Bringing the Beat to Montreal for 10 Years: Inside îLESONIQ 2025 with Head Booker Evelyne Côté
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Evelyne Côté
As Parc Jean-Drapeau transforms into a technicolor wonderland this weekend for the 10th edition of ILESONIQ, thousands of fans will descend upon the island for one of Canada’s premier electronic music festivals. With genre-defining headliners like John Summit, Illenium, Steve Aoki, and Alesso, alongside forward-thinking talent and never-before-seen B2B sets, ILESONIQ 2025 is shaping up to be one of its most ambitious and inclusive editions yet.
At the center of it all is Evelyne Côté, the festival’s head booker. If you’ve danced at the Coca-Cola Island Stage at Osheaga or caught a rising DJ tearing up the NEON Stage at ILESONIQ, chances are Evelyne had a hand in that moment. A former music journalist turned tastemaker and talent buyer for evenko, Evelyne’s deep roots in rave culture and decades-long commitment to the Montreal scene have helped shape Canada’s electronic music identity.
From Montreal Rave Kid to Festival Powerhouse
Before curating festival lineups, Evelyne was frequenting after-hours clubs like SONA in the '90s and attending legendary raves like Strawberry Fields and Cream, where she once caught a Daft Punk DJ set at Parc Jarry. "Montreal was strong on that tip," she recalls. “There was a whole underground movement that really stuck with me.”
Though her journalism days at La Presse aligned more with the indie boom of the mid-2000s, her love for electronic music remained. And that love now powers two of the country's most influential festivals: ILESONIQ and Osheaga.
Why ILESONIQ Exists
While Osheaga flirts with accessible electronic-adjacent sounds (this year Evelyne brought Jamie xx of the indie group The xx as a headliner, in addition to booking Chet Faker and Barry Can’t Swim who were all highlights of our Osheaga weekend), ILESONIQ is where Evelyne and her team go all in. “We created ILESONIQ because artists like Tiësto, David Guetta, or Above & Beyond wanted to play Osheaga, but I’d have to explain to Tiësto’s manager that the crowd is not gonna react the way that they would deserve,” she explains. “We realized there was a need—not just from fans but also from the artists—for a dedicated electronic space. So we wanted to create something that's more into the mainstream. EDM was obviously massive already in 2012, 2013, but also a festival that went deeper into the more underground genres.”
The result? A festival that doesn’t just cater to EDM’s mainstream, but also embraces techno purists, bass heads, and the left-field house crowd. Whether you’re there to get obliterated by Sara Landry's punishing techno or experience a shimmering sunrise set from Cassian, ILESONIQ delivers.
A Festival Built on Determination and Diversity
In a male-dominated scene, Evelyne stands as a rare force behind the scenes, both as a woman and a working mother in her 40s shaping lineups for two of the biggest music festivals in Canada. “When I started, the guys in Montreal would say, ‘She’s good…for a girl.’ They don’t say that anymore.”
She’s also made it her mission to amplify underrepresented voices. Nearly half of this year’s ILESONIQ lineup features artists from marginalized communities, including Sippy, PAUZA, LP Giobbi, and ALLEYCVT. But diversity, for Evelyne, isn’t a quota, it’s about fresh energy and opportunity.
“The Sara Landry’s, the Peggy Gou’s and the REZZ’s are getting harder to book because they’re so in demand. People are so hungry to see women perform because it’s different energy, different curation,” she says. “When I hesitate between two acts and one happens to be a diverse pick, it does weigh in the balance and we should be giving them their chance.”
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Evelyne Côté
Festival Highlights: What Not to Miss at ILESONIQ 2025
1. John Summit (Saturday, 9:25 PM – Virgin Plus OASIS Stage)
Fresh off a massive European tour, John Summit brings his euphoric tech-house to headline Saturday night. Expect big builds, bigger drops, and a sea of sweaty smiles.
2. Illenium (Sunday, 9:00 PM – Virgin Plus OASIS Stage)
One of the biggest names in melodic bass, Illenium’s immersive sets are an emotional rollercoaster. Bring your tissues and your glitter.
3. LP Giobbi (Saturday, 6:45 PM – Coca-Cola NEON stage)
A highlight of both ILESONIQ and Osheaga, LP Giobbi blends piano virtuosity with driving house beats. She’s one of the most exciting live performers in the scene right now.
4. Unique B2Bs You’ll Only See Here
From Sullivan King b2b Crankdat to Tape B b2b Levity, and Ray Volpe b2b Kai Wachi, these back-to-back sets are curated specifically for ILESONIQ and represent rare, one-off collaborations you won’t catch on the regular circuit.
5. Rising Stars to Catch Early
Evelyne says it best: “Anything before 4 or 5 p.m. should be a discovery act.” Artists like GENESI, PAUZA, AK Sports, and Kat2Kat are ones to arrive early for as they represent the future of the genre.
The Ibiza Problem—and the Canadian Fix
One of Evelyne’s biggest challenges? Timing. “We’re in mid-August—prime Ibiza season,” she explains. “Trying to convince DJs to leave European beach residencies for a flight to Montreal is tough. But the reputation of the festival is growing. People want to play ILESONIQ now.”
That reputation is due, in no small part, to Evelyne’s relentless curation. “I know I probably had to work harder,” she says. “But that’s what women do. We work hard because we want something, and that gives us tools to be better.”
ILESONIQ’s 10th anniversary is more than a milestone, it’s a manifestation of growth, grit, and an evolution in programming. As fans prepare to dance their way through Parc Jean-Drapeau this weekend, they’ll be stepping into a lineup that reflects the full spectrum of electronic music and the people shaping its future.
“I'm excited to see people move from stage to stage,” Evelyne says. “You have little nuggets all over the lineup. DJs with strong points of view, energy, and vision. That’s what this is all about.”
For more festival information and tickets, visit https://ilesoniq.com/en/tickets
