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Sled Island: The Festival That Changed Calgary Music | The Sonic Collective

Darren Scott of The Sonic Collective introduces a solo Sled Island 2026 segment. He frames Sled Island in Calgary as an affordable, volunteer-driven, multi-venue “festival of discovery” that prioritizes community, diversity, and intimate live experiences over headliners, algorithms, and phone-first “Instagram moments.” The episode traces Sled’s origins in 2007 under Zak Pashak, its evolution beyond indie rock (including a 2017 Flying Lotus curation), and its resilience after the 2013 Calgary floods, while spotlighting local voices: Conrad Montana of Les Gigantiques, Cartel Madras (discovered at Sled and signed to Sub Pop), K-Riz, Brock Geiger, and Sun Glaciers. Darren highlights venues, local sponsors, CJSW, and argues Sled’s impact is cultural—building connections, collaborations, and changing perceptions of Calgary. If you want to understand what Sled is all about and hear the story from local Calgary artists, then you came to the right place.

00:00 Welcome to Sonic Collective
00:41 Darren Goes Solo
01:08 Why Music Matters
02:33 Sled Island Vibes
04:31 Calgary Music Community
07:23 What Is Sled Island
09:08 Calgary Before Sled
12:13 Conrad Montana Memories
18:12 Festival of Discovery
21:03 Cartel Madras Breakthrough
31:29 Calgary Grows Up
34:38 K-Riz and the Family
40:59 Artists Watching Artists
41:32 K-Riz New Album Plans
42:54 Human Scale Festival
44:39 Venues And Local Sponsors
47:23 Serendipity And Safety
50:16 Volunteers And Traditions
52:18 Brock Geiger Interview
01:00:28 Creativity Without Boundaries
01:02:54 Sun Glaciers On Scene
01:08:22 2013 Flood Turning Point
01:10:54 Why Sled Matters Now
01:15:39 Final Takeaways And Thanks

Photo Credit: Kelly Shaw - Clipping performing at The Palace with Cartel Madras

The theme music for The Sonic Collective is Dust by Les Gigantiques from Calgary. Our thanks to the band for letting us use and feature their music. Be sure to check them out. https://www.instagram.com/lesgigantiques/

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Conrad Montana (Les Gigantiques) on Sled Island, Calgary’s Music Scene & a 20-Year-Old Album Finally Released

Darren Scott of The Sonic Collective continues the Sled Island series with a conversation featuring Conrad Sawatzky (Conrad Montana of Les Gigantiques), a longtime Calgary musician who has been active in bands including Anxious Poets, the Shinolas, Cripple Creek Fairies, and The Deadly Skulls. Conrad shares his musical beginnings, his role in local preservation efforts like the Rat’s Nest Recording Society, and his early connection to Sled Island through Zach Peshack and Pop Montreal. He recalls standout Sled memories (Guided by Voices, Television, Yo La Tengo, and more), highlights Calgary venues supporting live music (Loophole, Blocks, Palomino), and discusses what makes Sled unique, including its diversity and discovery-focused playlists. The episode also covers Les Gigantiques’ newly released album—recorded 20 years ago, rediscovered by Trap One Records—now streaming, with vinyl coming in August and a release show August 23 at Blocks.

https://www.instagram.com/lesgigantiques/

00:00 Show Intro
01:08 Sled Island Series Setup
02:13 Guest Conrad Montana
04:12 How We Met
04:48 Conrad Music Origins
07:12 Preserving Calgary Tapes
09:08 First Sled Island Connection
10:50 Favorite Sled Memories
12:53 Calgary Venues Today
14:43 Day In The Life
17:03 What Makes Sled Unique
20:17 Les Gigantiques Album Story
22:32 Sound And Stage Energy
24:44 Tour Plans And Sled 2026
26:15 Local Band Shoutouts
28:24 Advice For New Musicians
29:34 Show Plug And Farewell
30:57 Host Wrap Up
32:44 Subscribe And Closing Credits

The theme music for The Sonic Collective is Dust by Les Gigantiques from Calgary. Our thanks to the band for letting us use and feature their music. Be sure to check them out. https://www.instagram.com/lesgigantiques/

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Cartel Madras on Sled Island, Sub Pop & Their New Era - The Sonic Collective Interview

Darren Scott of The Sonic Collective continues the Sled Island interview series with Cartel Madras, the Calgary-raised, Chennai-born sister duo Eboshi and Contra, discussing their roots, early hip hop influences, and rapid rise from SoundCloud demos to their 2018 debut show and a standout Sled Island performance that led to being noticed by Ishmael Butler and ultimately signing with Sub Pop Records. They reflect on Calgary venues and Alberta’s broader music scene, share artists they’ve discovered at Sled Island, and describe the festival’s unique audience, community, and role in creating career-changing opportunities. The duo previews their return with the new single “Evident 2 Me,” leading into a new chapter and a debut full-length album planned for 2027, plus upcoming festival and tour appearances.

Evident 2 Me Releasing June 18. Pre-save here: https://music.subpop.com/cartelmadrasandjide_evident2me

https://www.instagram.com/cartel.madras
http://www.youtube.com/@cartelmadras

Cartel Madras Bio

Beckoning you down narrow hallways and into smoke-filled, bass-pumping rooms, Cartel Madras returns with a new world and a new sound. After four years of experimenting, traversing, and creating since their 2021 EP, The Serpent & The Tiger, sisters Eboshi and Contra emerge from the smoke of a shattered global era with vengeance on their mind and adventure laid out before them.

Building off their signature experimental electronic hip-hop foundation, the duo expands their sonic domain, summoning listeners onto the blazing hot tarmac of their motherland and into a seductive world, they call you to the beach, the streets, and the uncertainty of this timeline through a new sound. Radical, racy, and raucous as ever, Cartel Madras continue to unfold an uncharted epoch entirely their own.

Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and raised in Alberta, Cartel Madras crafts a cultural syncretism of house, trap, punk, industrial electronics, and razor-sharp rap. Known for explosive live performances that channel the energy of underground queer and punk scenes, the duo have built a reputation for music that is confrontational, playful, cinematic, and impossible to pin down. After being scouted during their 2018 Sled Island performance, they signed to Sub Pop Records and have since released three acclaimed EPs alongside a growing body of striking visual work directed and produced through their own multidisciplinary practice.

Cartel Madras have shared stages with artists including M.I.A., JPEGMAFIA, Jack Harlow, Wu-Tang Clan, clipping., Mac DeMarco, and toured with Sudan Archives. In 2023, they returned to India to open for M.I.A.. Alongside their music career, Eboshi and Contra have expanded their artistic universe into film, installation, and visual storytelling through their production house FOREIGNERZ, creating immersive worlds that blur the boundaries between music, cinema, fashion, and contemporary art.

Their full-length studio album is set for release on Sub Pop Records & Royal Mountain Records in 2027.

00:00 Show Intro
00:42 Cold Open Track
01:12 Sled Island Series Setup
03:46 Origins and Influences
05:50 First Shows and Breakthrough
08:26 Discovered at Sled Island
11:00 Sub Pop Signing Story
14:00 Calgary Venues and Scene
15:47 Sled Island Discoveries
18:01 Festival Crowd and Etiquette
22:13 New Era and Upcoming Music
23:33 Shows and Tour Plans
25:05 Local Artist Recommendations
26:38 Final Thoughts and Farewell
28:03 Outro and Credits

Photo Credit: Michaela Neuman @Equidem

The theme music for The Sonic Collective is Dust by Les Gigantiques from Calgary. Our thanks to the band for letting us use and feature their music. Be sure to check them out. https://www.instagram.com/lesgigantiques/

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