year, we were thinking outside the box.

“This is our version, where there are more demographics. In the neon phase, there are 45-50 year olds BossWorld 16-18, in front of the main stage, it goes from one to another, delighted M.^me page. In Montreal, we’re lucky to have a culture that welcomes this mainstream music during the day – so during the day, not on the fringes at night. »

We can say it for sure: ÎleSoniq braved the storm, and the choice to return to the initial two-day format paid off. His fans were there, and the artists were up to it.