The first Sanctuary event of 2023 was a tremendous way to start the year! Shelton Cooper warmed up the beautiful and hard-hitting speakers to start the night from 10–12 midnight. His set featured tracks that mixed modern production with the sounds of flutes, hand drums, and more. Thereafter, Jares hit the decks with a set inspired by music from Berlin-based labels from midnight to 2am. By this time, the intimate Sanctuary was packed with a smiling crowd. Many of the attendees were fellow DJs, producers, and active contributers to the Montréal electronic music scene. Jares ended with a notable track, FTC’s “Noom,” an electronic take on the first movement of Beethoven’s Op. 28, the so-called “Moonlight” Sonata. At 2am, Jares handed over the decks to Nicola Torriero who brought some rhythmically rich and uplifting tracks for everyone to enjoy.

The small and intimate Sanctuary was notable for its sound quality, the joyous and kind patrons that were invited, and its unique layout. The venue is unusual because it also serves as a recording & producing studio during the day in a separate, adjacent room. It is evident that sound quality is highly valued here, whether its in the studio or in the main dance area. It is an absolute treat to hear the thunderous speakers in the main dance room, which ran at about 95db for most of the night (beginning around 88db earlier in the evening). The sound was crystal clear and the bass hit deep in the chest. Put simply, you’d be hard pressed to find a better sounding venue. With the excellent people, music, and sound system, this venue has become one of my favorites!

Music Highlights

The following tracks caught my attention for a variety of reasons. Check them out!

A modern, progressive house take on Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 28, the so-called “Moonlight” Sonata. (It is a shame, however, that the artist FTC did not acknowledge their source material in the track name as the entire piece is very closely based on Beethoven’s first movement.)

The driving rhythms in this track hit well at the Sanctuary and the breakdown with a wide synth was infectious. Be sure to listen around the 4 minute mark for the added synth over the driving, rolling bass.

The distant and filtered female vocals with the uplifting chord progression hit in a beautiful way at the peak hour. The filtered arpeggiated synths are beautiful in this track. Most of the night at the Sanctuary featured darker keys (think minor or modal variants like Dorian and Aeolian). This track served a nice major-sounding reprive that uplifted everyone.

The sporadic brass stabs in this track are addictive, as is the distinctive backbeat sound (a muted clap or subtle snare). The track features a forward clave shaker on the off-beat (where the open hihat would sit in House) that combines especially well with the backbeat timbre.

See you at the next event!