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Drysdale Group presents: PRYDA by Eric Prydz

August 1, 2012

*This post contains strong language, because there is no other way to describe the insanity that went down on July 22 in Montreal*

Living house legend Eric Prydz is in North America for the first time in 4 years, with fans lining up to see him from coast to coast at stops on the IDentity tour, and a couple select festivals like Ottawa’s Escapade Music Festival.  Following the release of his highly anticipated masterpiece album PRYDA, the man is back on top and making a huge impact on the scene this summer.  His 90 minute journey at Escapade, while perfectly executed and totally magical – just simply wasn’t enough Prydz for us.

Luckily, in the midst of all these festival stops, a dedicated team in Montreal called the DRYSDALE GROUP managed to book Pryda himself for a highly anticipated full 3 hour set on the night of their official launch party at Arena.  With proven Montreal talent Royce&Tan and Hish Mash rounding out the bill, this party was set to be an epic event that brought the who’s who of the Montreal scene out for a very rare treat from the one of Sweden’s hottest exports.  In Montreal, one of the world’s premiere dance music destinations, you need to go big to be seen, and these guys certainly executed with a packed yet intimate party that was all about the music.

Local favourites Royce Groome and Chrys Tan warmed up the CDJ’s spinning some house and tech house gems that kept people grooving as they built the energy in the room to a simmer.  We got to hang out with them after their set to talk over some vodka Redbulls about the amazing Montreal scene and how sick it was to open for such a legend.. they had some awesome insight so we’ve arranged a full length interview which will come your way soon!  Also look out for a special guest mix coming up from them on the DJ Mag Canada podcast (iTunes).  These guys are the real deal, follow them on facebook and twitter.

Next up was Hish Mash who kept the energy building as the vibe in the room turned to pure anticipation for the main event of the night.  After midnight when Pryda made his way to the booth, his overflowing swag captured the attention of everyone in the room as the crowd starting chanting Pryda! Pryda! Pryda!  

This was not ID fest, this was not a regular club night, this was the Pryda playground for over 3.5 hours of pure energy and good vibes.  Of course the crowd was waiting for tracks like SW4, Mirage, and Allein.. and of course he delivered.  But the special thing about this night was not only the intimacy of the club, but the QUALITY of the crowd.  All I met was like-minded party people who were open to whatever Pryda threw our way.  Like I said, not a festival set – this was dark, techy, hard, and LOUD.  It’s hard to describe in words, but those in attendance would agree that something special happened at Arena that night.  As I scanned the crowd around 3am, I didn’t see a single person who wasn’t fully in the music as sweat and vodka continued to pour well past Pryda’s scheduled finishing time.  Remember when your favourite DJ played that 3 track encore and it was epic as hell?  Try a 45 minute encore of pure classic bangers like his remixes of Personal Jesus and Midnight City with the house lights on, and no one giving a damn.  Then follow that up with a half hour of pictures and autographs for his adoring fans, and you have one fucking legendary night in the memory bank.

The only thing I know for sure is, when the DRYSDALE group lets us know about their next party, there is no chance in hell I’m missing it.  A testament to true party culture without all the fluff, these guys just want to rage.. and they do it RIGHT.  Thank you guys for an absolutely epic night, this one is planted firmly in the history books as one of the best parties of my life.  Following the madness, I had a few questions for the DRYSDALE group, in my attempt to find out where these party animals came from, and when we can come back to play!  Their answers are below.  Picture from the night are right here.

Guys, that was fucking epic – how do you feel? 

The launch party with Eric Prydz was unreal. We also had two killer opening sets by Royce&Tan and Hish Mash open for Eric which was a nice touch. The vibe was amazing and super positive. Everyone was smiling, not to mention the club was absolutely packed as well.  Its hard not to have a good time at an event with Eric Prydz spinning, and with Eric being one of our favorite DJs/ producers it made it even more appropriate to have him here for the launch party. There are many clubs and promotional companies in Montreal that have done an excellent job building the EDM scene. We, as Drysdale Group, feel honored to help.

How did the Drysdale Group start? 

Well we, (Michael Stefanison, Daniel Drysdale, Stephen Drysdale,) started talking about putting something together around the beginning of June this year right before Grand Prix weekend. We were already into the scene working different jobs with Arena Montreal, Time Supper Club, Terrasses Bonsecours and Saintwoods, who are also friends of ours. We did our first soft opening party with Jidax at Time Supper Club around the same time, June 10th. That was a lot of fun and Jidax were really cool guys and phenomenal DJs.

What is your party philosophy?  What is Drysdale bringing to Montreal that’s unique? 

Well, when you attend one of our parties, especially if you live in the city or maybe even work in the industry, you might notice a couple of things. We are called the Drysdale Group… group being the operative word here. We are a group of people who love the EDM scene and the music. It’s a culture and music that encompasses a lifestyle. We customize the entire night by choosing the artist, venue and staff. The staff we have might all work or promote for different clubs on a weekly basis, however when we throw our monthly party we’ll ask people and friends, that share love for EDM, to come in and waitress, bar-tend, barmaid, hostess, and promote for that one night. The staff will also have the Drysdale Group t-shirt to show our unity!

The idea is; Drysdale Group might be an exclusive group to be in, however you are most certainly not exclusive to it. This way it’s easier to spread our network all across the city, bringing everyone in for one special night with of course, one or more special guest DJs from around the world. Of course we plan on having the props everyone loves like beach balls, glow sticks and customized sunglasses to add to the epicness!

What is the Drysdale group planning for the rest of the year? Next year? 

We plan on bringing Montreal a monthly epic party with one or more special guest DJs! If you’d like to know more and want to keep current with our events just click “like” on our FACEBOOK page and follow us on TWITTER. Our site is www.drysdalegroup.ca.

DON’T MISS THE NEXT ONE!  FOLLOW THE DRYSDALE GROUP ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

Lastly, the official video from that crazy night – enjoy!!

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 Drew Barton