Music/Features

In a city known for great parties, Montreal artist collective Moonshine has a reputation for throwing some of the best. Pre-COVID, every Saturday after the full moon, they’d light up a local dance floor with experimental, bass-driven Afrobeats to the delight of party people grooving under the light of lunar magic.

Their soirées are so popular they’ve taken them on the road, travelling from New York to Santiago to Brussels, and featuring performers from Grammy-winning dance producer Kaytranada to Toronto dancehall DJ Bambii. They’ve even launched a record label and a line of street-style apparel.

What sets Moonshine apart is its inclusive ethos. The founders felt the Montreal after-hours scene lacked a welcoming vibe, so they created it themselves. Case in point: attendees just text them at +1 514 613 5464 to get the ever-changing underground location day-of. Come one, come all.

Of course, COVID put a stop to their in-person parties. But just like the full moon, these legendary bashes will come back—and that number will again unlock Montreal party locations in real time.

To tide over those dance-all-night cravings, Moonshine is dropping a mixtape full of bangers aptly titled SMS For Location, Vol. 4. Zooming in from sunny Kinshasa, Congo and Montreal, co-founders DJ San Farafina, Juno- and Polaris-nominated Pierre Kwenders, and Hervé Kalongo celebrate its release.

Made U a Mixtape

Pierre: With the mixtape, we want people to feel like they’re at a Moonshine party. Whether there’s COVID or no COVID, you can create your own party at home.

Influences

Hervé: We really wanted to nail the global part of it. From Congo to Paris, we featured artists we know and respect. There’s a constant theme of seizing the moment. When COVID was hitting us hard in Canada, we decided to come to Congo and work with artists here, like Sarah Kalume, Uproot Andy and Mc RedBull. San Farafina: Mc Redbull had a really viral song in Montreal, because people know his music at Moonshine.

Written in the Stars

Hervé: They say there’s an energy around the full moon. It’s also an easy reminder of the event—when you see the moon it means that Moonshine is around. A bit like Batman.

Highlights

Pierre: One of my favourite moments is when Dinamarca played at one of our New Year’s Eve specials. He mostly plays songs around 80 or 90 BPMs, so very slow, kind of romantic. It was amazing seeing how the energy took the room. Couples were just enjoying themselves, kissing, it was real love. Just feeling the music, exactly like dancing Congolese Rumba.

Hervé: For the five-year anniversary, we lit a Congolese bread dish called chikwanga with candles, and it was just a cute moment where everyone was singing happy birthday to Moonshine.

Star Power

San Farafina: Kit Harington from Game of Thrones came. That was really fun—he was dancing with the live percussionists.

Hervé: I saw this guy that looked like Bas, a rapper signed to J. Cole’s label Dreamville. I was like, “Yo, you look like that guy Bas!”’ And he was like, “I am that guy.” He heard it was a cool party, and he stayed all night.

San Farafina: What about Win Butler?

Hervé: Yeah, but Win counts as family now. He lost a bag at one of our parties, we gave it back. Since then he’s been supporting us and giving us love—he had the last Arcade Fire album on a laptop inside from what I can remember. I should have sold it on eBay.