Let off steam, great sound, booming basses, jumping people, inflatable objects, spectacular lighting, fireworks and colorful outfits, all of that was on the Plains yesterday.
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The crowds were also very large at the traditional FEQ Techno evening, which took place on a beautiful evening without rain. An evening that is always a big party.
The big star of this EDM marathon, which started at 7 p.m., American DJ Nicholas Daniel “Illenium” Miller, didn’t just make noise. Her performance was full of nuance, with a mix of syncopated rhythms, ascending and descending sounds, and slower melodies that were appreciated, like on “Nightlight” with the voice of Annika Wells and on “Good Things Fall Apart”. There is wonderful research behind the sounds and atmospheres created by the 32-year-old DJ.
As at any techno party, there were clouds of smoke and flames that you could feel the heat of, especially the very successful Feel Something, projections on five giant screens, including blood pouring from the speakers, colorful lasers and fireworks. All the ingredients were there.
After a “Bonsoir Québec City” at the beginning of the performance, Illenium wasn’t very talkative. He mainly did counts to set up the descents and ascents and to let his music do the talking. We were enthralled throughout his performance behind his consoles. He expressed a desire to return.
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In addition to his hits, Illenium featured covers of Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” a brief intro of Linkin Park’s “Numb,” “Story of My Life,” and a brief passage of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” He delivered the goods with a well-rounded performance.
Debbie Tebbs
Quebec DJ Debbie Tebbs had the honor of opening at 7pm. With powerful and, above all, danceable synth-pop and techno rhythms, the Montrealer did very well.
“What’s up Quebec? I’m doing well? I hope you’re in good shape? “It starts now,” she began, using the now famous phrase from the show “Les Chefs”.
Wearing a black cap, big white headphones on his ears, pink glasses and, above all, an ever-present smile on his face, Debbie Tebbs danced behind the decks, accompanied by dancers Alex Francoeur and Frédérique Brunet.
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Through the suggested rhythms we heard sections of Sentimentale by Mylène and The Final Countdown from Europe. Acadian Jacobus from Radio Radio came to pay a little visit to Dans les voiles and Tu Danseras at the end of his performance. A nice introduction.
Nervous
With the arrival of the Australian duo Nervo, the intensity rose again. The twins and ex-models Miriam and Olivia Nervo, 41 years old, delivered fast-paced 50 minutes of electro house.
A possibly missing “Metalhead” was even seen wearing a sweater that read “Megadeth” and “Lamb of God,” dancing and nodding to the EDM beats of the two DJs and singers. And yet Lamb of God played a few steps from the Plains in the Parc de la Francophonie.
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Through Dare Me, Faded, Like Home and You’re Gonna Love Again we heard What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes, In the End by Linkin Park and touches of classical music.
Jets of smoke and flame began to appear. Animated images, including butterflies hatching from the genitals of a woman who had a television instead of her head, can be seen on the giant screen. Yes, yes, we saw that.
We don’t have any photos of Nervo because the two ladies didn’t want to be photographed by press photographers during their appearance.
Gryffin
When Gryffin brought the syncopated rhythms à la Skrillex to the stage, we were a little afraid they would set the tone for his entire performance. That was not the case.
The 35-year-old Californian DJ, who studied at USC, delivered a great double with the tracks “Just For a Moment” and “Remember” and a passage from “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics, who made the audience suddenly react, was very numerous. We even got a snippet of Mr. Brightside from The Killers.
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During David Guetta’s “Titanium,” the Plains audience sang in unison. We can put some big stars in Gryffin’s notebook, even if his performance runs out of steam towards the end due to repetitive noises. It wasn’t just noise and glitches. A great discovery.
Gryffin was victorious, climbing onto the platform and raising his arms to the sky during “Bind Me Up.” The table was set for Illenium.