What’s Good Wednesday!?

by The Vamp on September 1, 2010

Pictured above is an early 20th century photo of the Labour Day parade in Toronto. Fast forward, oh about one-hundred years, and society has found a couple more enticing ways to celebrate this statutory holiday. This weekend is summer’s final hurrah. An opportunity to go hard, for three, four or maybe even five days in succession. Most notably, Labour Day weekend is synonymous with the Guvernment’s super event, Labour of Love. Although this year’s line-up leaves much to be desired in our eyes, it still presents an opportunity for thousands of electronic music enthusiasts to congregate around good music, and explore the subterranean realm of synthetic drugs.  One more item of note, an absolute sizzler of a booking at Mod Club on Friday, when Fake Blood attempts to rekindle his dominance of the Toronto club scene.

Thursday

The Opener: Lucie Tic & Nights — Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Closer: Tom Middleton — Thursday @ Cobra
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Friday

The Headliner: Fake Blood, Nasty Nav & Meech — Friday @ Mod Club
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The Opener: Flying Lotus — Friday @ The Opera House
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The Closer: Jelo & More  — Friday @ Footwork
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The Opener: Frandiscos, DJ Makem, Conor Cutz — Saturday @ Andy Poolhall
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Saturday

The Headliner: Marco Carola — Saturday @ Footwork
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The Opener: Meech, Meati & Mekka Mekka — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: Merk Meny, A-Rock & More — Satursday @ Drake Underground
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The Opener: Orly, Cozmic Cat & Frandiscos — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Mr. Mandelephant, O-God & More — Saturday @ Andy Poolhall
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Sunday

The Headliner: Axwell, Afrojack & More — Sunday @ Guvernment
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The Opener: 12th Planet, Felix Cartal, Meech & More — Sunday @ The Tent (Guvy)
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The Opener: Dennis Ferrer — Sunday @ Sunnyside Pavillion
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The Opener: Alixander III, Riviera & More — Sunday @ Bovine Sex Club
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Rekindling The Magic

by The Vamp on September 1, 2010

Not too long back, we documented the tragic break-up of disco divas, Aeroplane. Indeed, the glamorous duo of Vito De Luca and Stephen Fasano have gone their separate ways, both embarking on solo projects, much in the same musical vein. Vito has effectively carried on the Aeroplane moniker, continuing the release of the now widely-celebrated monthly mixes, and various production under that banner. Stephen, on the other hand, briefly fell off our radar, before returning just recently, in a very big way — and this here, is the chief purpose of our rant tonight. Stephen Fasano can now be referred to as The Magician, his recently founded solo project.

First and foremost, the fundamentals remain the same, which is a good thing in our estimation, because both Vito and Stephen remain the unquestioned tastemakers and soundtesters for this very fragile ‘nu disco’ subgenre. To drift away from this expertise seems a bit counterintuitive. Alas, Stephen is still concentrated on the beautiful low-bpm groove that had us hooked just months ago, and he goes on to showcase his reaffirmed love for disco by giving us Magic Tape 2. The mix (which is quite obviously the second in this series) fuses the contemporary with the legendary, and even allows for some new wave indie to sneak into the lot as well. Refer to the tracklist below for all your music-nerd needs.

Tracklist

01 ARCADE FIRE // Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
02 MARK SEVEN // Sermon (Serotonin Edit )
03 KOLOMBO // Waitin For
04 BLAMMA! BLAMMA! // Beyond 17
05 ROMAN SALZGER – Alpha Century
06 MARK RONSON – Bang Bang Bang (U-Tern’s Disco Dub)
07 HANNULELAURI // Zombie Tropicana
08 KEANE // Clear Skies (VillA Dub Remix)
09 CHILLY GONZALES // Knight Moves
10 BUBBLE CLUB // Violet Morning Moon

Quality: 224 kbps
Length: 0 hr 47 min 55 sec

The Magician – Magic Tape #2 (Soundcloud)

The Magician | myspace

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The Pastor’s Sermon

by Kemosabe on August 30, 2010

I’m currently listening to what is likely my favourite post of the month, and coincidentally, an electroTO veteran & favorite. Fresh from under Sebastien Leger’s wing, this pre back-to-school special features Frenchman Joachim Pastor’s track Heliose. This progressive-minimalesque piece has a certain quality in production that provides some overall comfort, and melodies that just won’t quit. (Yes I was raised in the 1970s). The hypnotic bass line off the bat has me hooked, same way with the organs and synths. The growing underscored melodies, along with the prominent keys make for a very enjoyable listening experience.

The many labels that back Pastor, including Boxer Recordings, have a long list of artists from a wide range of electronic genres. Pastor’s approach to techno is fresh to death, and I absolutely vibe with this track. Here’s hoping Boxer has many more artists with similar skill levels. More of Pastor’s work can be found on electroTO right here!

As I BLAST this track I reflect on what the summer has held; the tracks, the sun, the office I slaved away in. The great times are numerous, and with a new scholastic year ahead of me I hope those same emotions can be felt, and portrayed to you musically. Have a nice week folks!

Joachim Pastor – Heliose

Joachim Pastor | MySpace

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

by The Vamp on August 25, 2010

We’re always a tad over-excited when we can personally contribute to the impact of What’s Good Wednesday!? by bringing international DJ talent to town. Our helping hand comes specifically on this Thursday (tomorrow night) when Deadfish Audio DJ/Producer Camel comes to town to dazzle The Social, alongside trusty DJs Golden Gloves, Meech and Bordello. This one promises to be a truly rare passage through quality house and tech house, treating the most seasoned listener to a wide array of exclusive noises. Camel’s tremendous quality has been well documented on this page and we are bubbling with excitement to see this young gun strut his stuff on those fancy CDJ2000′s at The Social.

Thursday

The Headliner: CAMEL — Thursday @ The Social
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The Opener: Calvertron, Barletta & More — Thursday @ Nocture
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The Opener: Barletta, O-God & Paul David — Thursday @ Sutra
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The Opener: Lucie Tic & Fawn Big Canoe — Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Closer: Mike Shannon — Thursday @ Cobra
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Friday

The Headliner: St. Mandrew, Bordello & Andy Ares — Friday @ Mod Club
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The Opener: The Rub, Smalltown DJs & Tom Wrecks — Friday @ The Drake
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The Opener: Nave C, Hutch & More — Friday @ The Social
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The Opener: Denise Benson, Pho, Orly & More — Friday @ Andy Poolhall
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Saturday

The Headliner: Stephan Bodzin — Saturday @ Footwork
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The Opener: Blatta & Inesha w/ Torro Torro — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: PeaceTreaty w/ Gooffee & More — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Carlo Lio, James Teej & More — Saturday @ Beach Location
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Luv Khord

by Kemosabe on August 25, 2010

Sticking on the lovely house train, but drastically leaving the darkness of last post’s Soundspace track, the Greek heavyweight Nikola Gala is the approaching platform on this musical journey. His most recent release off Plastic City records is consistent with his catalogue, yet vastly different. On Luv Khord, he sticks to his guns with a track that conveys a strange optimism with throwback organ work and an overstated yet simple baseline, but has modern house elements where he uses the organs to give the track a semi-calypso feel.

Plastic City, a German label with a vast wealth of producers, has assembled a tech house empire. Nikola Gala, a veteran of 10 years on the scene has done well with this release, furthering tech house, trance and dabbling in the much sought after tropical feel that many prominent producers are still afraid to attack. Just thinking about tropical house is getting me upset because Gala could have easily let it drop, but stayed true to himself!

As I now switch over to some filthy Round Table Knights I’ll keep in mind the potential that is constantly emanating from Germany. Well done Nikola Gala on a solid EP, which is absolutely worth checking out below!

Nikola Gala – Luv Khord

Nikola Gala | MySpace

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Desert’s Finest

by The Vamp on August 24, 2010

In case you haven’t already heard, one of our most cherished dj/producers will be making his highly anticipated North American debut this Thursday (August 26th) at The Social. Indeed, electroTO and The Faktory are very proud to present the latest installment of Social Thursday featuring Italian-native Andrea Maver, aka Camel, of Deadfish Audio fame.

The perfect precursor to this massive occasion is Camel’s latest promotional single, which was released just days ago as a free give-away through Jackmode Agency — one of the most relevant talent management organizations in the world. The piece goes by the name Akin and features the deep drums, melodic harmonies and enchanting vibe that we have come to know and love from Camel.

It truly seems that this dude can do no wrong in the production room, assembling brilliant track, after brilliant track. His intricate use of lucid samples, haunting organic instrument progressions, and the grooviest percussion loops all amount to Andrea Maver being one of the finest producers around. This specific aural experience almost entices you to spiritually teleport to the most remote regions of an Arabic desert, and wander, aimlessly.  Thursday is going to be magical.

Camel – Akin

Camel | myspace | beatport

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What I Like About Mexico

by Kemosabe on August 22, 2010

After a quite pleasant first ride on my electroTO bike, I’m feeling more and more musically adventurous. My perceptions and understandings of electronic music are constantly changing, like the hilly terrain I decide to take my bike to. On my last foray, I found an absolute gem of a techno track from Berlin, but I think I’m nearly ready for some more challenging fare!

Switching not only continents, but also genres, Soundspace happened to stumble across my path this dreary Sunday afternoon. This Mexican act belongs to the mega adventurous label blaq records, which is home to dubstep, techno and tech house acts. Soundspace (Ivan Lopez) along with Signal Delux founded this label in 2008 on a mission to make Mexico relevant on a global electronic spectrum.

The title track of this latest Soundspace release, What I Like About You, is an immensely deep reflection by Lopez into some bizarre infatuation he has. The vocal on this track sends chills down my spine, describing elements of his infatuation that, as the title may suggest, he likes. The sinister feel of the voice makes me question how innocent his intentions are…

Musically, the vibe of the track, along with the other original We Are All Gods relies on a minimal baseline, growing organ progressions and intimidating vocals to set a very dark  and deep tech house soundscape. Our boy Meech often refers to “Happy Tracks”, but kid… these AIN’T happy tracks.

Soundspace – What I Like About You

Soundspace | myspace

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Black Velvet

by The Vamp on August 20, 2010

I’ve decided that I’m going to take 20 minutes out of my ViaOne train-ride-pre-party, to post a track that is currently melting the faces off of all those within my aural radius. To paint the complete picture, the electroTO extended family is currently on a voyage to Montreal where we’ll soon be reaching Velvet nightclub, all in an attempt to support Turbo Recordings and their recent signing of Toronto-duo Azari & III. The evening has had a promising start, and we’d recommend that you stay tuned to our Twitter Account for (somewhat) regular updates.

The electronic ingenuity that is sparking the magical energy of the moment is a cut from the Get The Curse cloth (which we made light of not too long ago), specifically from the Portuguese duo known as Photonz. Their piece entitled Plague Of The New Age, while brilliant in its own right, was truly brought to life by Spanish DJ/Producer Maceo Plex aka Maetrik. For time’s sake, I won’t say much more than that, just check this one out and pretend it’s already 3am.

Photonz – Plague Of The New Age (Maetrik Remix)

Photonz | myspace

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Camel Ride

by The Vamp on August 19, 2010

One week from today.

Once again, blogging superpower electroTO has teamed up with promotion mastermind The Faktory to bring you an event that combines all things beautiful about Toronto’s electronic music scene. The latest edition features a very dear guest, making his North American debut, and more specifically, one of the most promising DJ talents in the world.

In the spring of 2009, we stumbled upon an infantile tech-house label based out the UK by the name of Deadfish Audio (a label that we’ve repeatedly flaunted on this very space). Spearheaded by lead-man Mowgli, the steady stream of innovative releases opened our eyes to a very refreshing take on house music, and left a lasting impression that eventually won our unquestioned support.

Thursday August 26th will celebrate the man who is arguably the diamond jewel of the Deadfish Audio crew, both as a DJ & as a producer — Camel. With three stellar EP releases and a whole slew of incredible remixes in the last year and a half, Camel has asserted himself as the most sought out young producer in the house and tech house game. Period. Mark this one on your calendar, it’s going to be special.

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

by The Vamp on August 18, 2010

A huge weekend for the local scene, with Toronto-based DJs sprouting up in clubs and bars across the entire city. It’s an especially notable weekend for Riviera who will be celebrating a release party on Thursday, as well as opening up for Dj Gina Turner at The Social on Saturday. Other weekend highlights include a very intriguing booking at This Is London, of all places, on your Friday evening. This event will feature both Autoerotique and the Stickin’ magician, Mr. SonicC. All-in-all, another really fancy docket of events to enjoy.

Thursday

The Headliner: Riviera w/ Rafwat & Chorniy — Thursday @ Cobra
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The Opener: Hotmess DJs w/ DJ Mickey D— Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Opener: Jack Hook, Dick Diamonds & More — Thursday @ Nocturne
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The Opener: Deanius & The Green Machine — Thursday @ Rockwood
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Friday

The Headliner: Autoerotique & SonicC — Friday @ This Is London
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The Opener: JR Flo, Mix Chopin & ViVi Diamond — Friday @ Mod Club
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The Opener: Matt Medley, Frandiscos, Conor Cutz & More — Friday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Terror Tone, O-God & More — Friday @ Augusta House
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The Opener: Nave C & Hutch — Friday @ The Social
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The Closer: Paul Ritch — Friday @ FootWork
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Saturday

The Headliner: Gina Turner, Riviera, Lucie Tic — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: TapeDeck Bros, Gooffee, Mix Chopin — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Sylvermayne & Paul Revered — Saturday @ Blondie’s
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The Opener: ¡Borracho! and WattNott — Saturday @ Mod Club
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The Opener: ViVi Diamond, Betti Forde & More — Saturday @ The Barn
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