ÎLESONIQ delivers (Festival review)

By David Mann

ÎLESONIQ, a Montreal festival which has been a go-to destination for EDM, has just delivered another solid weekend of memories and grooves. Set at the beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, an island oasis right smack dab in the heart of Montreal, ÎLESONIQ inherited all of the amazing stages, infrastructure, and festival map from Osheaga, its sister festival which occurred a week before, and improved on it with more lights and bigger stages. Although I only got to experience day 2, I was able to experience some of the best talent that day had to offer. Let me break it down:

gryffin

Gryffin started off his set super heavy with bass and big drops as the big intro, but eventually toned it down to bring the vibe of his show more in line with his more chill, melody-driven vibe. It's hard to pull off a mainstage show, especially with the pressure to deliver an action-packed set to electrify a crowd. Big drops are fun, but Gryffin started to shine when he dropped tracks like "Alive" with the excellent vocals of Calle Lehmann, and a remix of the classic "Say My Name" by Morgan Seatree. That being said, I wish Gryffin would drop the hard drops and give the crowd a purely Gryffin experience, with his sound at the forefront from start to finish.

ki/ki

KI/KI, a Netherlands-based artist, showed off her eclectic style, which is a mix of multiple genres, upbeat and steeped in a '90s nostalgia that clicks really well in 2026. Inviting around 50–100 people on stage with her, KI/KI showcased her tracks first and foremost, including "Going Existential In The Rave." A real viber was the nostalgic-feeling track released in 2025 by Linds called "Kick It," which is virtually impossible not to bob your head to while you dance. After circulating around the festival grounds, I managed to catch the tail end of her set and observed the higher tempo and a strong finish, as she ended with "Here With Me" (faster mix), a great end to her set.

Dabin

Dabin, a Toronto-based JUNO-nominated artist who has been creating chill tracks forever, was in full form at ÎLESONIQ. It's clear that the crowd came specifically for him and knew his tracks well, as they chanted every word to their favourites. The atmosphere was electric, and his upbeat bass, chill aspects, soaring vocals, and largely cinematic style were on full display.

above and beyond

Above & Beyond, the legendary trio from the UK known worldwide for their euphoric, emotional, and uplifting tracks, started off strong with an upbeat tempo to set the stage. Their mixing was on point and super solid between their tracks, showing their veteran presence. A&B showed off their latest tracks, which still held together a style that has made them a mainstay at festivals worldwide for well over a decade. "Here Before" is emblematic of this theme. As you might know if you've ever been to an Above & Beyond live event, they like to communicate via the big screen, typing positive messages to the crowd during their set, bringing an added connection with the crowd. "Carry Me Home," a newer 2025 track with the long-time associated vocalist Zoë Johnston, is yet another track which links the past with the present. How do they keep finding these lovely vocal drops that continue to capture the moment each time? As a long-time fan, hearing Ilan Bluestone's remix of "We're All We Need" was a close-your-eyes, dance-and-smile moment. Above & Beyond delivered yet another evergreen performance.

Yousuke Yukimatsu

I'll be honest: as a long-time festival goer, I'm here to see the novel, the new, the fresh. And Yousuke Yukimatsu checks all of those boxes and more. This mysterious Japanese DJ came out of nowhere, emerging to the world thanks to a famous Boiler Room set that set the internet on fire, and has since taken the stage at some of the biggest festivals. His ability to bring together rock elements with dance beats is uncanny. He brings a punk rock vibe to EDM that almost no one else is doing out there. There is no other DJ on the planet who can drop a Marilyn Manson track and then a Daft Punk classic right after. Absolute legend. Yousuke can thread the needle between so many genres and make it work. Not everyone can do what he does, which makes him one of the most exciting acts in EDM. After an hour of taking us on a roller coaster of genres and mixing bangers, he dropped "Oh My Gosh" by Jamie xx. How does he make it all work? I am flabbergasted at the audacity and ambition of his set.

The night ended with Holy Priest following Yousuke's performance and holding down the stage with a heart-racing set filled with the hardest drops out there at the moment. Meanwhile, on the mainstage, Dom Dolla delivered a mainstream house set which delighted the massive crowd. Dom Dolla has really risen through the ranks, and now commands a massive stage with his effortless tracks and easy-to-listen-to vocals. In the end, was Dom Dolla speaking to me? No, he wasn't — but that's not his fault. His tracks are wonderfully welcoming; I just like surprise, I enjoy the offbeat, and the road less taken. I can attest that I witnessed thousands of fans loving every minute of Dom Dolla, and that's good enough for me.

ÎLESONIQ delivered yet another fantastic festival experience, filled with a variety of acts that would appeal to virtually every EDM fan. Although I missed day 1, with the likes of deadmau5, Chris Lake, Boys Noize b2b Tiga, and more, day 2 brought the heat as well and exceeded my expectations.

7 Impressions of ÎleSoniq Music Festival 2017

Tiesto

There is almost no other DJ on earth that can take the mainstage and own it like the Dutch legend can. While he's experimented with different styles lately, the first half was purely a big room exhibition which was adored by the younger crowd. The full power of the the mainstage was at the behest of Tiesto as the pyro, lighting, and more was fully unleashed in a coordinated dance to bring max energy.

The 2nd half of the set was when things got interesting. He went a bit darker starting with his remix of his classic track "Silence", then hit the crowd with a deeper vibe with Simon Field's remix of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good". After a few moments of educating the crowd of the deeper side of electronic dance music, Tiesto brought it back hard with his hit track "Boom". You never knew what he would play next as the 2nd half included throwbacks, Latin EDM, and remixes. This was mainstage Tiesto at his best and was a fitting end of the first night of ÎleSoniq. 

Orjan Nilsen

Crushing everywhere he goes, Orjan Nilsen's mix of trance and elements of big room translated well to the Montreal crowd as his huge style and personality behind the decks came through loud and clear.  Even though he likes to bring the biggest energy tracks to the festival stage, he also didn't forget the more emotional side of trance. The highlight was when he played "The Hardest", which features the soaring vocals of Rykka, the talented Canadian-Swiss vocalist. Orjan is a beast in the studio and continually delivers memorable live sets who deserves a shot at a night time festival slot in 2018. 

Alan Walker

At only 19 years old, Alan Walker has already assembled an impressive discography, boasting millions upon millions of plays on multiple platforms, with no indication that his run will slow down anytime soon. His 2015 smash hit "Faded" had put him on the map, but it is recent tracks like "Tired", his Sia and Julia Michaels remixes, that have kept his momentum going strong. Playing his productions with big room bangers and remixes of his more down tempo tracks combined for an ideal day 1 set at ÎleSoniq. Watch out for Alan Walker to make an even bigger impact in 2018 and beyond. 

Damian Lazarus

The vibes were deep and vibrant as Damian Lazarus provided the perfect atmosphere for an afternoon set. It takes a few minutes to walk up to the Neon stage but once you're there you notice a slightly more mature crowd and a lot of dancing - a welcomed sight. In certain parts of the Neon stage they had these plastic air bubbles that gave a distinct trampoline effect which added a unique jump to your dance moves. Highlights included the Catz N Dogz remix of "Woman Of The Ghetto", and Pirupa's remix of "Wonder" by Junior Jack. 

Cedric Gervais

Fresh from his European and Ibiza summer tour, Cedric Gervais got the day 2 crowd going with his big presence behind the decks on the mainstage. Known for his Lana Del Rey remix that awarded him a Grammy, Cedric has been active in the studio with "Touch The Sky" and his chiller release "Somebody New". But the track that is catching fire is something he cooked up in David Guetta's Ibiza studio 2 weeks ago, which is his remix of "Mi Gente" by J. Balvin and Willy William. The track fuses latin and electronic beats that sounds fresh and builds on the mega success of the Despacito remix with Justin Bieber. Cedric showcased all of these tracks and more for his memorable Montreal set. 

A post shared by Cedric Gervais (@cedricgervais) on Aug 14, 2017 at 6:32pm PDT

KSHMR

In one of his highest festival placements yet, KSHMR took advantage of his opportunity by cranking up a set mostly composed of his own tracks infront of a crowd wanting to party extra hard after the short rain break. While some DJs that took the stage earlier in the day stuck to the safer options of playing tried and true bangers, KSHMR instead focused on highlighting his own tracks. The graphics of the show also told a story, and throughout the set there was a graphic narrative played that told a story while the crowd got a breather from all of the jumping. Big room might have had its day in the sun, but its artists like KSHMR that keep the genre going forward thanks to his releases.

The festival grounds

ÎleSoniq was hosted in a different part of Parc Jean-Drapeau this year, which resulted in a huge new festival ground to walk around and explore. The mainstage was among the largest stages I've seen this summer, with the secondary stages being just as impressive. There was plenty of space to sit down and relax, and if it got a little too hot, ÎleSoniq had 2 water mist areas to cool you down. If anything, there was perhaps almost too much space between stages as a trip from the mainstage to the Neon stage could have easily taken 20 minutes. But if you had a choice between too much room, and not enough, I'd chose the extra space everytime. Overall Evenko did another superb job as ÎleSoniq drew perhaps the largest fan attendance this summer.