Mike Mind has worn many hats over the past few years. As a DJ, he has played everywhere – some infamous parties at the now defunct Zoobizarre come to mind. By day, he works for local techno stalwarts Turbo Records. And this past year saw the release of his first EP, which showcased his own unique take on classic, acid-washed techno. Eschewing recent trends in dance music, his style pays deference to legions of DJs and producers of the last twenty years. His skills as a DJ are bolstered by his encyclopaedic knowledge of music, a fact that anyone who has visited his Facebook page can attest to.
What is your favourite venue to play at?
I prefer doing the underground parties to the bar or club nights at the moment, mostly because the crowds tend to be much more open-minded about the music, but also because there aren’t tons of places left in Montreal where you can play techno and it feels right. As far as specific venues go, I feel like there’s a bit of a void that Zoobizarre left when it closed. It operated a bit like an art gallery for what DJs and musicians do, and now that it’s gone, there doesn’t really seem to be an obvious home for the more esoteric kind of DJ nights I really like doing. Montreal could really use a few new clubs!
If you weren’t DJing, you would be…
Doing something else creative for sure. I used to do a lot of painting and photography and would love to get back to that. I know I’ll always be engaged in some kind of regular studio practice even if music stops being the number one priority. That’s always been an important part of my life. In a perfect world, my studio space would have a good wood-shop,a place to paint and a place to do the music as well. I love working on
music, but the appeal of a creative outlet that doesn’t put me in front of a computer all day is definitely something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently.
Mike Mind, with DJ Mini & Jordan Dare
November 25th | Le Belmont | 4483, St-Laurent
myspace.com/mikemindmtl
