Concert review

Baroque / Musiques du Monde

Festival Accès Asie – Flutes of the World, Unite!

by Frédéric Cardin

The Accès Asie Festival knows how to take risks. And we can congratulate it. On Tuesday, May 19, a concert was held at the Bourgie Hall featuring very disparate flutes (with a cello and percussion to add some texture): a Renaissance flute, a Baroque flute (Western classical icons, therefore), a ney (Persian flute), shakuhachi and ryuteki (traditional Japanese instruments), and a dizi (Chinese flute). The repertoire, although “tagged” world music, had everything to please the most curious and demanding ears, flirting with the harmonic complexity associated with modern classical music (there were indeed several works from the 20th and 21st centuries on the program).

Vivaldi’s Spring, in an arrangement for solo flute, unfolded throughout the concert, each movement being interpreted as a sort of bridge between various parts. Mika Putterman demonstrated the full extent of her mastery of the baroque flute. The percussionist Ziya Tabassian offered one of his compositions, an exploration based on the rhythmic structure of a Persian poem by Hâfez, while Ziad Chbat played a series of arabesques titled Nostalgia on his ney, a flute of West Asian tradition (up to Turkey) with an enchanting sound, akin to the Armenian duduk (which is not a flute, FYI, but a double-reed instrument, like an oboe).

Two harmonically “contemporary” pieces, that is to say, flirting with and even diving into atonality, were presented: an original composition by Jean Lérigé-Laplante, Évanescence. The piece is a sound wave that intertwines the different timbres of the flutes present, while still offering a welcome place to the cello of the Trinidadian-born Montrealer Kyran Assing, too discreet until then, I find (it’s not his fault, he had almost nothing to play).

The other chromatically dissonant piece was a composition by Bruno Deschênes, a “harmonic complexification” of an ancient Japanese melody, Shin Etenraku. The melody, taken as is but passed from one section to another with modifications and densified combinations, offers no reference point for our Western ears, which are not very familiar with the authentic Japanese repertoire. In the end, we had a modernist work, quite austere but frankly interesting.

A Chinese piece for solo dizi had a lively effect on the audience, with its naturalistic effects, like excited birds, and its spectacular virtuosic flights. Excellent performance by Shuni Tsou.

Moreover, it should be noted the excellence of all the instrumentalists present, all solid performers of their instrument.

The French Baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier saw his Concerto for Five Flutes, Op. 15 No. 1, transcribed for the present flutes, something he probably never dreamed of. The arranger, Bruno Deschênes, admitted to having taken a risk with this idea. We won’t say it was a great success, even though the artists clearly put all their conviction into it. It is difficult to combine Western and non-Western flutes accustomed to microtonality in a tempered language (with equal intervals) like that of European Baroque. One sometimes wonders if what one hears is off tune, or if it is the natural inflections of the Shakuhachi or the dizi that clash more violently than harmoniously with their baroque sisters. The idea, interesting at first glance, deserves to be refined.

That said, we recognise the interest of this unusual meeting, and we hope, despite a few hiccups, that this type of chamber ensemble will return to us with new ideas because the principle is promising and stimulating.

And hey, why not add a few other instruments (even non flutes) like the clarinet, the duduk, the bassoon, the mandingue flute, the Inca quena, the Indian bansuri, some recorders (the bass one!) and other cellos?

Ensemble : 

Bruno Deschênes, shakuhachi and direction

Boaz Berney, Renaissance flute

Élisabeth Caty, shakuhachi and ryuteki

Kyran Assing, cello

Mika Putterman, baroque flute

Shuni Tsou, dizi

Ziad Chbat, ney

Ziya Tabassian, percussions

Caribbean / Haitian

Wesli Turns Haitian History into Collective Celebration

by Juliana Cortes

The May long weekend usually announces the start of spring: flowers bloom, trees fill with vibrant green leaves, and the city begins to feel alive. This year, my weekend was marked by Makaya, the latest album from Montreal-based Haitian artist Wesli, as well as Haitian Flag Day on May 18, the day Haitians celebrate the creation of their flag during the Haitian Revolution in 1803.

With his iconic hat and glasses, Wesli blessed the audience with a performance that traveled through rhythms, blending African and Haitian traditions with more modern sounds. Through this musical voyage, he emphasized the ways our present remains deeply influenced by history, especially in Montreal, where culture — and music in particular — is deeply embedded in the city’s large Haitian community.

During the concert, Wesli explained the meaning of Makaya. In Kikongo, the word means “leaf.” In Haiti, it also refers to a mountain and to the gatherings where Maroons organized during the Haitian Revolution. Wesli said, “There had to be Makaya, for people to be spiritually healed and liberated.”

Anchored in history and memory, Wesli was joined onstage by Senegalese artist Ilham. With his soulful voice, they performed the Coupe Cloue song “Mon Konpé / Ti Bom.” I was deeply moved by this performance because one of my favorite artists, Joe Arroyo, created “A mi dios todo le debo,” a song highly influenced by Coupe Cloue’s music. This moment transported me directly to my childhood in Colombia.

At that moment, I stopped taking notes and stood up to dance, remembering family gatherings shaped by Joe Arroyo’s music. It is only in the last few years that I discovered how deeply this music had been influenced by Haiti. Learning about this connection felt like finding a missing piece of the puzzle, allowing me to better honor the music that had given me so much joy and connection throughout my life.

Wesli was also joined by Gaya, a wholesome singer and dancer who illuminated the stage with her energy and movement. The two have known each other for nearly 20 years, dating back to when they first began making music. Master percussionist Ronald Nazaire also took the stage, sharing ancestral knowledge through the drum. Nazaire needed no words to convey the depth and spirituality of his music.

Another highlight of the night was the band itself. Every musician shone individually, but what stood out most was the complicity between Wesli and his bandmates. Their playful and energetic interactions were contagious. Wesli generously gave space to each musician through solos and dance moments, allowing every performer to bring their own presence and energy to the stage. Everyone was shining.

So while Canada celebrated Queen Victoria, the Theatre Plaza became a space to celebrate Haitian history, memory, and musical inheritance.

Alt-Pop / Electro-Pop

Palomosa 2026: ear Brings the Summer Heat

by Loic Minty

As soon as they got on stage, ear made a shockwave by their mere presence. They seemed completely out of place and spoke with a nervous vulnerability which evoked questions about when the last time they left their room was. But that form of sincerity is precisely what made them a stand-out act. 

The music began and everything fell into place. Unnerving, spontaneous, and bubbling with optimism, ear disarmed the festival-goer’s self-preservation reflex by generously sharing what might have been deemed unpolished. Most of their songs sounded like demos in the best way, often ending in a clumsy end of phrase, or by Jonah Paz simply skipping the track on his laptop. “Ok, this one’s called ‘Nerves,’ you can also dance to this if you want.” 

They made it a point to coyly talk about every song before jumping into an uncontrolled thrashing that looked like Ian Curtis repeatedly getting punched in the stomach. For two rather awkward figures, they sure could entertain.

The now not-so-niche band came up quickly, but it wasn’t so much by self-promotion or luck as it was by their uncompromising sound and aesthetic. They could be compared in some ways to Crystal Castles or even MGMT, but their influences are more self-contained to the chemistry formed between the pair. Both come from respective musical backgrounds in folk and EDM, and there is a strong tension to draw from in their music. But more importantly, there is a feeling of all-seeing depth to their approach. A meta-dimension that is neither rooted in irony nor in self-proclamations of genius, one that is just there, looming in the corner of the dancefloor.

Even in the large crowd that had gathered, the intimacy that ear provoked made it feel like we were all suddenly together. This makes it easily my favourite discovery from this lineup, if not of the year. And if I knew ear before by scrolling through their album The Most Dear and The Future, the duo is now etched into my memory forever. ear summer?

breakcore / cloud rap / Hip Hop / Trap

Palomosa 2026: Lucy Bedroque’s Positive Rage

by Loic Minty

This year’s Palomosa festival became a proving ground for the young cloud/rage rappers that flooded the lineup. The music and emotions are somewhat different, though not much, but the formula and the intention are nearly identical. The rappers are in many ways detached from the music and instead focused on the crowd experience. How hype a show is really doesn’t depend on musicality as much as presence, style, and confidence, or what some would call “aura.” Rappers aren’t trying to disclose the fact that there’s a backing track, and no one cares, because while the beat plays, they’re yelling into an autotune mic to “open the pit up,” and you’re just trying to survive the frenzy of 17-year-olds who just discovered energy drinks. 

Yet, amongst the organized chaos and redundant motions, you can capture here and there, traces of raw creative energy that seep through. Lucy Bedroque’s was fundamentally positive. It was subtle, but immediate. Smiles spread throughout the crowd, and everyone seemed to relax, despite the mosh pits. Lucy Bedroque’s style, musical choices and visual references seemed to reference counter culture in the same way as Yves Tumor or Lil Uzi Vert, and less of the violence of “rage” like Travis Scott’s music. The New Yorker was smooth with it. He effortlessly drew the crowd’s attention with his wide eyes and frantic jumping, and his set held more space for slowness. It definitely felt more balanced overall than Xaviersobased or even the following act, Thaiboy Digital.

cloud rap / Hip Hop / Trap

Palomosa 2026: Xaviersobased Makes No Sense and That’s the Point

by Loic Minty

It’s difficult to say who felt more out of place during Friday’s Palomosa rollercoaster line-up: the Xaviersobased crowd watching Poison Girlfriend, or the Poison Girlfriend fans witnessing the epitome of Gen Z irony unravelling before their eyes. If neither could understand, both were amused. Being one of the youngest rappers to break out in recent years, Xaviersobased’s name has become synonymous with his generation’s embrace of absurdity. Between internet references, hand signs, and the cryptic semiotics in his visuals, his set felt like entering the pantheon of some alien culture. As he ran from side to side, screaming off beat into his autotune mic over bass-boosted rage beats, the entire festival’s vibe and crowd completely changed in the span of 10 minutes. 

From an outside perspective, it can be a steep curve to overcome the abrasive quality of his music, but for the people moshing, singing their hearts out, hanging onto every lyric, there’s a deep sense of cohesion that can be felt. As a niche internet celebrity first and foremost, seeing Xaviersobased in the flesh must be the equivalent of some great pilgrimage for the chronically online. 

During his hour-long set, he gave everything he had and the crowd responded. Circle pits formed, and people at the front were crushed against the fences. When his set ended, there wasn’t just a sense of relief, but also of satisfaction. As uncomfortable and incomprehensible as it was, it gave me a great sense of hope seeing another generation of artists create their very own movement. 

After the success of Nettspend and Shadow Wizard Money Gang last year, it makes sense that Palomosa capitalizes on the magnetic effect of these star-bound rappers. This year’s lineup was headlined with artists like Xaviersobased; Lucy Bedroque, Fakemink and Thaiboy Digital. Only time will tell if this is a passing trend, or the narrowing identity of this relatively new festival.

breakcore / Electro-Punk / Electronic

Palomosa 2026: Femtanyl is Digital Chaos

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

Femtanyl was probably one of the most unpredictable acts on the lineup. At first glance, the name immediately brings to mind fentanyl, which creates a certain unease and makes one wonder why they would choose such a heavy-handed reference for a musical project. But this ambiguity almost becomes a gateway into their raw, chaotic, yet deeply human world.
The duo—composed of Juno Callender on drums and Noelle Stockwood on vocals—offers a surprisingly simple yet extremely effective formula. The live drums provide an immediate physical energy, while the vocals cut through aggressive, saturated, glitchy digital textures. Their sound evokes digital hardcore, but with an almost euphoric dimension, as if the sonic violence also becomes a space for emotional release.

There is an “emo” quality to their performance in the most sincere sense of the word: a way of addressing real issues without trying to sugarcoat the emotion. Here, the aesthetic seems to emerge directly from emotional intensity rather than from an artificial construct. The visual and sonic chaos thus becomes a natural extension of the feelings expressed on stage. References to video games, digital interfaces, and glitch aesthetics play a major role in this universe. In an interview with BACKLIGHT, Noelle Stockwood mentions an interest in cyberpunk universes and video game music, which is clearly evident in the way their compositions create almost interactive atmospheres.
Beyond the noise and intensity, what stood out most was the band’s connection with the audience. There was a palpable focus on crowd etiquette, respect for others, and the creation of a safe space despite the concert’s explosive energy. The crowd’s movement seemed guided by the band’s intentions rather than by uncontrolled aggression. This sensitivity, linked in part to discussions about neurodiversity within their community, gave the concert a surprisingly caring atmosphere. Behind the digital chaos, there was above all a very clear desire to create a collective space where emotion could be fully experienced.

Photo by Play Fille

Bass House / Drum & Bass / Electro-Pop / Electronic / House / jungle / Pop

Palomosa 2026: Just Warming Up With Cirque Cosmic, Chippy Nonstop, and X-Coast

by Z Neto Vinheiras

Last Thursday, the 14th was the first day, a teasing warm-up for Palomosa festival, held at Jean Drapeau’s Park until Saturday. The short lineup attracted a loyal crowd of high-spirited Gen Z flocks prompt for the reveries of early and after hours. Cirque Cosmic opens the stage at Banque National – I only wish it were darker and later; a warm-up that deserved a warm-up. Drawing both continuum and momentum with grounding bass lines and EDM charms, it’s a real tease to start the night.

Passing it on to Chippy Nonstop, just a little bit faster, a little bit harder and extremely eclectic, blurring the boundaries between house, pop, ambient, dub, and bass. The crowd morphs from dancy and flexible to jumpy and bouncy. The only constraint about the first day is that it remains in the same spot pretty much all the time. For those who like to move around and have the experience from close and afar, Palomosa is a good hybrid in this sense—in the heart of Jean-Drapeau’s park and on a first day where the entry to the festival is done pretty swiftly with no queues, one could easily take a walk or a bike ride around the park and still be part of the reverie; the low frequency punches travelling through the green wet hills make an experience be mystic and worth of stories with the sonic-land-scape.

Back to the stage and directly from Dublin, Tommy Holohan is riding a crescendo with a classic drop formula, ecstatic and kinda romantic, the crowd concentrates the heat in the front by this time and we get into the emotional part of the night—from techno to jungle and rave, that’s an electric and nostalgic set under the rain just before the closure by Serbian-born and Brooklyn-based X-Coast, shining in their red vest and showcasing their versatility through techno, drum & bass and house, providing the needed discharge to tease it up for more the next day.

Photo of Cirque Cosmic by Play Fille

Palomosa 2026: Cannelle, a fashion icon DJ

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

At Palomosa, Cannelle gave the impression of already being a pop star even before anyone really knew her music. What strikes you first is her whole vibe: a certain presence, an attitude, a way of commanding the stage with a meta energy. There’s something very “fashion icon first” about her, a presence that evokes both European pop icons and the internet aesthetics of the Tumblr era. The crowd reacts immediately to this energy; an almost Boiler Room-like effect takes hold in the audience thanks to the intimate proximity to the singer.
Originally from a small village between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, now based in New York, Cannelle still strongly carries the cultural references of southern France in her approach. Marseille emerges as an important point of reference: a city associated with alternative scenes, marginal spaces, and a certain DIY culture that still nourishes several European artistic communities. In her interview with WIRES00, she discusses free parties, improvised dance spaces, and rave culture as spaces of collective freedom. This vision resonates particularly in Montreal’s current context, as many alternative venues are closing or becoming increasingly precarious, such as Parquette or Espace Durocher. Behind the highly controlled pop aesthetic, there is also a commitment to more underground forms of gathering.

Her work is also rooted in her deep involvement in the artistic direction of her projects. Visuals, clothing, internet references, and cinematic inspirations seem to be an integral part of her music rather than merely accompanying it. Traces of Michel Ocelot can be found in her world, particularly through the magical and hybrid imagination of princes and princesses, but also the influence of figures like Madonna in the way she uses femininity as performance, transformation, and the power of image. Cannelle thus constructs a pop style where music, fashion, and staging become inseparable, creating a character who seems to have emerged from the internet.
This coherence between image, music, and performance makes one especially eager to see how far this universe could be pushed in a more immersive context. In an alternative space or a more developed stage design, Cannelle’s aesthetic could take on an even stronger dimension, somewhere between a concert, a performance, and a visual installation.

FIMAV 2026 | Eric Chenaux Fades Out

by Alain Brunet

Recently, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Eric Chenaux’s recordings. His countertenor voice (or light tenor at times) allows him to interpret soaring melodies, very close to pop, soul, or jazz, with consonant harmonic choices. The accompaniment, however, is quite different from what such a voice and chords would normally suggest. The bass lines are atypical, dissonances are deliberately introduced into certain chords, and the textural choices contribute to an expression that straddles the line between conventional pop and experimental music.

The analog and digital filters juxtaposed with his guitar produce very different, somewhat off-kilter, almost caricatured sounds, while his colleague Ryan Driver plays softly on the piano, emitting mostly unique synthetic sounds. The sonic environment of these songs is rather conventional in terms of melody and harmony – modern jazz, classic soul, and pop.

For a festival finale, it might not have been the right time to present entirely new material—that is, four songs of about fifteen minutes each, wrapped in long improvisations over slow chord progressions. I firmly believe these new songs will find their way, but their initial performance could have been perplexing.

Some people, in fact, tuned out of these “love songs,” an expression put forward by the artistic director of FIMAV (Scott Thomson), probably without knowing who they were dealing with before showing up at this discovery concert… while others really enjoyed it and applauded warmly.

To achieve unanimity, a different dosage would have been appropriate in my opinion, but anyway, I continue to warmly recommend the music of Eric Chenaux, an absolutely unique creature.

Contemporary Jazz / expérimental / contemporain / Free Improvisation

FIMAV 2026 | أحمد [Ahmed] Raises the Debate

by Michel Rondeau

أحمد [Ahmed] : They are four musicians from the United Kingdom, alto saxophone, piano, double bass, drums. After making a name for themselves with their own covers of the little-known bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik and recording half a dozen of his tracks, the quartet is now tackling the work of Thelonious Monk, putting it through their own wringer, which I will try to illustrate.

They began by stating part of the theme of the piece Evidence. I say part. Quickly, this fragment – ​​in which we find a concentration of Monk’s inflections – is, so to speak, atomized, dynamited and pulverized into shrapnel, which the saxophone then begins to manipulate, to permute in every possible way while the drummer propels the music, supported by a double bassist who, for the next hour, will do nothing but keep time by plucking his strings and a pianist who will just as tirelessly strike the same notes throughout.

On the one hand, we are left with a limited melodic material, which is explored and permuted at a frenetic pace, sustained to the point of exhaustion, while the rhythm section continues imperturbably forward, though it seems more like treading water. Reduced to almost nothing, Monk’s theme swirls around itself like electrons around their nucleus or a moth obsessively circling a lightbulb.

Is it due to the thinness of the musical material? To the fact that the piano and the double bass are limited to the same gestures with variations, certainly, but infinitesimal ones? Whatever the reason, instead of being swept away by the music thus generated (it was not the first time that I had exposed myself to [Ahmed]’s style), I remain on the sidelines, a spectator, unable to take part in the jubilation.

And I’m not the only one. Taken aback by my reaction, I asked around among the audience as they left the theater and was quite surprised by some of the comments. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the audience was divided on the issue, but they were far from unanimous.

A hoax? A sham? While I may not enjoy it, a good number of people loved it. Certainly, this approach provokes reactions and, if only for that reason, deserves closer examination, requiring careful consideration of the entire process.

A few final words on the performance of Ahmed’s pianist, Pat Thomas, who performed solo the previous day:

Pat Thomas is one of those largely self-taught musicians who have developed a unique sonic world, with a distinctive style, a signature sound, but also a freshness stemming from a lack of pretension and a constant desire for playful exploration. With a style that is sometimes tachist, sometimes unrestrained, but always forward-looking, surprises await at every turn.

The exercise of performing a solo piano recital of improvised music is a perilous one, as it is accomplished without a safety net. Generally, it is the musicians who give it their all who fare best. And in the case of Pat Thomas, the result is a sincerity and transparency that make one forget the sometimes slightly clumsy aspect of his raw art.

Contemporary Jazz / expérimental / contemporain / Free Improvisation

FIMAV 2026 | Yves Charuest Meets With Prominent British Colleagues

by Michel Rondeau

Alto saxophonist, bassist, and drummer Yves Charuest, John Edwards, and Mark Sanders (Quebec – United Kingdom) are seasoned veterans of improvised music. With them, you know your ears are in good hands and you won’t be bored, as they seem to have retained, despite their long careers, the same enthusiasm and energy they had in their early days.

What never fails to fascinate when attending concerts by musicians of this caliber is the sheer ingenuity and inventiveness they possess. At times, their compositional process seems to operate like an internal combustion engine, one new idea invariably followed by another, and then another, constantly drawing us into new vortices, new constructions. This is especially true since Edwards takes a mischievous delight in peppering the performance with ruptures and unexpected turns of all kinds, only to propel his bandmates onto a new path, only to immediately veer off in a completely different direction.

And it’s a jostling, a soaring, a wild ride, a tumble… relentless. These guys, when they make music together, they’re bursting with energy, and the pleasure they take in playing is contagious.

Photo Credit: Martin Morissette

Contemporary Jazz / Free Improvisation

FIMAV 2026 | Queen Mab, Renewal of Vows

by Michel Rondeau

Queen Mab (Quebec, Ontario): two old friends in conversation, 40 years after their first public performance. They chat, they quibble, they gossip. Sometimes they get carried away, argue, comment. Scattered passages give way to denser ones. The clarinet speaks abundantly while the piano cuts through, stands firm, bathed in a theatrical light. From time to time, at the end of a soaring or boisterous passage, a moment of silence, a pregnant silence, a guarantee of what’s to come, settles in, fully respected by the listeners, then thickens before slipping away, chased by a new incantatory assault, another page of dialogue with the stars.

All of this is linked and coiled and uncoiled, overturned and projected into the air before landing back on its feet to better disappear, vanishing into the darkness of the cabaret’s velvet drapes.

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