Dzeko & Torres @ The Hoxton, Toronto – April 27, 2013. Presented by Embrace
Reviewed by Gosia Mrugala
While I’ve had occasion to listen to buzz-worthy Toronto duo DZEKO & TORRES in the comfort of my own home, it’s a sad fact that I’ve somehow never managed to catch them live. That situation, happily, was rectified recently at The Hoxton — a local venue where they’ve built something of a name for themselves. The pair brought their trademark big-room electric sound, driving the crowd into a full-on animalistic frenzy.
I had a few moments to chat with Julian Dzeko and Luis Torres at the show, and queried them about the benefits of working as duo. Torres told me: “It’s good because you have two creative minds bringing ideas to the table. That can also be tough at times, when two different ideas clash. But we work through it till we come to a conclusion that we’re both happy with.”
It’s awe-inspiring to watch these two play live — the way they work together seamlessly, mixing, complementing each other’s musical selections and shaping the set into a satisfying whole. Their mutual passion for the music is plainly evident on stage, just as it is in their studio work.
I wrapped up the conversation by asking the boys for their opinion on the music scene in Toronto. Dzeko replied: “The scene in Toronto has been pretty big for the past 10-15 years, but it has grown a little stronger in the U.S. Here in Canada, especially in Toronto, the music scene didn’t just begin in the past two years — but as I said, the past 10-15 years. But I would say Toronto has a strong music scene and community.”
If you’ve been missing out on Dzeko & Torres, as I was, now’s the time to change that. Keep an eye on their gig schedule and mark your calendar when they come to town
We’ve had our eye on Atlanta trapstep/soulstep crew WATCH THE DUCK since they dropped the single “Poppin’ Off” last fall. The video gives you a real feel for their blend of muscular musicality and raw showmanship.
Given the astonishing array of massive musical talents that Atlanta has produced in the recent past — OutKast, Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob, Danger Mouse, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Waka Flocka Flama and, of course, Crunkmeister-in-chief Lil Jon — we’re inclined to lend an ear to just about anything beatwise that comes out the ATL. And Watch The Duck (better known to their mothers as Eddie Smith III, Jesse Rankins and Jonathan Wells) have definitely got the skillz to pay the billz. All three members play live instruments as well as DJing. If you want to get familiar with their soulful take on bass music, the Rub-A-Dub mixtape is the place to start:
You’ve also gotta love the touch of P-Funk flamboyance they bring to their act. Watch ‘em rock the tube socks in the new video for “Lost In It (Anatidaephobia Part 2)”
Besides which: dudes have a duck mascot, man. How hardcore is that?
Eddie, on the origin of the band’s name: “Everybody sees the duck traveling smoothly on top of the water. But nobody sees it kicking hard as hell under it, struggling to stay afloat. We would always say ‘Watch The Duck’ whenever we were in certain industry scenarios, when everyone’s your friend and is trying to be of importance. We say it to each other to kind of lighten each other’s mood.”
Download Watch The Duck’s “Girlfriend??” single for free:
Today’s new additions to the 2013 Digital Dreams Music Festival artist lineup: San Diego’s TJR (above left), whose signature sound is a self-described “brand of quirky, bouncy house that blur[s] the lines between house, techno and electro,” and Hungarian trance duo Myon & Shane 54 (above right), currently ranked 80th on the DJ Mag top 100. Look for both acts on the Dreams Stage.
‘sall for now. HERE be the link for tickets and info. HERE be the Digital Dreams Facebook.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Most intriguing new addition to the artist lineup for this year’s Digital Dreams Music Festival: Toronto house duo Art Department, a collaboration between legendary local DJ Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White, the mastermind behind the No. 19 label. This spring finds them wrapping up the tour for their newest album, the mix compilation Social Experiment 003. Can’t wait to see them bring it to the Echo Beach Stage on June 29!
Everything’s coming up bass today. British Columbia’s dean of dubstep Excision– who just wowed them at Coachella with his spectacular “Executioner” stage show — is the latest talent to be named to the 2013 Digital Dreams Music Festival lineup. He’ll be schoolin’ ‘em from the House of Boom stage on Saturday June 29.
Looking for tickets? GO HERE. Follow DD on Facebook HERE.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
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.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
