Before getting into this week’s list of hot new quarantine streams of Montreal music, I’d like to offer some advice on how to be an ethical music consumer. Today is May 1st (May Day), a day with a long history of fighting for worker’s rights to make a fair living.

There is a global event happening which is a great way to support musicians, particularly during the quarantine when artists cannot make a living through live performances. Bandcamp is the most artist-friendly online store in that they give musicians the biggest percentage of sales.

On May 1st they are waiving their fees and giving the artists 100% of all sales revenues! So please do some music shopping today and support indie artists!

As a general rule to be an ethical consumer of music, always buy directly from the artist, preferably a physical copy. It is particularly helpful to also buy their merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies, etc.) as they make more from that than from album sales. The second best method is to buy from artist-friendly retailers like Bandcamp or CD Baby. The third best is retailers like Itunes, Beatport, etc.

The absolute worst are streaming services like Spotify who make billions because they pay the artists a fraction of a cent per stream. Yes, it is user friendly for the consumer but it is commercial suicide for artists and indie labels. So why not give a little back to those whose art has meant so much to you by spending your music budget in a way that will help them the most?

Now let’s jump into this week’s batch of new music and live streams! It never ceases to amaze me the sheer level of talent we have in our fair city!

1. SEQUENTIAL & DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS PRESENT SHEENAH KO

Sheenah Ko is best known as a member of the Polaris-nominated Besnard Lakes and has been a member of over 20 North American bands such as Bedouin Soundclash, Kevin Hearn, Little Scream, USA Out of Vietnam and Pang Attack. She has toured the world extensively. Following the fun and fantastic success of the live stream launch of her second solo album, she decided to do it all over again.

For this new live stream, she partnered up with SEQUENTIAL / DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS, pioneers of MIDI technology, and the creators of dozens of synthesizers & sequencers that changed the course of music history. This time her performance will be a bit more interactive as the audience gets to pick the songs you want to see her play! She has prepared a list that includes Bjork, Blonde Redhead, Sneaker Pimps, Mazzy Star, Radiohead, and many more…

“There will be costumes. There will be loads of synths.  There will be drinks and bong hits. But mainly, there will be fun!!! And maybe a special appearance from Ginger the famous cat.” Sequential and Sheenah Ko presents : A trip back to the 90’s. From your isolation chambers to ours. May 1st – 5:30pm‬.

You can also watch the performance from her album launch here and purchase the album and merchandising here. You can also listen to her recent in-depth interview on the George Strombopoulous Show after the segments on Ed O’brien (Radiohead) and Bjork. Her interview begins at 2 hours and 23 minutes into the clip.

2. Traveling WITHOUT MOVING WITH DIAGRAF / ORBITAL MECHANICS

Local artist Patrick Trudeau is somewhat of a Renaissance Man. He is known for composing and DJ’ing as the bandleader of Orbital Mechanics. Under the moniker VJ Diagraf he has created breathtakingly beautiful audiovisual installations, both locally at the Satosphere Dome and internationally in planetariums in Europe.

Musically his sets range from textured ambient to hypnotic techno, His mission is to take viewers on a deep-space journey, alternating between lightness and darkness, leading towards mysterious and Utopian destinations. He explores music that is minimal yet rich, with gritty or scintillating textures, rich pad work, poly-rhythmic percussion, driving kicks, and strong narrative elements. Given the dual nature of his talents, his streaming performances have a very developed visual component. On top of the webcam pointing at the city from our rooftop, there is a new visual content weekly, consisting of reworked footage from the International Space Station, giving the impression of cruising over the strange landscapes of faraway exoplanets.

The Orbital Mechanics / Diagraf stream is designed to facilitate temporary escape from Terrestrial bounds. Deep hypnotic music for exploring different worlds and optimistic realities. The stream begins every Saturday night starting around 9/10 pm and runs to anywhere from 1 am to 4 am.  For best results view it on the Twitch channel Cooper Radio.

3. THE SACRED SOUNDS OF ELEPHANT STONE

Debuting a decade ago, ELEPHANT STONE (the psych-pop creation of multi-instrumentalist Rishi Dhir) has released six critically-acclaimed albums on labels such as Elephants On Parade, Fuzz Club, Burger Records, V2 Benelux, Reverb Appreciation Society, and Hidden Pony,

He has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, been nominated for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize, and picked up praise from the likes of NPR, Brooklyn Vegan, Consequence of Sound, Rolling Stone, Clash Magazine and more. As a highly-regarded sitar player, Dhir has also collaborated with indie-rock icons such as Beck and legendary cult bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

He performs live streams the first Tuesday of every month from his Sacred Sounds Studio in Montreal. Featuring sitar and guitar, acoustic cover songs, and versions of Elephant Stone tunes. The next broadcast will be May 5th @ 9 PM. You can watch the stream either on Facebook or Youtube by visiting his website.

4. NICOLA TORRIERO’S RHYTHM IS RHYTHM STREAMING NETWORK

Nicola Torriero is a Montreal based DJ originally from Italy. He’s been involved in the underground electronic music scene since its very beginning with the original warehouse parties. Which led to several residencies in most of Montreal’s notorious clubs. Nicola’s current music style has European Techno influences, he likes his techno to have a deep melodic touch to it. He also ventures into deep rhythmic tracks while retaining the techno tempo that he loves to play.

Nicola is the original founder of the Bal En Blanc which he launched in 1994. In 2015 he launched a web radio show called Rhythm is Rhythm to create a platform to showcase incredible local DJ talents alongside international guests.

On March 30th 2020 Nicola launched his Rhythm is Rhythm Quarantine Sessions in an effort to bring positive vibes to everyone during Lockdown. He received so many amazing submissions from DJ’s in Canada and beyond that, he started a daily radio show to featuring all this great music. He also has been playing live sets on Facebook.

The next episode TIME CAPSULE will be on May 3rd, 2020 streaming at 18:18h, blending vinyl classics with contemporary digital tracks with his signature sound.

5. RUSTY FADERS & DAOUST STREAM ON COOPER RADIO