There’s no such thing as pacing yourself at îLESONIQ. You show up, sunscreen already sweating off, with bass in your bones and glitter on your eyelids, and hope you survive the drop. This year marked the festival’s 10th anniversary—ten years of beat drops, crowd surges, pyrotechnics, and pure electronic mayhem at Parc Jean-Drapeau. From house to dubstep, from melodic to menacing, this was a weekend where every second was synced to BPM.
And no one had a closer view than Eva Blue (@evablue). Between the strobes and the smoke cannons, through packed crowds and into late-night afterparties, they caught the chaos in high definition. These are the moments they brought back from the edge.
Day 1
Saturday, August 9: Maximum Voltage, Zero Chill
îLESONIQ came out swinging with Saturday’s stacked roster. From early sets at the NEON stage to crowd eruptions under the OASIS tower, the island was fully activated by 3 p.m. LP Giobbi dropped a set laced with funk, glitter, and feminist fire, while BUNT. brought sun-soaked joy straight from Europe. Over at the Mirage stage, Kaskade’s sunset set was a full-blown serotonin surge—smooth, lush, and cinematic.
But it was Steve Aoki who took the whole thing nuclear. Cake? Thrown. Bass? Shattered. Shirtless fans? Everywhere. By the time Illenium’s headlining set hit, you could feel the entire island vibrating, his melodic storytelling crashing into dubstep breakdowns as fireworks lit the sky. It wasn’t just a set—it was a gut-punch wrapped in goosebumps.
Then came the afterparties. Sullivan King unleashed metal-infused madness at Le Studio TD while Stereo pulsed till sunrise. If you had anything left in the tank, you didn’t for long.
Eva Blue:
Day 2
Sunday, August 10: Bliss, Basslines, and the Big One
Sunday started slower—bodies sore, voices hoarse, hydration critical. But îLESONIQ doesn’t believe in cooldowns. Ludo Lacoste sparked things off at the OASIS stage with hometown energy, while the Mirage stage cooked with early sets that sent even the bleary-eyed faithful into motion.
Max Styler and Chase & Status delivered the most high-impact tag-team of the day, bouncing from house grooves to DnB chaos. Somewhere between fog bursts and laser grids, the main stage morphed into a raver’s cathedral.
And then John Summit. Pure charisma, sweat-drenched swagger, and hooks that turned strangers into soulmates for 90 minutes. He didn’t just headline the 10th anniversary—he baptized it in four-on-the-floor euphoria.
Afterparties roared again across the city—Newspeak’s sold-out secret B2B session pushed things into underground territory, while Guillaume Michaud and guests gave dancers their final release at Stereobar.
Eva Blue:
There’s no such thing as pacing yourself at îLESONIQ. You show up, sunscreen already sweating off, with bass in your bones and glitter on your eyelids, and hope you survive the drop. This year marked the festival’s 10th anniversary—ten years of beat drops, crowd surges, pyrotechnics, and pure electronic mayhem at Parc Jean-Drapeau. From house to dubstep, from melodic to menacing, this was a weekend where every second was synced to BPM.
And no one had a closer view than Eva Blue (@evablue). Between the strobes and the smoke cannons, through packed crowds and into late-night afterparties, they caught the chaos in high definition. These are the moments they brought back from the edge.
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There’s no such thing as pacing yourself at îLESONIQ. You show up, sunscreen already sweating off, with bass in your bones and glitter on your eyelids, and hope you survive the drop. This year marked the festival’s 10th anniversary—ten years of beat drops, crowd surges, pyrotechnics, and pure electronic mayhem at Parc Jean-Drapeau. From house to dubstep, from melodic to menacing, this was a weekend where every second was synced to BPM.
And no one had a closer view than Eva Blue (@evablue). Between the strobes and the smoke cannons, through packed crowds and into late-night afterparties, they caught the chaos in high definition. These are the moments they brought back from the edge.
Day 1
Saturday, August 9: Maximum Voltage, Zero Chill
îLESONIQ came out swinging with Saturday’s stacked roster. From early sets at the NEON stage to crowd eruptions under the OASIS tower, the island was fully activated by 3 p.m. LP Giobbi dropped a set laced with funk, glitter, and feminist fire, while BUNT. brought sun-soaked joy straight from Europe. Over at the Mirage stage, Kaskade’s sunset set was a full-blown serotonin surge—smooth, lush, and cinematic.
But it was Steve Aoki who took the whole thing nuclear. Cake? Thrown. Bass? Shattered. Shirtless fans? Everywhere. By the time Illenium’s headlining set hit, you could feel the entire island vibrating, his melodic storytelling crashing into dubstep breakdowns as fireworks lit the sky. It wasn’t just a set—it was a gut-punch wrapped in goosebumps.
Then came the afterparties. Sullivan King unleashed metal-infused madness at Le Studio TD while Stereo pulsed till sunrise. If you had anything left in the tank, you didn’t for long.
Eva Blue:
Day 2
Sunday, August 10: Bliss, Basslines, and the Big One
Sunday started slower—bodies sore, voices hoarse, hydration critical. But îLESONIQ doesn’t believe in cooldowns. Ludo Lacoste sparked things off at the OASIS stage with hometown energy, while the Mirage stage cooked with early sets that sent even the bleary-eyed faithful into motion.
Max Styler and Chase & Status delivered the most high-impact tag-team of the day, bouncing from house grooves to DnB chaos. Somewhere between fog bursts and laser grids, the main stage morphed into a raver’s cathedral.
And then John Summit. Pure charisma, sweat-drenched swagger, and hooks that turned strangers into soulmates for 90 minutes. He didn’t just headline the 10th anniversary—he baptized it in four-on-the-floor euphoria.
Afterparties roared again across the city—Newspeak’s sold-out secret B2B session pushed things into underground territory, while Guillaume Michaud and guests gave dancers their final release at Stereobar.
Eva Blue:
There’s no such thing as pacing yourself at îLESONIQ. You show up, sunscreen already sweating off, with bass in your bones and glitter on your eyelids, and hope you survive the drop. This year marked the festival’s 10th anniversary—ten years of beat drops, crowd surges, pyrotechnics, and pure electronic mayhem at Parc Jean-Drapeau. From house to dubstep, from melodic to menacing, this was a weekend where every second was synced to BPM.
And no one had a closer view than Eva Blue (@evablue). Between the strobes and the smoke cannons, through packed crowds and into late-night afterparties, they caught the chaos in high definition. These are the moments they brought back from the edge.
Free account required
For readers who care about Montreal
Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.
Haitian restaurants, Brazilian watch parties, Egyptian cafés, Mexican celebrations: The tournament transformed neighbourhoods across the city into places where the world could gather.
Dinner on the terrasse, live music seven nights a week, and a few hands of blackjack if the mood strikes: the Casino has handily become a complete night out.
Haitian restaurants, Brazilian watch parties, Egyptian cafés, Mexican celebrations: The tournament transformed neighbourhoods across the city into places where the world could gather.
Dinner on the terrasse, live music seven nights a week, and a few hands of blackjack if the mood strikes: the Casino has handily become a complete night out.
The photographer has spent years documenting Montreal’s post-pandemic underground. We asked them which collectives, DJs, and communities are shaping what comes next.
The photographer has spent years documenting Montreal’s post-pandemic underground. We asked them which collectives, DJs, and communities are shaping what comes next.
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