Festival | AIM’s 5th Edition is Almost Here!

The summer festival season has started, and music lovers everywhere are gearing up for an onslaught of top notch events. EDC, Dekmantel, Sonar …these are all names which beckon Canadians to travel great lengths to fulfill their electronic music needs.

But is it necessary to cross a border or hop the great pond for quality music and a festival environment this summer? No. Definitely not.

Why? AIM Festival’s 5th edition is right around the corner! From July 12-14th, one of Montreal’s famed electronic music festivals is back with a killer lineup of locals and international artists. Not to mention, one of the best crowds North America has to offer.

Last summer, AIM festival outdid itself with top drawer artists, a variety of stages, 32 hours of non-stop music, and something new from day to day. Conveniently hopping around from stage to stage to hear nothing but incredible music was the highlight of my time there. Below, I’m laying out the highlights of AIM: Monolithes City, and breaking down why this summer’s AIM is set to outdo itself yet again.

In past editions of AIM, we’ve seen the AIM stage commandeered by some of techno and house’s finest artists. Last year, we were blown away by the artistry of Sasha‘s 3 hour set, and our hearts were warmed as the sun rose to the rhythms and bass lines of Danny T (not to mention a speech at the end followed by an extra hour of music).

When the lineup was announced, I was excited to see Stereo favorite Soul Button on the list, as well as ANNA, who delivered an immaculate set at SAT in March. Pig & Dan and Anja Schneider are two of my other favorites, followed by the legendary father of progressive house, John Digweed. With a career spanning over thirty years and an extremely dedicated global fan base, we’re lucky to be visited by a world renowned sound craftsman and master of mood.

Speaking of which…Danny Tenaglia is returning to AIM festival this summer, only this time for an exclusive house set. The Monolithes stage will thrown back to the origins of house after being graced by the sounds of Behrouz, Rodriguez Jr, Modd, and more. I have so many great memories of the crowd and vibe as Roger Sanchez blew us all away at the 2018 Monolithes stage.

For all of the trance lovers, we don’t know who’s headlining just yet, but hang in there. Trance master Ben Gold is returning to AIM from last summer, plus sets from Future Code and Nifra, and so many others. Bass Heads; GETTER was just recently announced, in addition to favorites like ATLiens and Mantis.

Dipping in and out of the Multi-Culti stage truly made my AIM 2018 experience complete. Nicola Cruz was fantastic. AIM Monolithes is bringing back Dreems and Thomas Von Party and other additions to be announced.

Of course, I want to make a special shout out to our Montreal locals (a few in particular), who create only the best vibes for all of our Montreal events. Be sure to check out Monitors, and Joumana at the AIM stage, and one of my hometown favorites, Monsanto, at Monolithes.

If you’re coming from Toronto, or happen to be there this weekend, you won’t want to miss the AIM Toronto pre-party. AIM founder Lebaron is kicking off the party at ONE LOFT, followed by HS favorites Adam b2b Mustafa Ismaeel, and ending with CHAIM (check out his Boiler Room set below). It’s gonna be a good one, and we couldn’t ask for a better lineup. You can find the event page HERE.

So, AIM-goers! Digweed, Tenaglia, and some of electronic music’s biggest artists await you right down the road from July 12-14. You can find out more info HERE on the event page. Zone 1 camping is almost sold out, and you can grab your passes and tickets here.

Also feel free to check out an interview we did with AIM founder Francois Lebaron HERE.

Until then, I’ll see you on a dance floor near you.

Article by: Hunter