As part of Ciné-Piknic’s programming at PikniCubik, DJ XL5 invites you on a nostalgia-tinted musical journey retracing the history of music videos before the MTV era. You’ll discover the Soundies (from the 40s) and Scopitones (from the 60s), little musical films that you could watch by sliding coins into a jukebox of images. These big machines contained dozens of 16mm music films. The films were projected via a system of lenses and mirrors onto a pane of frosted glass that gave them the look of futuristic TV.

On the program: swing, rock n’ roll, twist, plunging necklines, queens of marimba, gogo dancers, gleaming guitars, psychedelic vibrations, revelatory bikinis, French and Quebecois artists, as well as American rock n’ rollers and pop icons.

Along with Soundies and Scopitones, you’ll be able to watch excerpts from music films forgotten by history and TV episodes from Quebecois and American shows from the 60s and 70s. Also along from the video-trip, a rare version of Roger Mainwood’s AUTOBAHN animation, set to the music of Kraftwerk.

Months of research were needed to assemble this inspiring, kitschy, and always eye-opening collection.

DJ XL5 is a Montreal multi-media artist and collagist. His showcases of short films and thematic events have been presented across Canada in numerous film festivals, repertoire movie theatres and other cinematographic events. As well as having premiered a number of works at the Fantasia film festival, DJ XL5 regularly organizes viewing soirées. In the past months, he has presented his projects at Montréal en lumière, Rendez-vous du cinema québécois, Regard sur le court métrage au Saguenay and at the festival Vitesse lumière de Québec.

Here’s the radio announcement for DJ XL5’s Videophonic Zappin’ Party (In monophonic & stereophonic sound).

International. 1930-1979.
Projection numérique.
Une création de DJ XL5. 100 min

Ciné-Piknic
September 4th - 8h30 pm
GURU Stage