Kid Koala: the world-class turntablist keeps busy with pens and needles at these 5 Montreal spots

Ever since his now classic debut on Ninja Tune in 1997, ScratchHappy- Land, Kid Koala (aka Eric San) has been carving out his own, truly unique artistic niche that’s as much about storytelling as it is about music. On stage he’s a showman, world-class turntablist and entertainer with a legendary sense of humor, but behind the scenes his industrious marsupial hands are just as busy with a pen as they are with vinyl and knobs. San is constantlydrawing silly yet sophisticated comic worlds and crafting stories out of snippets of obtuse culture and his happy, fertile imagination. San’s also got a whole bag of musical tricks he’s working on, including new Kid Koala, Slew and Deltron 3030 releases and a collaboration with Amon Tobin, but right now, it’s all about Space Cadet.

Space Cadet is San’s 120-page graphic novel that’s accompanied by a “headphone concert”, an installation / performance tour that debuts in Montreal this July. Like everything else San does, the installation environment is hand crafted. Both intimate and ambitious, it’s an immersive installation, featuring art from the Space Cadet graphic novel and giant space-inspired décor elements. The environment is designed for 250 people to listen to Kid Koala’s performance via headphones, while reclining on inflatable “space pods” and watching live visuals created by Travis Flint. Space Cadet is hip hop from the future past for students of the sublime and silly, so get ready to be schooled in fun and art by your favourite substitute teacher and one of Montreal’s most creative animals. Space is the place, where’s your head at?

1 L’Anecdote | 801 Rachel E.
I do a lot of drawing here. In fact, 3 chapters of the Nufonia Must Fall book were set in a diner designed after the layout of L’Anecdote. They also have a working Wurlitzer 45rpm jukebox, which is amazing. This is also where Corinne [Ed’s Note: San’s wife], Louisa [Schabas, fellow artist and friend] and I have a lot of power lunches to scheme up silly new projects.

2 Primitive Records | 3828 St-Denis
This has been one of my favourite record digging spots for years. Always fresh, new and vintage stuff from every genre.

3 MOOG Audio | 3828 St-Laurent
My favorite place to check out new toys for the studio! This is like my “Cheers”. They stock some of the latest and strangest audio toys from all over the world.

kidkoala.com