DJ Michel Montagne aka music photographer Michel Mees was weaned on music’s underbelly. Swans, Joy Division and the Cure all got under his skin. Add to this cheery apocalyptic crowd Coil and Front 242, and there’s your feeding ground for the hypnotic, shadowy moods Montagne draws from his decks today. But it’s not all subterranean. He still loves the thrill of his first house record French Kiss by Lil’Louis. In the mid-90’s he photographed a score of techno gods for dance zine Bassic Groove. The shots led to his later work for music magazine Oor, dj’s and record companies. Their music, however, convinced him to add turntables to his regular camera equipment. And he’s been playing his decks at venues around home base The Hague ever since. His mixes run rife with dark electro, frenzied techno, and a glide into trance and minimal. Running through it always the rising swell of plaintiveness. Good music is all about feeling after all.
