Whenever I listen to a song for the first time, I usually have to give my initial impression a week-long grace period, because I have a tendency to change my mind. As my closest friends will tell you, my musical opinions are quite polarizing; I either hate a song, or I love it. So when I say that I change my mind, I go from totally disliking a track to being absolutely enamored by it. This week’s tunes have gone from bad to great and I sincerely hope they stay in my good graces as they are all sublime pieces of music. Let’s dive in, shall we?

     Originally, this track had not a single chance of joining my iTunes library. When I downloaded Todd Terje’s “It’s the Arps EP” in January of this year, it was for the incredible “Inspector Norse.” I very briefly skimmed over the other tracks, almost instantly dismissing each one as a piece of garbage.  It was not before mid-November that I took another look at the release, more specifically “Swing Star pt.1.” Despite being listed as 107 BPM, the low-pitch bassline, the beautifully crafted rapidly firing synths and the numerous hi-hats give an ear pleasing illusion of fast-pacing that make the rest of the release worth checking out.

Todd Terje – Swing Star pt.1 (Original Mix)

     I think what turned me off to Julio Bashmore’s “Battle for Middle You” was the album art, which is quite plainly a legless woman made of pink gelatin reaching for her shoulder blades. Not only did I not (and still don’t) understand the connection with the music, but I let the image hinder my love for genre crosspollination and subtly powerful basslines.

     After I had fallen for “Skyward,” I went on a lengthy Internet journey to find other Masoud tracks that sounded similar. You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered his tendency for the mainstream Trance sound. Fast forward to 2012, when a YouTube sidebar thumbnail draws my attention and takes me to the Iranian’s remix of Dave Emanuel’s “Four Noble Truths.” Unique in its own right, Masoud’s remix features a long melodic breakdown and an uplifting drop that is somewhat reminiscent of the previously mentioned “Skyward.”

Dave Emanuel – Four Noble Truths (Masoud Remix)

     To cap this week’s acoustic treats, here’s a recent 2-hour mix from Jeremy Olander, containing 17 of his own unreleased tracks, 16 of which are still unsigned. It features his popular “Malensa,” the Carl Cox approved “Tenfifteen,” a remix from young Montreal hotshot Richie G and a track from Jeremy's next Pryda Friends release.

     Montreal’s holiday events schedule is a who’s who of the major players of most of EDM’s subgenres. On Friday, December 21st, while Stephan Bodzin and Sied van Riel respectively play Stereo and Circus, the undeniable legends that are Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May and Stacey Pullen entertain what is likely to be an older and more knowledgeable crowd at the Telus Theater. The following night brings Montreal native and turntablist extraordinaire Alain “A-Trak” Macklovitch to New City Gas, who will be scratching just prior to the Martinez Brothers’ set at Stereo. Things slow down for family time and pick up once again on Thursday the 27th, when Skrillex brings his Full Flex Express tour to New City Gas (sold-out). On December 28th, Sebastian Ingrosso and Borgore take to New City Gas for an irregular dubstep and house combination. On the 29th, it’s Porter Robinson and Hard Rock Sofa’s turn to play the overused Griffintown showroom, which closes its doors until New Year’s Eve, when Third Party, Max Graham and Nic Fanciulli take to the stage. Also on New Year’s Eve is Nicole Moudaber’s visit to Stereo and Circus’ yearly Odyssey party. Leon Bolier, Orjan Nilsen, Basil O’Glue, Raneem, Omar El Gamal, Mr, Jean Louis, Etienne Ozborne, Jay Lumen and Koen Groneveld will all provide Montreal’s finest afterhours establishment with the grooves necessary to properly ease all attendees into 2013. Montreal’s dance music community is given less than 24 hours to rest before the party continues on new year’s day with Ben Gold and Nic Chagall at Circus and Chus & Ceballos at Stereo.

     This week’s video comes from the UK town of Bristol. Last year, Resident Advisor began a video web-series called “Real Scenes” where they explored the underground dance music happenings of a chosen city. The reason I chose to include the episode from Bristol is because it features producer Matt Walker, also known as Julio Bashmore, who prominently figures in this post.

     Since this is the last post before Christmas, I’d like to wish all our readers a very happy holiday and new year on behalf of Fred, Nikhil and myself. Have a great week!