Poster by Najeeba Ahmed (@ajeebsir)
A building-wide party showcasing underground music and art from across Turtle Island
December 9, 2023 marks the return of Pique winter edition, as it once again transforms the Arts Court into a vibrant hub for its renowned building-wide celebration, spotlighting underground and avant-garde music and art from across Turtle Island. Pique promises to be a destination for uncovering groundbreaking and future-oriented artists.
This edition of Pique will be an occasion for experimentation and celebration as always, but with an added emphasis on conscious socio-political engagement. With programming focused on dancefloor accessibility, imagining post-carceral futures, and facing the climate emergency, this edition of Pique asks audience members to not only envision a world that is more fair and inclusive, but also the journey towards it, from the demonstration to the dancefloor.
The all-ages event presents more than 20 artists across 10 stages and exhibition spaces, including groundbreaking audio/visual performances, interactive installations, media art presentations, and more. As always, tickets to Pique are financially accessible to all community members, at a sliding scale of $25-50 suggested, or pay-what-you-can by registration. Tickets are available on our Eventbrite page.
To purchase a ticket below or above the suggested sliding scale, please register for our pay-what-you-can ticket program.
PLEASE NOTE that while a tickets gains you access to the festival, each individual venue space within is subject to capacity, and your ticket does not guarantee you access to each performance. Consult the schedule and arrive early to the stage to ensure you catch the performance(s) you want to see!
The event is ALL AGES and licensed.
Visit thisispique.com for more info.
FEATURING...
Venus in Foil
4theworld
Arthritis Kid
Annie Socoria
Amanda Lowe Warnakulasuriya
Jeena
SHHH!! Ensemble
Monsieurmadam
Osita
Naïka Champaïgne
Poolblood
RegularFantasy
Izzy Rose
DJ Crip Time (Stefana)
L CON + Emma Ongman
Osita
Najeeba Ahmed
Mona Monet
RHOZE
NEBULA
For more information, including our health and safety policies, and accessibility information, please visit thisispique.com
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Pique takes place on the stolen land of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. If you support our programming, please consider also donating to a local Indigenous organization or fundraiser. Learn more about this land acknowledgement and find educational resources and ways to support at www.debaser.ca/land-acknowledgement
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Please note the following health and safety policies that apply to audience members at Pique summer edition:
Free KN94 masks will be available to audience members while supplies last.
Wash and sanitize your hands often. Hand sanitizer will be placed at all box offices, bars, merch tables, food vendor area, and in large supply around the event.
Before attending the event, please do a self-assessment of your health. Are you experiencing symptoms of any communicable virus or illness? If yes, please DO NOT COME to the event site.
Pique organizers will also be taking the following measures to prevent the spread of infection:
HEPA air filtration units designed for larger rooms will be placed in Club SAW, the Studio and Theatre.
Stage crews will be supplied with disinfectant wipes/spray and asked to sanitize microphones between performances.
Free COVID-19 rapid tests for any artist, worker or volunteer are available on request, while supplies last.
For any artist or worker who must cancel their participation in the event due to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, Debaser will honour 50% of their agreed-upon payment. If there are any artist cancellations related to COVID-19 or another infectious illness, we ask that audience members keep in mind our policy to honour 50% of payments when considering making a refund request.
Attendees are expected to respect one another. Violence, aggression, oppressive behaviour or language, or bullying will not be tolerated. If you are currently implicated in an accountability process, please ensure you are respecting the space and well-being of those your actions have affected before joining this space virtually or in person. If Debaser's staff and/or Board are made aware of any behaviour that violates our safety policy, the person(s) perpetuating this behaviour will be asked to leave immediately. We reserve the right to intervene and/or remove ANY person(s) in the space who are creating or contributing to an unsafe environment.
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The Arts Court is an accessible by entering at 67 Nicholas or 10 Daly avenue. Once inside, attendees can access all spaces and stages throughout, and all levels are accessible by elevator.
Wheelchair-accessible, gender-neutral washrooms are available throughout the building.
Click the following links for more accessibility and visitor information:
https://artscourt.ca/visitor-info-en
https://oaggao.ca/visit/plan-your-visit/
About the artists
Venus in Foil
Venus in Foil is Toronto-based DJ and community organizer, whose signature sound is blend of fast, groovy techno and dark, psychedelic selections. In her DJ sets, she often plays with tension and release and always keeps the dance floor entranced. While techno is her main dish, she is known to dip into anything from sleazy new beat and italo, to ethereal club and breaks.
She is also the co-founder of SOAK, a collective and club night aimed at supporting female artists at the experimental edges of electronic music and a resident for both Combo Breaker and the newly minted Industry Friends. An ardent supporter of the local dance community, Venus also runs a series of free outdoor parties called Dirt Rave in an effort to keep the spirit of DIY alive at a local level.
4theworld
Lealem is an Ethiopian Canadian artist, producer, and environmental engineer who has a passion for music production, songwriting, and mentoring youth in his community. As a first generation immigrant from Ethiopia, Lealem has the perspective of lived experience as a Black and low-income youth in Ottawa. In addition to the challenges of navigating anti-black racism in various institutions, Lealem felt there was a mentorship gap in his high school experience that he hopes to fill for the youth through Produced by Youth, a safe space for Black youth in Ottawa to learn music production, singing/songwriting and build confidence.
Lealem has done community volunteering with Ottawa youth for over 10 years, including running summer day camps and supervising/chaperoning youth events out of town. In terms of music mentorship, Lealem with the support of Samuel, ran a pilot music production workshop for newcomer youth through the Catholic Center for Immigrants. Additionally, Lealem has experience informally mentoring black youth in Ottawa in various songwriting and music production capacities on pro-bono basis.
More recently, in 2020, Lealem released his debut album "The Chase" under the artist name "4theworld" just before the pandemic and received a CBC Ottawa trailblazer award for his community involvement and work through Produced by Youth.
Arthritis Kid
Arthritis Kid is an Ottawa-based pop artist that stepped into the music scene mid-2020. With the influences of Coco & Clair Clair, Ashnikko, and Charli XCX, Arthritis Kid took time to cultivate her “real pop girly” image through catchy synths and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. After the release of a handful of singles and an EP in 2022, Arthritis Kid is ready to paint the town in pink glitter with her latest EP “Tear My Heart Out.”
Annie Socoria
Annie Socoria is an Ottawa based experimental audiovisual artist. She creates atmospheric ambient soundscapes and dynamic abstract video using a variety of methods (modified and hand-built electronics, hardware and software synthesizers, “no-input” mixing, audio and video feedback, analog video glitch, cassette tape loops, field recordings, and more).
Sound and light are crafted using a multidisciplinary approach with a focus on exploration and the discovery of unconventional techniques.
Amanda Lowe Warnakulasuriya
Born in Sri Lanka, raised on Prince Edward Island, and based in Ottawa, Amanda Lowe Warnakulasuriya creates enchanting and heartbreaking experimental-folk music. Blending in her roots - from both islands that raised her, she builds sentient walls of sound that help you grieve and love, making you feel both nostalgic and at home, all at once. With a voice like honey, Amanda breaks your heart open, only to make you feel whole again.
SHHH!! Ensemble
“Truly virtuosic and intense” (Confluence Concerts) describes Zac Pulak and Edana Higham’s SHHH!! Ensemble.
SHHH!! prides themselves on presenting musical experiences that are as accessible as they are groundbreaking. Exploring sonic worlds through a myriad of percussion instruments and piano, they love to share the wonder of beautiful new sounds. You can find the duo performing with symphony orchestras, under bridges, on top of art galleries, inside horse barns, and at all of the usual places too!
#listencuriously is the name of their game. Come to a SHHH!! show and you will encounter electrifying new music performed with passion. Open your ears to something different.
Monsieurmadam
Monsieurmadam is a queer artist and producer from Morocco that loves to bend and mold their sonic world according to how/what they feel, bringing together the mystical musical arrangements of their childhood memories to the harsh and heavy techno beats of undisclosed raves. Let their fantasies guide you to the nearest dance floor and prepare to unite in this magical ritual.
Naïka Champaïgne
Naïka Champaïgne (she/her) is a Black, Haitian and Queer singer / musician in Montreal. She is a member of the duo Strange Froots as a singer, rapper, composer, guitarist and bassist. She debuted, on January 1st 2020, her first solo album entitled ‘’Painted Imageries’’. It is an album that puts forth her roots in Neo-soul, RnB, Rock, Jazz and Folk. She is also greatly implicated in community organizing. She is the co-founder of the Montreal collective ‘’Fruition MTL’’, a collective that is for QTBIPOC and the co-founder of the Black Healing Fund collective; a collective that provides low income Black folks in Tio’tia:ke / Montreal discretionary funding for their well being and mental health. She also works as a youth intervention worker and drop in coordinator at Project 10. Naïka Champaïgne is a person where her creativity and her personality shows up in all the work that she takes on.
Poolblood
poolblood (she/they), the musical nom-de-plume of Toronto’s Maryam Said, released their debut album mole, January 2023 (Next Door Records). Raised in a religious household, Maryam grew up with mo-town, Somali, electronic, rock, R&B and classical music. These all influenced poolblood’s multi-genre music passion. poolblood has collaborated with Shamir, Jorge Elbrect, Christian Lee Hutson, Jasamine White-Gluz (No Joy) and many more on their debut album.
mole has been critically acclaimed with features on NPR, Bandcamp (album of the day!), Exclaim, MTV and many more. mole was also nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. poolblood has been touring Canada & USA throughout 2023 including SXSW, Pop Montreal, River & Sky Festival and a USA tour with Speedy Ortiz.
“poolblood’s first album mole feels like the first sign of warmth after a harsh winter” - Post-Trash
“poolblood’s ‘mole' is the soundtrack to the emotional rollercoaster of friendship that we didn't know we needed - MTV
L CON + Emma Ongman
Lisa Conway (ie. L CON) + Emma Ongman perform audio-visual experimental ambient sets, improvising on a variety of technologies - analog hardware synthesizers, video synths, electronics, and drum and tape machines.
Lisa is a composer, sonic adventurer, songwriter, and mix engineer. A graduate of the MA in Sonic Arts from Queen’s University Belfast, she is now based in Montréal, pursuing an individualized PhD in sound studies at Concordia University. She is an alumni of the Red Bull Music Academy (Berlin), and the Canadian Film Centre's Music Residency, with recent album releases on Halocline Trance and Idée Fixe.
Emma Ongman is a Montréal-based interdisciplinary artist, self-taught musician, and arts administrator. Primarily working with images, video, and sound, Emma is interested in everyday environments, the evolution of relationships, and the impact of technology on both nature and humanity. Ongman has shown her work in Canada, the United States, France, and Greece.
Kingsley Swim
Kingsley Swim is a community connector, music curator, and the driving force behind Black Market Framework as an innovative storyteller and entrepreneur. Her efforts encompass working alongside a spectrum of diverse artists and organizations across Turtle Island through experiential production, grant proposal composition, and strategic marketing. In 2023, she was selected as a Keychange Innovator, engaging in professional development, networking and travel throughout Europe.
As a champion for Canada's new generation of talent, Kingsley remains active behind the scenes, collaborating with artist teams and bringing her unique perspective to several programming committees within arts and culture. She proudly volunteers as a jury member and partnerships coordinator for the Bourses Tontine Award, a bi-annual microgrant for gender-diverse creatives in her hometown. To date, Kingsley has written and co-written a combined total of $1,000,000 worth of successful grant applications for creatives and collectives.
Bénédicte
Maxime Gordon is a Montreal based interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sound and music. She has been releasing and writing experimental electronic music as Bénédicte since 2017. Her music combines soaring synths, distorted field-recordings and glittering vocal samples to explore moments of introspection and feeling.
She has performed and presented work at venues and festivals across North America and Europe such as MUTEK (Montreal), the Spatial Sound Institute (Budapest), MONOM (Berlin), Akousma (Montreal), and Glory Affairs x Punctum (Prague).
Her most recent album is the 5 track EP When It Binds that came out on NYC-based record label Blueberry Records in 2021. She is currently writing a new album and hosting soundwalks around Montreal.
DJ Crip Time
DJ Crip aka Stefana Fratila is a Romanian-born artist, composer and sound designer based in Toronto, Canada. She is also a co-founder of Crip Rave, an event platform showcasing and prioritizing Crip, Disabled, Deaf, Mad, and Sick body-minds within safer and more accessible rave spaces.
Osita
“No thoughts just vibes” is how Osita likes to describe his creative method. Osita, is a creative, currently DJing and producing music. He aims to forge his own path by creating in an almost selfish manner. Self-Expression is the name of the game. He follows his own vibes and intuition, to encourage and show people that it's OK to be a selfish and be yourself. Osita’s style is eclectic. He love’s finding music that makes him move, and hopes to do the same with his DJ sets and music. Osita hopes to uplift and leave people with a smile on their faces and memories to last a lifetime.
Günsu Hayriye Ozan + Eylül Bozok
Günsu Hayriye Ozan and Eylül Bozok are two dynamic and multifaceted artists who bring their unique perspectives to the world of contemporary art.
Günsu Hayriye Ozan, based in Ottawa, Canada, hails from Adana, Turkey, and boasts two fine arts degrees in Graphic Design and Fashion and Textile Design. Her artistry is fueled by the people and nature that surround her, with a recent emphasis on upcycling to create sustainable art from discarded materials. As a queer artist, Ozan is an advocate for inclusivity and sustainability, driving positive change through her work.
Eylül Bozok, a multidisciplinary artist, blends performance, contemporary dance, video, audio, and installation in her creations. Her art challenges societal norms and taboos surrounding women with provocative themes, minimalism, and repetition. Bozok, an Urban Planning graduate from Istanbul, found her passion in dance, leading her to Montréal. She completed her degree in Contemporary Dance at Concordia University, with a portfolio of works that explore her experiences as a woman.
Together, these two artists bring fresh perspectives and thought-provoking ideas to the contemporary art scene, pushing boundaries and fostering positive change.
Regularfantasy
Regularfantasy is a multidisciplinary producer and DJ, who’s been steadily crafting her signature sound since her first record, Condobed (2012).
As a trailblazer for women and non-binary DJs in the Vancouver dance music scene, Regularfantasy has made a name for herself at the dawn of the so-called ‘Canadian Riviera,’ delivering a steady progression of instantly recognizable and lush vocal house productions. She now lives in Montreal, QC.
Rising from artist-run spaces and events such as Deep Blue, Sunset Terrace and Dyor – the DIY vibe is at the core of Regularfantasy’s sound, experting in a balance of nostalgia and dance floor romance.
Olivia has released on labels Mood Hut, Heart to Heart, Pear, Banoffee Pies, Sisters of Sounds, On Loop, Soothsayer, Specials Worldwide, including several releases on her own label, Plush Records or known as Plush Management Inc., a collaborative project with co-found and producer, D.Tiffany.
Venus in Foil
Venus in Foil is Toronto-based DJ and community organizer, whose signature sound is blend of fast, groovy techno and dark, psychedelic selections. In her DJ sets, she often plays with tension and release and always keeps the dance floor entranced. While techno is her main dish, she is known to dip into anything from sleazy new beat and italo, to ethereal club and breaks. She is also the co-founder of SOAK, a collective and club night aimed at supporting female artists at the experimental edges of electronic music and a resident for both Combo Breaker and the newly minted Industry Friends. An ardent supporter of the local dance community, Venus also runs a series of free outdoor parties called Dirt Rave in an effort to keep the spirit of DIY alive at a local level.
Jeena
Jeena presents: Sound healing for Gaza
Holding space for rest as resistance.
Bring your own blanket or mat, and come be washed in an ambient-experimental sound bath with accompanying visuals on the big screen.
Jeena is a Palestinian-Canadian musician, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and sound therapist who defies conventions with her blend of avant-garde intricacy and the rebellious spirit of Grunge, will take you on a sonic journey with her experiential sounds. From Montreal to Los Angeles to Copenhagen, Jeena’s global presence has captivated listeners worldwide. With a refined blend of cinematic progressiveness, she crafts mesmerizing compositions that transcend boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on the international music scene. She’s played in major cities such as Los Angeles, Montreal and Copenhagen. As well as made consistent guest appearances on Radio Al Hara. Her tracks have also been featured on NTS Radio, selected as Top 1 track on Pirate.com in collaboration with Reprezent Radio in London. Jeena is also the founder of Aurras, a sound therapy platform created to elevate your cognitive health.
Website | Instagram 1 | Instagram 2
Mona Monet
mona monet (she/they) is the alter ego/higher self of mamanar. she was born following the death of mamanar’s ego in the darkest moments of the 2020 lockdown. originally on a path to become a diplomat, mona came to life once mamanar realized that her truest calling is experimentation and education through the arts and culture. together, they reshaped their love for their first art forms, writing and performing, and today, there is no defining them. they are a bad artist, baby dj, fleeting designer, reborn zine artist and collagist, extravagant dancer, and creative director who recently is exploring music production and songwriting. a storyteller at heart, courage and curiosity is what guides them, which is apparent in their eponymous digital diary Musings with Mona - a weekly blog, podcast and video diary. everything is game for them and anything they put their mind and body to, they will enchant audiences.
Substack
RHOZE
Coming from Toronto, RHOZE is new to the DJ scene specializing in R&B and Hip-Hop. She's certified to bring the vibes no matter the occasion!
DJ Nebula
DJ Nebula is an emerging DJ in the Ottawa region. Deeply invested in queer BIPOC stories + storytelling, they use books, poetry + prose and now music to share their visions, feelings and creations with their community.
She’s always spinning alternative R&B, Hip-Hop, Afrobeat, Rock, Dance music—literally anything that can make her move and nothing confines her (hence the name). You can always expect to dance + find what feels good when she’s in control of the decks!
“Music is a spiritual thing, you don’t play with music.” — Fela Kuti
KOOKUM
KOOKUM is a Turtle Island-renowned DJ and producer making waves out of Vancouver, BC. A woman of many hats and Genres, Kooks keeps the party hype, fresh and ever deadly. This international star has performed in places like Germany, Australia, Mexico and America. And played some of the hottest parties in Canada like Basscoast, Bastid’s BBQ, Nuit Blanche Toronto, Ted Talks official after party and the Vancouver Michelin awards just to name a few.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Thank you to our Sponsors and Partners:
Pique is presented in partnership with the Arts Court, SAW, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ottawa Fringe, Digital Arts Resource Centre, Ottawa Art Gallery, the Canadian Film Institute, Artengine, and the Ottawa Dance Directive, with support from Kilam Media, Wall Sound, Collective Arts Brewing Company, Postering Ottawa, n.10.as, Apt613, and CKCU FM, and is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada through the Community Services Recovery Fund, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Canadian Heritage, the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council, and the SOCAN Foundation.
