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.

Couldn’t make it to Nervo‘s show with Walden last Friday at Uniun in Toronto? Check out this gallery of images from photographer CONSTANCE CHAN to see what you missed. Really, why does anyone stay home on a Friday night?

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL GALLERY.

Special thanks to Gosia Mrugala.

Posted by Rene Escobar

Part of my new job here at bpm:tv consists of interviewing the biggest names in the EDM world. When I’m not doing that, I have to attend local shows and blog about my experience.

I hate my job.

The subject of my first post? Arguably the biggest name in EDM ever to come out of Germany. By themselves they are Claus Toerhoven (a.k.a. Nic Chagall) and Stefan Bossems (a.k.a. DJ Bossi). Combine their individual talents, and you have the face-melting, groove-blasting trance duo known to the world as COSMIC GATE.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from them live. Don’t get me wrong: I love Cosmic Gate. But as a house and progressive die-hard, I wasn’t sure if a trance show would get my inner house animal onto the dance floor. I’m talking body contortions, joint dislocations, babies flying everywhere — that’s just how hard I rage when that beat slaps me in the face.

19 seconds into their set I realized I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

I was raging harder than ever. It was only a matter of time before I found myself on top of the speakers, being “that” guy. You know: the guy who doesn’t give a shred of a … care who’s watching him.

All joking aside, Cosmic Gate was a unique experience. I’ve never seen anyone live who can get me raging like a rabid animal for 37 seconds, then have me singing along like a 12-year-old girl for the next minute and a half.

That’s what I love about Cosmic Gate: their notion of balance. A perfect example is their hit “Be Your Sound” featuring Emma Hewitt — a personal favourite of mine. If you love to throw your hands in the air, this is the song for you. And if you love vocal trance, this is the song for you. It truly is a win-win situation.

I’m so thankful I was able to witness Cosmic Gate light up Toronto. “For the last 20 years,” they said, “EDM has been the centre of our daily lives. It’s nearly as natural to have EDM music around us as it is to eat and breathe!” Wise words — and I think my visit to The Guvernment brought me a step closer to sharing their musical philosophy.

So what’s the duo up to right now? They’re capping off the year by continuing their North American tour. And all I want to know is when they’ll be back.

Anyway, enough fanboying: Here’s a YouTube of Cosmic Gate dropping “Be Your Sound” in Toronto. You can tell I’m right beside the speakers, SO BE CONSERVATIVE IN YOUR VOLUME CONTROL. (And yes, I’m afraid that’s me you hear singing along. Sorry, Emma.)

Be sure to follow me on twitter @RosasBoy. In the meantime, stay beautiful!

NIGHTBOX @ HORSESHOE TAVERN, TORONTO – SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

Posted by Caelin Meredith

It’s always great to be there when the next big sonic wave hits. Which is what happened when rising local stars Nightbox played Toronto’s legendary classic rock bar the Horseshoe Tavern, flipping a joint known more for punk garage than UK garage. Those who were there witnessed something fresh and new in live electronic music: the emergence of a genre-bending band destined to pave new roads on the Canadian music scene.

They’d killed it at their Canadian Music Week at back in March, turning Wrongbar into a sweatbox and leaving me craving more. So it was with bated breath that I waited all summer long for a chance to catch another gig.

Opening for them on this night was Brockville, Ontario’s Bravestation, another hybrid rock/electronica band, with a sound hat one partygoer likened to “a rainforest.”

Then Nightbox boldly took to the stage, opening with the ever-appropriate “Burning.”

From the first few notes, it’s evident that this is a band difficult to pigeonhole. Their sound is atmospheric, otherworldly, even angelic at times — but with all the passion of a rock band and a guttural, driving, dance beat. To watch drummer Nick Bitove keeping time at 150/160 bpm — practically drum-and-bass tempo — was transcendental.

Experiencing their live show, with its complex audio inflections, can border on sensory overload. Their sound seems emanate from three times the number of people who are actually on stage. Yet what could easily have end up sounding clinical or mechanical comes across instead as supremely humane and organic.

The crowd, like me, devoured every minute of every song, letting the music wash over them and move their bodies. Most were college age — no surprise there: it’s an audience that always seems to know what the next big thing is going to be. (Where would Zeds Dead or Deadmau5 be if not for their early campus tours?)

Nightbox rewarded the crowd’s enthusiasm, playing with such unbridled passion on tunes like “Relocate You” and the darker “Fumes” it was like they were living their last night on earth — feeling every note, every beat. At times, the guitar and bass supported one another harmoniously, complimenting the synth and evoking such familiar touchstones as Dark Side of the Moon or the immediately recognizable sounds of The Clash or The Jam. At other moments, one could easily picture the band playing at sunrise on the deck of Space in Ibiza.

“Are you guys ready to get slutty? Cuz I wanna get slutty with you,” joked lead singer Jacob Bitove. This threw the crowd into an even deeper frenzy, as excitable as teenagers experiencing their first makeout session.

The night reached its crescendo when the band dropped “Pyramid,” an African-inflected jump-up song with elements of new wave, punk and ska. The warm sound that expanded to fill the room was a rebuke to all that’s missing in mainstream music today. I could liken their joyously hyped-up sound to Vampire Weekend’s, or note that Jacob’s voice is every bit as distinctive as that of UB40′s Ali Campbell — but comparisons only do this band a disservice.

Nightbox aren’t currently touring; they’re hoping instead to focus on compiling  their full-length debut album, which should drop in spring 2013. In the interim, they’ll be releasing some new music for their fans. For now, I’d recommend checking out their Facebook page to find out where you can see them next. Mark my words: someday you‘ll want to be able to say: “I saw them when.”

Nightbox lineup: Jacob Bitove – Lead Vox | Nick Bitove – Drums | James Tebbitt – Lead Guitar | Andrew Keyes – Bass | James Shelly – Synths

Horseshow Tavern set list: Burning | Utopia | House | Pink Clouds | Body of a Man | Invisible Hands | Brush Me Up | Sister | Waves | Pyramid | Fumes | Relocate You

Check out Caelin Meredith’s site PUSH > PLAY.

Posted by Scott Willats

At a time of year when festivals come and go like the subway, an artist really has to stand out to draw huge crowds during one of these events. Your set list, of course, is always going to be the main attraction — but a little originality in your stage presentation can go a long way.

Few events offer a more unusual or original platform than the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium, which just wrapped its 2012 edition. Going to Tomorrowland is like falling down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole and landing in the middle of Woodstock. Inaugurated in 2005, this fest is as much about the stage and the environment as the artists who perform. Words really don’t do it justice, which is why I’ve dug deep to find a live set worth watching.

Skrillex is one of the most hotly debated artists on this site, and with good reason. But one thing is undeniable: he puts on a good show. Check out his set at Tomorrowland: it really gives you a fantastic sense of the environment. Epic!

 Follow Scott Willats (SAWStruck) on Twitter

Posted by Caelin Meredith

After going dark for a few days the Electro Stage came alive for the final weekend of the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest in Ottawa. And if you’ve been reading the recaps so far, you’ll know that the fest is definitely due for a name change, what with a lineup that includes headliners like Skrillex and metalheads Mastodon. Although perhaps distantly blues-inspired in some former lifetime, neither heavy metal nor dubstep could really be said to fit on the same bill as Howlin’ Wolf.

Toronto-based Grantdtheft was first up on the decks this Friday night. As a self-styled DJ/VJ, his forté is integrating video with his audio mixes. I thought he was doing this all in real time, and he assured me later that he was — but the real work lies in the gruelling studio process of synching video to audio. Once that’s uploaded (see “days of work”), then he mixes live as per usual.

Mad skills and loveable tunes that had the crowd singing along; hip-hop and reggae anthems and hooks like no other DJ  had summoned all week. And maybe a few guilty pleasures rolled up in there as well.

A festival generally means fewer rules than a club gig, more freedom and less pressure to bring the latest and greatest. You get to play in more of a relaxed, party atmosphere. So maybe the reason I ended up hearing the remix of “Fading Like A Flower” twice in one week!

Then … it was time for Drop The Lime.

LISTEN TO DROP THE LIME ON SOUNDCLOUD

The last time I’d seen him was with Major Lazer in Toronto at Sound Academy, and this was definitely one of the sets I was looking forward to most: he seems to plays all my favourite jams, with tight technical mixes.

A natural-born musician, he also took an opportunity to chat engagingly with the crowd. Definitely one of the house -ier sets of the week, it got the ladies onto the dance floor — and the guys quickly followed suit.

Red Bull + fire extinguisher = the perfect metaphor for his set. Pulsating rhythms and beats that grip the heart. Beautiful and classic vocals co-existing peacefully with dirty, grimy bass lines to whine your waist.

Here, the boys chill offstage and catch up. These festivals give you a chance to see old friends and get to know new ones.

A-Trak, the evening’s headliner, turned in an absolutely mental set, drawing a crowd even larger than Tommy Lee and Aero’s or Paul Oakenfold’s — no small feat.

A ton of Montrealers made the two-hour drive and placed themselves strategically in the crowd to cheering with fierce Canadian pride for their hometown hero — a onetime DMC champ who has toured with the likes of Kanye West.

A-Trak’s quiet demeanour offstage belies his onstage persona: the “Big Bad Wolf.” Can you guess, by the way, which track was the banger of the night? Here’s a hint.

No question, this was the perfect way to gear up the Electro Stage for the final weekend of the festival.

Check out Caelin Meredith’s site PUSH > PLAY.

Posted by Scott Willats

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!

Major Lazer – Get Free EP: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Grimes – Genesis: LISTEN TO IT HERE

Kill The Noise – Deal With It (KOAN Sound Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE

Pretty Lights – Finally Moving: LISTEN TO IT HERE

 Follow Scott Willats (SAWStruck) on Twitter

Posted by Caelin Meredith

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.

Posted by Caelin Meredith

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.

Kid SL started the night. He’s an Ottawa native, and competed in last November’s Red Bull Thre3style Canadian Finals in Toronto.

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.

Join the Coco’s family, friends, staff, beach goers and frenemies for LIVE FROM COCO’S GRAND BEND, a Canada Day broadcast featuring the stars of the bpm:tv series GRAND BENDERS — and owners of Coco’s Grand Bend — Mickey, Nancy and Justin Rapaport.

The one-hour event will be hosted by Jorie Brown of bpm:tv’s Back @ Ya! and simulcast live online at bpmtv.com. HERE’S THE LINK.

Start time is 1 p.m. sharp, Sunday, July 1 at Coco’s, 62 Main Street, Grand Bend. The public is welcome to attend.

LIVE FROM COCO’S GRAND BEND promises to be a lively our of interviews, stunts and all the other things that make Coco’s … well … Coco’s.

The run-down includes live interviews with the stars of GRAND BENDERS, bunny tricks with Coco’s mascot Princess Coco, accordion playing, a mixology lesson, and a rummage through 25 years of Coco’s best “lost and found” items.

Immediately after the live broadcast, bpm:tv will stream GRAND BENDERS Episode One, “Chaos.”

LIVE FROM COCO’S GRAND BEND celebrates the 25th anniversary of Coco’s, a one-of-a-kind hotel, nightclub, restaurant and bar located on “the strip” in Grand Bend. Purchased in 1987 by Mickey and Nancy Rapaport, the family-run business is a hot-spot destination for young people and families alike seeking an escape from the city.

Over the years, Coco’s has also been a training ground for hundreds of local kids who live the Coco’s “work hard, play hard” ethic while undergoing a unique beach town boot camp, involving sleep deprivation, caffeine and cigarettes, liquor, love stories, misbehaving, and lifelong friendships.

During the live broadcast, online viewers can submit questions to the GRAND BENDERS cast using Twitter and #grandbenders or by posting a message to the GRAND BENDERS Facebook page.

LIVE FROM COCO’S GRAND BEND is produced by MDF Productions and Eventstream.