Maya Jane Coles @ The Hoxton, Toronto – April 12, 2013. Presented by Embrace & Platform
Reviewed by Gosia Mrugala
ALL PHOTOS: James Drobik
I’ve been in love with the deep house sound of UK producer/DJ Maya Jane Coles ever since I heard her Low Key EP. The title track alone was “Low Key” is all it took to get me hooked.
This is one talented and prolific young artist. In addition to the house tracks she puts out under her own name, Coles records dubstep under the alias Nocturnal Sunshine, and has teamed up with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Lena Cullen to form the electronic dub duo She Is Danger. Little wonder Rolling Stone ranked MJC number 14 last fall on its list of the world’s 25 most influential DJs.
Coles brought her distinctive sound to The Hoxton in Toronto last Friday — and what a night it was! The lineup outside wrapped right around the building, tickets at the door sold out in a heartbeat, and the joint was quickly filled wall-to-wall. The vibe was raw and had a delicious, underground feel. Coles’ artful production and unerring musical selection had the whole crowd swaying oceanically to those sweet, deep rhythms.
Keep an eye on MJC’s touring schedule HERE, and be ready to snap up tix quick if she’s gonna be in your neighbourhood.
More photos:
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Flume + EPROM @ The Hoxton, Toronto – April 4, 2013
Reviewed by Gosia Mrugala
Friday night, and the dance floor at The Hoxton was filling up rapidly, a crush of bodies thrumming with excitement and anticipation. You could feel it: the indefinable something in the air that says, “This is gonna be good.”
I’d be a liar if I said I had much prior familiarity with the music of Australian DJ/producer Flume or the artist who shared the bill with him, Portland, Oregon-based EPROM. But I can tell you that, after hearing them last week, I’ve rectified that situation. I couldn’t wait to start SoundClouding and Beatporting their stuff the minute I left the club.
EPROM is a techie terms that stands for erasable programmable read only memory — “a little memory chip thing,” he explained when we spoke after the show. When I asked him to describe his sound, he termed it “electronic music grafted onto rap.”
I was captivated by his set. He communicated effortlessly with the crowd, hyping them into a frenzy, and his musical selection was positively orgasmic. His passion for the job and for the music was palpable, both on stage and when we chatted later. This was his first time performing in Toronto, and when I asked for his reaction, he said: “Tonight was f*cken awesome! Super responsive crowd — everyone was giving me a really good vibe. which I feed off of when I play”
When Flume took the stage the crowd went wild, the dance floor devolving into a clusterf*ck of the musically enslaved. And the set that followed left me beyond words.
Flume describes his musical style as “experimental electronic music with a strong hip hop influence and lots of catchy melodies.” But that doesn’t do it justice. His sound that night was wonderfully grimey, with the kind of “underground” feel that is all too rare on the EDM scene nowadays. His energy, too, is awe-inspiring: when he played his track “Holding On,” the audience reaction was spine-tingling, climaxing with a burst of spontaneous applause.
Do yourself a favour and get to know these artists before they hit town again.
Special thanks to Francois and the Embrace team! Check out the Embrace Web site HERE to stay on top of upcoming events.
Some more pics from the show. All images courtesy of Embrace Presents:
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
I know what you’re thinking: “Why do I want to read a review of Identity Festival in Toronto last weekend when I haven’t even seen the bpm Spotlight episodes on Digital Dreams or Full Flex Express yet?” I completely understand how you feel — but with so many amazing shows happening this summer I feel like I need to give you feedback on ‘em while the experience is still fresh.
And fresh it was. Identity had a lot to live up to. Between the monumental scale of Digital Dreams and the all-star lineup of Full Flex — and factoring in the absence of tour headliner Wolfgang Gartner from the Toronto bill — Identity came into the picture as something of an underdog.
Still, Identity did have one secret weapon up its sleeve: Eric Prydz, who hasn’t played in Canada for more than a decade, was slated to close out the night — and for many people, that was more than enough on its own.
Interviewing Eric Prydz at Identity proved to be one of the highlights of my young career, and to discover how humble and down-to-earth he seems was inspiring and encouraging. As for his performance on stage well, no surprise there: it was the best of the night.
Praise should also go to Le Castle Vania, who threw down a wicked set for a crowd that didn’t seem as familiar with him as one might have expected. This guy does not make bad songs. And while he sticks pretty close to the North American brand of electro house, the young man from Atlanta has mad skills when it comes to mixing and making music. His remix of Kaskade’s “Turn it Down” (a favourite among all the songs I’ve blogged) sent the place mental. Madeon‘s set was incredible as well. He was well and truly representing, and you could see why the young Frenchman’s star has shot so high so fast.
My personal favorite set: Showtek. These guys are crazy. I’m not really a hardstyle fan, but they converted me. They’re an awesome bunch, both as artists and as people — but when the mic is on and the tables are turning, they morph into animals. I know hardstyle has its loyal fans, and I’m sure the genre gained a lot of new ones besides myself on Saturday. Can’t wait for you to see the footage our cameraman Middy captured. Epic!
So that’s the summer’s tally so far: Digital Dreams, Full Flex, Identity – all successes. Next up is the Mad Decent Block Party, which should make it four for four. This one’s free so be sure to get your ass down to Toronto’s Yonge & Dundas Square on Saturday July 28. Headlining: hometown heroes Zeds Dead! See you there.
Here we go again. Back to Echo Beach — this time to see a man who hasn’t traveled to Toronto … scratch that, Canada … no, wait, scratch that, North America … in 12 years. Eric Prydz is headling the Identity Festival in Toronto on Saturday, and I am amped.
I really don’t know what to expect. We’re talking about one of the pioneers of this genre. Somebody who was bending boundaries in the studio before the term EDM had even been invented. Who was making his mark as a live performer when DJs were still mainly associated with hip-hop acts. Who’d established the pseudonymous Cirez D as a household name well before alter egos became all the rage in dance music. Basically: if you’re in Toronto this Saturday there is only one destination.
And the awesome doesn’t stop with Pryda. Other heavy names featured at Identity include none other than Nero — currently number one on the bpm:tv Hot 20 Dance Chart with their single “Must Be The Feeling.” It’s a while since I’ve seen this UK duo perform, and I’m excited about how their sound has evolved. The latest album, Welcome Reality, has been a massive success, I’m looking forward to this set — not just to see the crowd’s reaction, but to hear their choice of remixes. Should be a performance to remember.
Then there’s Madeon and Le Castle Vania: Both young, both heavy electro — and both awesome. The 18-year-old Frenchman Madeon has built a rep in Europe as something of a prodigy, as been a favorite on BBC Radio 1 for quite a while now. The Atlanta-based Le Castle Vania, meanwhile, is part of the tide of fresh blood from North America blood sweeping across face of the EDM world. Both should be great sets, so be sure to check them out.
And then there’s Excision. Canada, stand up! The dubstep demon from Kelowna, BC will definitely be excited to play such a high-profile fest in his home country. And whenever you get a bass DJ hype to play for you … well, consider your pants soiled. Be prepared to get grimy.
So with all that said, I think it only fair that this week’s Sweets should showcase the artists performing at Identity. Enjoy!
Day 5 action on the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest Electro Stage kicked off at 2 pm with a lineup that included Toronzo Cannon, Flight Distance, Lukas Nelson and Drastik (another Red Bull Thre3style finalist).
But it was local heroes A Tribe Called Red who really blew me away.
One of the benefits of a festival setting is the opportunity to discover an unknown act. Since hearing A Tribe Called Red perform live, I’ve become mildly obsessed, to the point of downloading their free album. For a taste of what these guys are like, CHECK OUT THEIR SOUNDCLOUD.
A Native Canadian trio, DJs Bear Witness, Shub and NDN are into “mixing pow wow with contemporary club sounds,” as their Web site describes it — but that understates their impact. Performance-wise, they juxtapose politically charged visuals of First Nations culture against remixes of Adele and UK bass drops. All in all, a bass-heavy set with some truly organ-shifting moments.
“The set felt good, though very different from a club gig where you have four hours to get it going,” they told me afterward. Still, the crowd clearly appreciated their hard work. “The applause at the end was overwhelming; I had Goosebumps on my arms.”
On the other Bluesfest stages that day, the acts included Orgone …
… Down with Webster for the shrieking pre-teen set (a suitably PG-13 set with no thrown underwear) …
.. and Seal — who, for all his MOR rep, delivered an impressive performance and remixed a lot of his hits (but, thankfully, stayed true to “Crazy”).
Day 5 Electro Stage closer Chromeo turned in the BEST set I’ve heard all week — one that will go down as one of the standout performances of this festival. Sunday’s crowd showed no signs of fatigue and “raved” harder than previous nights.
Dave 1 and P-Thugg were generous in their selection and full-on with their performance, even coming around from behind the decks a few times to join the party. “When The Night Falls” and “Heads Will Roll” were big favorites, but it was the extended full mix of Duck Sauce’s “Big Bad Wolf,” with accompanying visuals, that had everyone jumping and howling.
Toward the last half-hour, the set shifted gears into “Ball So Hard” and a steady hip-hop interlude featuring the likes of Kanye, DJ Khaled and Rick Ross. It all wrapped up stunningly and had the crowd begging for an encore — a sentiment clearly appreciated by the band — but once again the strictly enforced injunction against music after 11 pm left those hopes dashed.
More Bluesfest Electro Stage recaps still to come …
Just a few hours now till the Full Flex Express hits Toronto’s Fort York: the first stop on a magical mystery tour that will be rolling on to Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton before finishing up in Vancouver on Sunday July 22. The folks at Embrace Presents have brought out the big guns for this cross-country juggernaut — and the biggest gun of all is some guy called … Skrillex? Possibly you have heard of him?
The last time Skrillex was in this neighbourhood was at WEMF 2011. Things have changed just a little since then. He has, simply put, become a worldwide star. Now many bpm:tv fans aren’t keen on dubstep. Fair enough. Many don’t like Skrillex’s music. Again, fair enough. But like him or not, you’ve gotta respect him as an artist. He has, more or less single-handedly, brought a sound to a completely new audience — and that serves all of us who love EDM fan. He’s also been completely honest and up-front about his strengths and limitations, admitting outright that he has learned only recently how to mix at live performances. Some of your favourite house DJs could afford to demonstrate that kind of candour and humility.
I’m not here to have a debate about “selling out,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. What I will say is this: when you have a chance to see a live performance by an artist who’s in such high demand, you should grasp that opportunity. I’ve seen Skrillex live on two occasions: the first a crazy show at The Phoenix before most had heard of him, the second at WEMF, by which time nearly everyone knew the glitches and wobbles in “Cinema” by heart. Both times he murdered the show. I expect he’ll do the same tonight at Fort York. And for DnB fans out there, his recent experimentation with drum ‘n’ bass might be added incentive to try catching up with the Full Flex Express.
Of course, Skrillex isn’t the only reason to snag a ticket. Diplo, Pretty Lights, KOAN Sound, Grimes and many more will be aboard the train as well — all headliners in their own right. Pretty Lights always delivers a great show, KOAN Sound has massive tunes, I have a major crush on Grimes and Diplo just crowd-surfed Digital Dreams in a giant f**king balloon. Festival season, is in full flight, and this one is a must-go!
The weekend — which means the Bluesfest goes 10 hours a day. A nice, relaxing way to spend two days off work: milling around on a grassy knoll by the river and hearing some great music.
Rocking the Electro Stage: Nobody Beats The Drum, from the Netherlands. Despite the afternoon slot, they performed a high-octane set to a fair-sized crowd. Still, I wish I could say it was something like this:
Sjam and Jori from NBTD told me they have been on the road for the past eight weeks, playing shows and making music during the 16-hour van rides. Their current work, they said, is especially influenced by the landscape, as they’ve just completed a quintessential American road trip, starting in Alabama and heading up the west coast.
Ordinarily the band has a 27-foot screen to showcase their one-of-a-kind videos. Unfortunately, the stage specs at Bluesfest kept them from using it. A small sample of what we missed out on:
Next up was France’s Mustard Pimp. “Christian rap/death metal/electro” is how he chooses to describe his music his on his Myspace page under “genre.”
Hard but crunchy beats with full basslines, featuring well-timed peaks and subsequent drops. Plus: a notable absence of dubstep! Not that I’m hating — it was just a refreshing change, since every other DJ has managed to incorporate some dubsteppery. CHECK OUT MUSTARD PIMP’S MUSIC ON SOUNDCLOUD.
Meanwhile, on the main stage… this was happening.
And that’s all we’re gonna say about that. Back to the Electro Stage, and the evening’s headliners: MSTRKFRT.
Jesse said the last time he was in town they played to more than 2,000 fans at an all-ages gig in Hull. The Bluesfest attendance was on par with that, and the crowd jumped non-stop for an hour and a half. An electro-and-dubstep-fueled, Moombahton mashup of hits, including Nero’s “Crush On You,” which got the calls for rewinds. The crowd surfing throughout this performance made it seem as much a rock show as a DJ set.
And FINALLY … an after-party! MSTRKRFT were there as guests of honour rather than working behind the decks, so DJ duties fell to local hero Mister P, who’d played the fest a couple days earlier. The music flowed at JunXion in the Market, as partiers reveled until dawn.
Another gorgeous day — and The Weather Network says it’s gonna stay this way for the next 10 days: 28 and sunny. You couldn’t ask for better weather for an outdoor concert. Especially since we’re right on the river, so the evening brings fresh breezes — a bonus when you plan to be dancing for hours at a time.
A technically accomplished DJ, he played with flawless professionalism, even though the crowd seemed shy about dancing. That’s the drawback of having the first slot of the evening: you tend to get the “dinner or sunset set.” Still, that didn’t stop him from delivering a solid, high-octane performance — most notably dropping “Crush On You” with Mark Knight’s “Alright.”
Sacramento dance-punk outfit !!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk) followed — and what an amazing show they put on! A live band with heavy funk and percussive influence, they were an unusual programming choice, but it all worked brilliantly sandwiched between two DJ acts. The energetic live performance really got people primed as the sun went down.
Then there was front man Nic Offer: charismatic and kind of crazy, sporting garish Rolling Stones Some Girls shorts and dancing his way furiously through the hour-long set. He got the audience fully engaged by jumping into the crowd and performing a song on ground level — at one point holding a note for an astonishing 20 seconds.
Tommy Lee and DJ Aero closed things out on the Electro Stage that night.
Unlike the previous evening, which saw LMFAO performing at the same time as Paul Oakenfold on another, there was no competition for the EDM audience, so Tommy Lee and Aero got the kind of crowd numbers they’d hoped for — just shy of 1,700.
They played a progressive/electro hybrid, with 20 subwoofers added on stage to give a clear but distinctive sound.
It’s no surprise (considering Ottawa is such a rock town) that House Of Pain’s “Jump Around” got the biggest reaction. Then, Aero subtly dropped the “900 Number” by The 45 King, flirting just enough before pulling it back. This is a favorite of his so he only ever plays just a few bars, to keep it fresh.
The visuals — mostly well-endowed ladies — were well suited to the Mötley Crüe drummer, even though this was a family night for some. It took more than an hour of the set, I felt, before they really found their groove and came alive, pulling cheer after cheer from the crowd — all of which prompting Aero to grab the mic and say, “Ottawa goes off … we had no f**king idea!”
The dancing became less polite and more hedonistic as Benny Benassi’s “Satisfaction” and some raunchy dubstep pumped from the speakers.
“We were at Tila Tequila in Ottawa in 2008,” Aero told me after the show. “Joel Zimmerman opened for us then — before he was you know who.” They were ready to keep going and locate some kind of after-party, despite having to fly to Aspen the next morning.
I’ve been surprised, actually, that there haven’t been any club gigs tacked on to the festival programming. I was expecting after-parties and club nights to be organized to take advantage of all the talent passing through, but so far the only “official” after-party is scheduled for Thursday, when Big Boi plays a DJ set after his main stage performance.
And so ended Day 3. Still to come: Mustard Pimp, MSTRKRFT, A Tribe Called Red, Chromeo and much more. Stay tuned.
Toronto’s first two-day EDM festival, Digital Dreams was exactly that: a dream. The community that came together for this event was just awe-inspiring. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, more heart-pumping beats, and more enthusiastic fellow music lovers.
Anticipation for this event was high. For weeks beforehand, just looking into store windows and seeing the Digital Dreams poster brought euphoric goose bumps. The team behind the festival was nothing short of the best. And they couldn’t have chosen a better venue for this historic EDM event than Ontario Place, a famed local landmark that opened to the public more than 40 years ago.
I wish I could have morphed into three people with a single mind and been at all the stages, experiencing each and every artist’s set. Instead I found myself running from stage to stage, trying to experience a bit of everything.
Can I pinpoint one set that I favored? In all honesty, I can’t. Every artist on the bill brought something unique and extraordinary to their performance. Still, there are a few that keep replaying in my mind.
Saturday, walking towards the Dreams Stage, feeling your mind and body pulled forward by the sounds dancing through the air, getting closer and closer to where BT (a.k.a. Brian Wayne Transeau) was rocking the crowd. A veteran of the scene for more than two decades, he knows how to keep an audience moving and cheering.
After BT’s set, Montreal-born A-Trak stepped in and quickly had the crowd under full control. Local hero JELO not only dominated the crowd during his own day-one set on the Dreams Stage, but returned later to fill in for Afrojack, who couldn’t make it for the first day due to travel delays, and once again gave a stellar performance. Meanwhile, over on the sandy dance floor at the Echo Beach Stage Hed Kandi DJs Andy Warburton and Sarah Louise gave noteworthy sets.
Back on the main stage, rising star R3hab turned in a set that people would be buzzing about for days to come. It was mind-blowing to watch the young Dutch DJ interacting with the crowd, standing up on the decks, and sharing his extraordinary passion for the music. British veteran Steve Lawler rocked the stage as one knew he would, and was followed by the equally well-traveled Canadian stalwart Richie Hawtin. Throughout the day I’d been hearing people talk excitedly about Lawler and Hawtin, and the prodigious sets from these two elder statesmen more than justified the anticipation.
The second day was a continuation of the madness. Mother Nature continued to lavish us with perfect summer weather. The bodies slowly began flooding into Ontario Place, and by 4pm the stages were absolutely swarmed. Entranced by the beat and the bass, by the ecstatic atmosphere, I couldn’t help but feel proud looking around and seeing the community that EDM creates, the shared love for the music flows through everyone. It’s so admirable to see people coming together this way to be a part of musical history.
The artist schedule for the Dreams Stage on day two was thrown off quite a bit by Afrojack’s travel mishap. He finally arrived on Sunday to give his fans the set they were eagerly awaiting — and Live Nation generously offered those fans who’d bought a single day ticket for Saturday free entrance the next day to return and see Afrojack.
Thunder Bay native Sydney Blu rocked her performance, and reminded the audience several times during her set how proud she is to be from this country.
The one set from day two that really stands out in my memory has to be Dubfire on the Echo Beach Stage. He was so hypnotizing, his musical selection so spine-tingling, he kept the crowd in a trance throughout. I have to say, every time I’ve seen him live I have been impressed; that kind of consistency is rare.
This was a weekend I spent dreaming in digital. I can’t speak for the organizers, but in my eyes the festival was an absolute success: a primo experience for the fans and music-lovers — and judging by their comments on Twitter, for the artists too. Check out some samples:
The explosive popularity that EDM has acquired in the past couple years is beyond belief. But the spectre of commercialism hovers over it now, and I pray the genre doesn’t lose it’s magic. Here’s hoping that we can look forward to more festivals and events like this that offer an opportunity for new appreciation and shine a light on some of the artists that you won’t necessarily encounter on Z103 or MTV.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
PORTER ROBINSON / MAT ZO @ SOUND ACADEMY, TORONTO – JUNE 22, 2012
The lineup to get into the venue was insane. The crowd that swarmed the entrance was alive with anticipation, eager to experience one of EDM’s fastest-rising new talents.
Once you were inside, the bass could be felt streaming through the floor, up your legs and into every nerve fibre and cell of your body. Opening for Porter Robinson, 22-year-old British producer Mat Zo (a.k.a. Matan Zohar) dropped one mind-blowing track after another, taking full control of bodies and minds. The frenzied crowd was beyond pleased by this young artist’s impeccable track selection; his warmup set kept them dancing nonstop.
When the lights dimmed and Porter Robinson‘s “PR” logo appeared, the assembled multitudes went absolutely wild, sending his name bouncing around the room and over heads like a crowd-surfing fanatic. As Robinson stepped up to the decks, a whole new vibe took hold. Hands thrown in the air, utterly entranced, the crowd was overcome by sheer animalistic euphoria.
The success that this 19-year-old DJ/producer has achieved in such a short time is absolutely mind-boggling. I saw Porter Robinson for the first time last fall at The Hoxton, and I wouldn’t hesitate to see him again. If you haven’t yet had the chance to catch this crazy-brilliant artist live, I encourage you to make it a priority. This is a superstar in the making.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
