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.

album1 of many… San Holo's Toronto Concert Review

By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

Toronto fans had the pleasure of escaping the cold to enjoy an evening with San Holo and friends on his 'Album 1’ tour this past Wednesday at The Danforth Music Hall. The evening started with three acts: Eastghost, Taska Black and BAYNK, each bringing their own unique energy to DMH. What was most interesting, however, was the serious shift in energy from the moment San Holo took the stage. It wasn’t your classic uproar that you commonly expect from the crowd welcoming a headliner, it felt more like a huge shift in energy and attention, almost like re-awakening that was extremely welcoming and free. Within minutes, we would find out why and how this happened. 

If you are a fan of San Holo’s music, you will know that he loves to combine organic sounds/live instrumentals as well as the electronic elements to create his dreamy soundscapes. 'album1' is a great example of his innovative sound that clearly stands out within the electronic music world today. In my opinion, the Album 1 tour echoed this theme and showcased his signature sound very well. 

There were many elements that made this show successful and memorable. The main one being San himself. Anyone who has been able to witness him on this tour thus far, can easily agree with the fact that the energy he brings to the stage is not like any other. The room was in a bit of a meditative/trance-like state from the moment he started performing and later, after the show was over, and I was able to review what just happened and snap out of my own trance, I was able to understand that it was mainly due to his energy. 

His genuine personality, which has made his fans fall in love with him and his music, easily comes across while watching him on stage. Given the same setup and songs, I don’t think that another musician could have been able to replicate such a performance. He was not just "in the moment" in the sense of seeing how the crowd reacts and having the typical back and forth that happens between an artist and audience. The fact that he is the person who knows the ins and outs because he has worked so hard and put so much energy into creating the music is one thing.  Seeing him experience the music so deeply and feeling like he was genuinely inviting us to be in that moment with him was a different and refreshing feeling.  

Even though the room was full of people, because of this feeling, his planned and rehearsed set seemed almost like it wasn’t planned or perfected at all. It actually felt very organic, as if we were almost getting an exclusive sneak-peek of San prepping for this tour. Everyone was in their own world, having a one-on-one experience with San-you could tell by the smiles on their faces! 

His 1.5-hour set was full of highs and lows that were impactful, while the transitions between songs were fluid. It felt like we were almost following a storyline from start to finish, but it was overall quite mellow and enjoyable and it really kept us in the moment. The crowd grooved along with him as he played guitar live, singing melodic lines in his songs, jumping and dancing to the explosive drops, erupting in spontaneous clapping and chanting the lyrics. San didn’t stop moving for a moment, he was expressive on the guitar and the mic, the quick changes to and from the live instruments and the electronic control instruments were well executed. 

We were able to hear a great mix of hits and tracks from 'Album 1'. It all seemed to fit in very cohesively, which reminds us that he really has established a clear revolutionary sound of his own within the electronic music community. The combination of the cinematic sounds and other elements such as lyrics that resemble catchy pop hooks really captivate his audience. His fans seem to be a growing niche of individuals who welcome a more complex new sound in electronic music that’s building a bridge between many other genres. 

All of these vibes were accompanied by an awesome light show and great visuals, which many electronic music fans are very used to. I think his team did a great job at utilizing the stage at Danforth Music Hall and incorporating various elements without making it seem like the main attraction and allowing the live and musical elements to shine. 

Judging by their reactions, his fans would definitely want to see him perform again in Toronto and look forward to seeing bigger and more from him in the future. He made what could have been a very standard, dry performance that was super laid out and planned, into something that was individual and unique: definitely something you had to be there for to truly understand- which I think is a true sign of a great live performance. Looks like this is Album 1 of many to tour for San Holo.