MOGA ESSAOUIRA REVEALS FINAL LINEUP INC. JOHN TALABOT, FRANCESCO DEL GARDA, HABIBI FUNK, ALYSSA & GIA, PARALLELLS, MOULLINEX

MOGA was born in 2016 in Essaouira in Mogador and after 3 Moroccan editions and two editions exported to Caparica in Portugal, it’s now set to return to Morocco from September 28 to October 2, 2022. Five days of dance, music, food and discoveries in the heart of the pearl of the Atlantic awaits with final lineup additions John Talabot, Francesco Del Garda, Moullinex, Alyssa & Gia, Parallells, and Habibi Funk, who will join phase 1 artists such as Polo & Pan, Acid Arab, Sébastien Léger, CC:DISCO!, DJ Python, Jimi Jules, Petre Inspirescu, Lee Burridge, DJ Tennis, Soichi Terada and many more.

A bastion of hippies in the 1960s, Essaouira remains a haven for  digital nomads and surf and yoga enthusiasts from all over the world. MOGA was born in 2016, with a thoughtful programme that blends the avant-garde of international sounds and local scenes. The boutique festival works with local curators to promote the destination and the Souiri lifestyle through free access events such as culinary courses, yoga classes, free performances in the Medina, brunches, masterclasses and more. 

The festival is organized in two parts — on September 28 and 29, MOGA OFF offers free access throughout the city: open parties, art, wellness, food, talks and more with a programme revealed soon.

On September 30, October 1 and 2, MOGA IN at SOFITEL Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa, from 13:00 until midnight, allows festival-goers to enjoy the panoramic swimming pool surrounded by a garden of olive trees and a programme that welcomes more than 50 artists on five stages within the property. Yoga classes and a “souk” designer market will also be part of the weekend programme.

FINAL LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

Additions to MOGA Essaouira 2022 include revered Italian selector Francesco Del Garda, Habibi Funk — the Berlin label founded by DJ Jannis Stürtz which explores the funk, jazz and disco treasures of the Arab world — the mysterious Barcelona DJ and producer John Talabot, Moullinex — an essential artist of the Portuguese electronic scene — as well as Dutch brothers Parallells who offer electro-acoustic live sets, and the ultra dynamic Berlin duo Alyssa & Gia.

These artists join the likes of Polo & Pan, Acid Arab and Sébastien Léger, CC:DISCO!, DJ Python, Jimi Jules, Petre Inspirescu, Lee Burridge, DJ Tennis, and Soichi Terada, as well as a host of  Moroccan performers such as Mr. ID, Kawtar Sadik and Guedra Guedra.

ABOUT ESSAOUIRA

Essaouira, first called Amogdul ("The well-kept" in Berber) then Mogador following the passage of the Portuguese and Spanish conquerors. The medina of Essaouira, the old traditional city, with its ramparts and its souks, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was also the setting for Game of Thrones and many films (Othello, Kingdom of Heaven). It is now a popular spot for surfers and kite surfers from all over the world who appreciate its relaxed lifestyle and its inherited hippie lifestyle. Indeed, the libertarian movement of the 1960s experienced a great boom in Morocco. These young travelers in search of enjoyment, coming from all over the world, have found in Essaouira a favorable place to live their libertarian dream. Among them Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens found refuge there.

ABOUT MOGA

MOGA is a boutique festival dedicated to electronic music and inspired by bohemian culture, the Atlantic and its laid-back, surf-oriented lifestyle. The singularity of the festival lies in its unique experience connecting festival-goers from all over the world of different cultures and origins around dance, music, art and well-being but also values ​​of sharing, openness, exchange and interculturality. MOGA has created a tribe over the years — a strong community of nomads, the #mogatribe now stretches from Portugal (MOGA Caparica edition in June) to Morocco (MOGA Essaouira edition in October) and soon beyond. MOGA is the discovery of a place, a culture, a city at the heart of the concept of the festival, in association with the local tourist offices in both Morocco and Portugal.

ÎLESONIQ 2022 THE 7th EDITION: HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!

The 7th edition of îLESONIQ presented by Bell took the festival experience to an entirely new level over the weekend at Parc Jean-Drapeau, with an unprecedented lineup, including many of the biggest names in dance and electronic music, definitely the biggest festival stage ever set up in Canada, and some of the most impressive cutting edge light and video shows that fans have ever experienced live!

After three years of being denied the opportunity to dance in clubs and festivals, there has never been a better time for EDM fans to unleash the beast within, dance with pure abandon, and feel the collective jolt of excitement that life, as we knew it, is back - and fans say they have never felt more alive than being back at îLESONIQ.

For three days, between Aug 5-7, under mostly glorious skies, Montreal’s île Sainte-Hélène was a dance music Mecca, with a dynamic and much-talked about lineup of artists from many genres, coming together for the biggest party of the year, on what is known internationally to be one of the greatest festival sites in the world. 

Featuring over 70 world class acts performing on 3 different stages, îLESONIQ welcomed 85,000 people, who were ecstatic to express themselves on the natural dancefloors of île Sainte-Hélène, while basking in the good vibes of a perfect summer festival!

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SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS!

Friday, got off to a fantastic start, with a spectacular sunny day, and a lineup that did not disappoint. Koven got the drum & bass music machine started early, with an intense collection of tracks that set the tone for the day. Germany’s Ben Böhmer was a high note of a perfectly orchestrated techno-tinged lineup on the NEON Coca-Cola stage; Sullivan King was a revelation for many in the crowd, taking flight and reigning fire all over the crowd with an all-out metalized dubstep assault; Aussie producer and DJ, Fisher, delivered a feelgood set of tech-house that had heads bobbing on the mainstage; while Montreal’s very own Black Tiger Sex Machine lit up the night with twitched–out and absolutely explosive Bass tracks, oscillating drones, percussive stabs, and their classic laser-eyed robot costumes. At the same time, Berlin’s Dixon was channeling his inner Giorgio Moroder, while Eric Prydz’s headlining set was absolutely epic, bringing his underground tech house style to the mainstream with all the bells, whistles, smoke, and flames to punctuate the experience. It was a night of pure bliss for the adoring crowd who couldn’t get enough of Prydz frothy digital sounds and by incredible display of fireworks at the end of his set!

Saturday was a scorcher of a day, and the heat was increased by some of the best performances of the festival. Banx & Ranx set the table with a profusion of beats, bringing out some very special guests, while DVBBS started the hype machine early, throwing out some classic traxx for the audience to sing along to, along with non stop beats that set the tone for a spectacular day. Sean Paul filled up the entire Mirage stage area with the soundsystem vibe, toasting and singing his hits with a well rehearsed live band backing him up. The reggaeton icon, master hitmaker, and legendary performer reminded the crowd of the power of live music, passing the light to his adoring crowd, and raising the temperature to unthinkable levels. Shenseea elevated the ferocious feminine energy with an onstage girl power dance off, while France’s Madeon proved why he is one of the best in the world, constructing a gorgeous set full of his special style of bangers peppered with moments of sentimentality and bliss. Subtronics turned the bass way up, with blasting beats and TikTok samples that the crowd absolutely ate up. Rap star, French Montana, had an unforgettable set, representing hip-hop with swagger and keeping heads cool. The headline set was one of those rare occasions that two of the most sought after acts in the Bass game played a B2B set. Illenium + B2B Excision was wild, loud, and sometimes verging on symphonic (in a very digitally mutated way), with sirens blaring, flames reaching, drills drilling, drums drumming, frequencies exploding, heads banging. On the massive screens, creatures rose and fell, chrome skulls menaced, and lasers illuminated the night sky, along with fireworks that punctuated the set perfectly.

Sunday was another hot one, and all performers brought their own heat to the stage. Menacing skies didn’t stop Dombresky from breaking out some classics and supercharging the dancefloor. Lane 8 put a spell on the crowd with warm tones, hypnotic rhythms, and a beatific set that had all the feels. The L.A. based DJ/producer Wooli melted brains with a high energy onslaught of intense riddims and mammoth beats with soaring vocals that kept the crowd wanting more, and even played a dubstep tribute to our Montreal Canadiens ; Markus Shulz celebrated with an extended festival set on the NEON Coca-Cola Stage, SVDDEN DEATH’s show was a pressure cooker of pulsating dubstep and pure fire, while Louis The Child was all euphoria and bright colours, with the crowd feeling the love. Headliners, Swedish House Mafia, delivered one of the most memorable performances in festival history, by kicking off their set with fan favourites and vintage tracks much the delight of the massive crowd. With a light rain coming to an end, the world-famous trio - some of dance music`s biggest pioneers - brought their much-hyped reunion to the îLESONIQ mega-stage, taking over and turning the crowd loose to feed off their incredible energy! The huge pyrotechnic display at the end was the perfect way to end a perfect festival!

THE IMMENSE BELL OASIS STAGE

The biggest attraction (beyond the scope of the stellar lineup), was the massive main stage setup: This year, as a festival first, organizers created one mega-stage from the usual two-stage set up of OSHEAGA, placing the DJs/performers on an elevated platform in the middle, allowing for a HUGE upgrade to the lights and sights on stage (including unbelievably big LED screens, fire and flames, smoke and lasers, and all the elements needed to blow some minds).
 

The entire stage setup was created and built by Quebec power! Every company that was involved in the conception and execution of the project is from Quebec, which was an important factor for the festival team. 

"This year was one of the most fun and impressive editions I have had the chance to work on", says Nick Farkas (Senior Vice President, Booking, Concerts and Events, evenko), "and in addition to the incredible talent we had on stage, and the love we got from the crowd, it was so amazing to work on this project with some of the most creative minds in the province, and we see the incredible results that can come from these type of collaborations, these labors of love".

A special thank you to: STAGELINE, SOLOTECH, ACME DECORS INC., TOWER, PURFX, ARNAUD BELLY FERRIS and ANTHONY GRACIA  

ATMOSPHERE!

Of course, people watching is a great way to experience îLESONIQ, and this year, the fashion was tremendously creative, with plenty of pastels, tie dye, and every colour of the rainbow, form fitting on ever shape and size; There was plenty of sparkles and body paint, disco-ball helmets, a guy in a panda suit, and guys and gals in various states of dress and undress, with muscles and curves abound.

The site was extremely welcoming, with ergonomic thinking behind the layout - as if many of the installations seemed to be part of the environment. For festivalgoers looking for shade, or a quiet place to chill, îLESONIQ had many chill zones, where fans could take a load off and regroup before jumping back into the non-stop action in front of the various stages.

To help beat the heat, numerous water stations were available to everyone and the îLESONIQ team was  on site distributing water bottles to thristy fans in the crowd; in addition, the big fountain located in front of the mega- stage delighted thousands of happy festivalgoers who were able to refresh themselves to the rhythm of the DJs.

THANK YOU!
An enormous THANK YOU to the dedicated teams responsible for putting this festival on every year. This year, the îLESONIQ team did a fantastic job, allowing the performers to shine, while offering an enhanced and magnificent site for the festival crowd. To all the fans who joined together for such a vibrant event, and all the artists who came to share their music and make us dance , thank you and see you next year!

The 8th edition of îLESONIQ will take place from August 11 to 13, 2023!

RADIO 1 WEEKENDER COMES TO AMNESIA

The Radio 1 Weekender is always a special few days with the broadcasting behemoths bringing plenty of big name stars and epic production to each event. That will be the case at Amnesia when the team rolls in with host Sarah Story heading up proceedings live on air. 

She will be joined by Amnesia’s long time resident and Spanish house king Mar-T, plus Drumcode label head and contemporary techno tastemaker Adam Beyer, Ellum Audio's astral techno explorer Raxon and Newcastle's Christoph. 

This one off is always an extra special date in the year so get your tickets now at amnesia.es