Critiques CD: Beat Market | Beat Market

If you’ve tapped into the goings-on of Misteur Valaire, Plaster or DJ Champion, you might have already picked up on the theatrics of this 2010 Euterke Bursary-winning electro three-piece (bassist David “San” Gaudreau, keyboardist Louis-Joseph “San” Cliche and live drummer Maxime “San” Bellavance). Why the ‘San’, why the theatrics, you may ask? These Montrealers pride themselves on their Japanese allegiances, performing in Tron-like kimono outfits with fluorescent stripes that owe quite a bit to manga culture. The music, for its part, extends its reach beyond cheap video game homages, serving up futuristic Euro disco, catchy analogue synths and throbbing retro basslines. An auspicious, well-crafted debut that can hopefully bring some dancefloor enlightenment (and, why not, a little Japanese fetishization) to Montreal clubland.