Igloofest 2014: Breaking the ice with colourful beats

by Aedyn Roze | Laura Baldwinson

Igloofest earned its name for a reason.  Having experienced one of the coldest days of the festival so far at a chilly temperature of sub 30 degrees, it’s definitely worthy of its title – not to mention, a variety of creative ice sculptures installed throughout the festival grounds, such as the central bar construction for beverages and the very large and useable ice slide.  Even this extremely cold weather has not put off those that like to have a good time in winter. On the contrary, the crowd grows fast in numbers and in momentum in front of both the Sapporo and Vidéotron Mobile stages.

The festival brings together the aural-visual experience in the most body-bumping way possible – sometimes even bumping into others on the floor.  Both stages have DJs spinning simultaneously while VJ’s have their video work displayed on elaborate installation screens.  I’ve had the pleasure of watching the video work of both Hugues Clément at the Vidéotron stage and Bobby Digital at the Sapporo stage.

The Vidéotron stage is enclosed by beautifully lit 3-foot-high ice-blue cube structures that illuminate the area.  As it’s structured as such, being inside the area and watching Hugues Clément’s video work feels that much more intimate.  Clément’s work merges both formalism and classicism elements, and because his theme creates this visual juxtaposition, the imagery moving to the beats makes the experience more provocative.

Over at the Sapporo stage, Bobby Digital presents his work using very clean and stimulating graphics of geometric forms in a colourful, repeated manner.  Both house and techno beats spun by DJs Tazz and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs work well with Bobby Digital’s work and create a warming invitation to dance away the cold – which I certainly didn’t miss my chance to accept!  Because the Sapporo stage is situated in the largest open space and has the largest video projection installation of the two stages, the crowd easily forms faster and so does the warmth.

Igloofest is the perfect way to break out from the winter blues and immerse in a wonderful time with spectacular visuals, music, and company.  Just don’t forget to dance it out on the floor!