Dandi Wind loves to dance. That’s one of the reasons this multi-faceted artist decided to relocate her eponymous electro outfit from the stunted scene in Vancouver to the burgeoning hotspot that is Montreal.
Speaking on the phone from her home studio, Dandi explained the reasons for the relocation.
“In Vancouver, there’s no place to play, all the venues are shutting down, and there haven’t been very many new bands because there isn’t anywhere to play.”
Montreal was the natural choice for Dandi Wind (the band) given the abundance of like-minded artists and the city’s internationally-acclaimed music scene, which owes much to other high-profile imports The Arcade Fire and fellow Van City ex-pats Wolf Parade. But economics was also a factor.
“Rent is a lot cheaper in Montreal than it is in Vancouver,” Opaine noted. “In Vancouver, even just going out to dance is really expensive, so a lot of people are relocating here.” Dance restrictions were the deal-breaker, so, like a modern-day Emma Goldman, Dandi Wind was off to Montreal.
The move also made sense because Dandi Wind’s (the band) Canadian record label Summer Lover’s Unlimited (home of Duchess Says and Crystal Castles) had recently made the same jump. Now fully settled in their new digs, SLU has just released Dandi Wind’s first full-length, Concrete Igloo, which comes with a second disc featuring ten arty videos Opaine shot with the help of keyboardist Szam Findlay.
“We worked really hard the last couple years making new videos every month,” she recalled.
Mostly stop-motion pieces, the videos accompany songs off Concrete Igloo and a few original, ambient compositions. The music videos (a few can be viewed on www.dandiwind.com) could stand just as well on their own as creepy video art. But don’t expect to see Devon Soltendieck introducing these on MOD anytime soon: one short ends with Opaine puking up blood and guts, writhing on the floor of an abandoned factory. These are way too good for Much Music.
Dandi Wind’s sound, rounded out by drummer Evan Pierce, is dark, spastic and electronic. The songs on Concrete Igloo provide the perfect DJ segue from Skinny Puppy’s spooky, industrial retro beats into Duchess Says’ rabid electro-froth, and certainly pack the necessary punch to keep dance floors jumping.
Always on the move, the kinetic band have spent the last year playing parties all over the Western hemisphere. With memorable dates in Mexico City and Guadalajara (she describes a rainy-day gig there, held in a massive tent, as “one of our most unique shows ever”) the band has also been jetting back and forth between Montreal and London, where their U.K. label Alt-Delete (Twisted Charm, Digital Penetration) is located. “We’ve been to Europe and England four times last year,” she counted, with more U.K. shows in the works. Trips across the pond have included dates with British dance-punks Klaxons and a slot on the hugely successful Digital Penetration tour.
In town this week to play a show at The Mod Club on Friday night with local homo-punks Kids on TV, Dandi Wind are hoping the crowd will be there to “just let loose and have a good time,” meaning: dance. The band is notorious for reacting to the crowd’s energy while performing. Dancing crowds always turn the show into an energetic frenzy, while audiences that just stand, arms crossed, might get “a very angry show” Opaine warned in advance.
Either way, Friday is bound to be an entertaining night. Known for sporting homemade costumes at shows, Opaine describes her latest creation as “a tight, black nylon suit with vaginas all over it.” Not to be missed!
