Despite opening only half a year ago, Lux has already proven itself to be a gathering place for underground Montreal creatives. The bar started hosting events when two organisers going by the stage names of Chayro and Reverse spontaneously decided to stop in for a drink and met the owner, Jeff. After talking about their passion for music production, Jeff asked them to start hosting events at Lux to promote its recent opening.

As with any event venue, it took some time and practice to perfect the vastly complicated process of hosting shows. As Reverse describes it, “The first couple of events were learning processes… we did have to learn a lot, there’s a lot of moving parts when it comes to putting together an event.”

The scene at Lux focuses mainly on the underground rap scene, and Berserk highlights such artists. This was their first breakthrough event, which Reverse describes as a huge success. The format is a 5 vs 5 competition in which artists form teams and perform against each other. Eight performers were chosen beforehand, and when the event was announced on Instagram, people were able to nominate two additional performers that they wanted to see. At Berserk, the audience votes for the winning team, who then performs a bonus set and wins a cash prize. The winning team will also be competing at Berserk II, the next big event happening at Lux on July 15th. All of the proceeds from tickets go to local artists.

In between the Berserk events, Lux has hosted shows for other artists such as BIGBABYGUCCI, Matt Ox, and Dc THE Don. While not initially designed with performance in mind, the space at Lux lends itself well to the events they host. The venue is intimate, allowing the performers to feel truly connected to the crowd. It is the perfect place to celebrate the unifying power of music and creativity.

The organisers at Lux are truly committed to serving the local music scene. Being rap artists themselves, they were aware of the immense underground talent that Montreal has to offer, and they felt it was under-celebrated. Although Montreal is famous for having a prolific music scene, underground rap can certainly use more representation. Most local venues are devoted to indie or rock musicians. The reason they became interested in hosting events at Lux was to fill this gap, says Reverse. “A lot of big event organisers and groups and companies… they’re just hiring headliners from the states, sometimes maybe from Toronto… we’re just trying to build a kind of platform and hopefully spark a little flame under the rest of the local scene, too.”

While Chayro and Reverse occasionally feature other styles of musical artists, from indie rock to RnB, their focus is on supporting the underground rap scene. They believe that as a genre, it has special potential. Reverse described the cycle of underground rap, and why this pattern interests him: “The mainstream is normally just what used to be underground. People would call the underground scene a bunch of different things but, to me, all it means is the next big sounds that haven’t been heard yet.”

As for what's to come, Chayro and Reverse plan to keep hosting events like Berserk, events that bring local artists together. Collaboration seems to be what makes the events at Lux as successful as they are. Says Chayro, “We work together as a really, really big team… everyone is 100% involved and that’s what makes it roll.” Although Lux is fresh to the local scene, it is clear that it has a bright future ahead of itself.

Reverse expressed his gratitude for all of the love Lux has felt from the Montreal community, saying, “We don't really have a deep history, we’re still rookies, but we're putting in the work… Thank you to everyone who has come before and continues to support us.”

Like any Montreal underground institution, the events at Lux are centred around a love for community and art, and a drive to share these things with as many people as possible. These core values will ensure Lux’s place as an important part of the Montreal local scene.

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