If you listen to Trance music, being picky about which Montreal clubs you like is a given. Circus Afterhours and Stereo are at the top of the pyramid since they welcome nothing but the best on a regular basis. The next tier consists of Red Lite, La Mouche, 1234 (despite all the children) and Muzique (despite the Avicii incident) who also sometimes host big DJs. The final group is awful. These clubs are the places where you’ll most likely be hearing David Guetta and Pitbull collaborations for the next 10 years. La Folie, the club I went to last Friday, February 18th, is beneath all of these. Apart from the absolutely gorgeous coat-check girl, this place is Montreal’s douchebag central. Allow me to explain: for starters, it’s in St-Leonard. This establishment is one of a kind; it houses Montreal’s Jersey Shore community, lots of 40 year-olds in the middle of their mid-life crises and probably the worst interior layout I’ve ever seen. There is a VIP section right in front of the DJ booth with an enormous bodyguard preventing anyone from entering and incidentally, from being able to see what the DJ is doing. Instead, you’re looking straight at a large group of aunts and uncles who are trying to relive the glory days by trading their Centrum Silver and Rogaine for Ed Hardy clothes. The venue neighbors what looks to be an abandoned mattress store and a Zellers, which is probably a better place to have a party. You must be asking yourself, what was I doing in such a sickening place on a Friday night?

Dash Berlin, author of hits such as “Waiting” and “Till The Sky Falls Down,” played a 3-hour set. The reason I had to put down La Folie so much is to show how good Dash Berlin is live. Even with all these nauseating factors in play, I had a terrific night. He started the evening with a sure fire way to get the crowd going, playing his newest hit, “Disarm Yourself".” He played track after track of lyrical Trance, making sure to include his 2 other 2011 releases; his remix of First State’s “Reverie” and of Filo & Peri’s “This Night".” He continued to mix in dance floor hits like Diplo and Tiesto’s “Cmon”, Alexander Popov’s remix of Cosmic Gate’s “Raging” and Gareth Emery’s “Sanctuary.” Needles to say, the man is a master of vocal Trance. One of the highlights of the night was when he displayed his musical versatility by playing an Electro/Dubstep mix of “We are Your Friends".” He ended the night with his classic “Waiting” and the crowd erupted with screams of bliss. Here are his 3 newest tracks along with a video I shot of his remix of “This Night.” Apologies for not being smart enough to turn my iPhone sideways. Am I the only one who thinks he looks like Rick Nash?

First State ft. Sarah Howells – Reverie (Dash Berlin Remix)

Filo & Peri ft. Audrey Gallagher – This Night (Dash Berlin Remix)

Dash Berlin ft. Emma Hewitt – Disarm Yourself (Club Mix)

Ok, so I know everyone trashed Deamau5’s new album, but the guy still used to be a very good producer. As Ellis was telling me a couple of days ago, it's hard to forget about track like "Strobe." Play Records has come out with a new compilation called Dirt Hott Vol.2, which features 2 of his older tracks. I knew about “Dr. Funkenstein”, but I had never heard “Vanishing Point” until just today. The track was originally released 3 years ago and includes a lot of the old Deadmau5 style we all knew and loved. Past tense is a bitch.

Deadmau5 – Vanishing Point (Original Mix)

This next track is an original kind of Dubstep. Since all the genre’s music has sounded the same for the past little while, I’ve tried to find others that are attempting to take it in a another direction. Gemini is an artist who is doing just that, leaning away from the generic filth that we keep hearing. It’s not chill Dubstep, I call this clean.

Hadouken! – Oxygen (Gemini Remix)

Porter Robinson temporarily fell off my radar after his smash-hit “Say My Name.” His amazing remix of “Seek Bromance” went by unnoticed and I hadn’t heard his name in months before his newest piece of work. He seems to have such an intricate grasp of Electro and the patented Dubstep wobble which he melds together beautifully with every release. Here is the aforementioned remix and “The Wildcat.”

Porter Robinson – The Wildcat (Original Mix)

Tim Berg – Seek Bromance (Porter Robinson Remix)

This next track is featured on Gareth Emery’s most recent podcast. I was never a big Fedde Le Grand fan, but this tune has made me take notice of the Dutchman. This guy is good. I’m not so sure about his buddy though. In my opinion, Patric La Funk is a ridiculous DJ name.

Fedde Le Grand & Patric La Funk – Autosave (Original Mix)

I already have a regret in 2011. I did not go see Sied van Riel when he was in Montreal. I was listening to some of his older stuff today and I could only come to a single conclusion: this guy is amazing. Right now, he is one of my favorite producers. His first release of 2011 hit #1 on Beatport’s Trance chart and his most recent track, a collaboration with Nicole McKenna, is an absolute masterpiece. He warmed up for Cosmic Gate at my first ever Trance show and I clearly remember thinking, during the first half of the German duo’s set, that he was far better than them. It’s unpractical that I write for this blog, because words cannot describe how much I adore these songs, ESPECIALLY “Stealing Time.” There is only one item on my 2011 to-do list: see Sied van Riel live.

Sied van Riel – Mentalism (Original Mix)

Sied van Riel ft. Nicole McKenna – Stealing Time (Original Mix) (very fawking hawt)

Finally, Anjunadeep 03 came out on Monday and the compilation is a formidable one. Although it is much more progressive than regular Anjunabeats releases (hence the “deep”), the tracks are to die for. Check it out here and buy it if you please.