One of the time-tested veterans of many a Toronto party stage, Mr. Charlton, has come correct via the latest entry on his soundcloud account, with a very impressive remix of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Remember”. Having floated around the interweb for a couple days now, the tune has already garnered props from a number of folks, both domestic & abroad, so we’re gonna seize this opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and give it a stern nod of approval. Infectious vocals from top to bottom and some real punchy percussion amount to bright-sounding house music.
In celebration of yet another notable social media accolade, the always benevolent Poupon has decided to spoil the masses with yet another tasty morsel of tech house goodness, this time in the form of a track titled, Coupe. Topping out just under eight minutes, this one sorta plinks & plunks its way through your speakers by way of some orb-like dulcimer notes, while cruising on a steady-aimed sub-bass arrangement that pulls the whole thing along. Standard vocal fills grace the entire journey, and the ivory riff around the four-minute mark serve to capitalize the entire experience. Add this one to your own hard drive while supplies last, and if you happen to be in Ottawa tonight, seize the opportunity to hear it live.
All in all, some really bright spots this week to follow up tonight’s appearance by Drop The Lime at Bassmentality. The stronghold for the entire list has to be Saturday’s Drumcode label night at Footwork, featuring Adam Beyer & Ida Engberg. Also, a big-time local shin-dig going down the same evening at Wrongbar, featuring the likes of Rynecologist, Meati, Tudor & Hal Kilmer.
A pretty compelling announcement from the folks over at Savoir Faire & Sound Pellegrino. A festival, set to take place on April 6th, 7th & 8th in Paris, featuring heavyweights like Bok Bok, Claude von Stroke, Crookers, Das Glow, Lvis-1990, Para One, Renaissance Man, Soul Clap, Todd Edwards, and many many more. Basically, if you happen to be in France early April, you may want to go about acquiring a ticket, right here.
An interesting vestige for American dubstep, and its compelling maturation, albeit horrendously overshadowed by acts that truly violate that specific genre classification in the most perverse of ways (inhale/exhale) – I digress. This here is a surprising piece of R&B-drenched juke, entitled “Nigeria”, by a duo who go by Falcons. Nothing too ground breaking here in terms of audio, but nothing to ignore in the same breath; the honest and unassuming visuals shot by York P. Seaton Jr. go a long way as well.
A little ditty off of Benjamin Damage & Doc Daneeka’s collaborative They! Live album, released a couple days ago, proudly donning the 50Weapons stamp of authority. The track embedded above, “Halo”, featuring the angelic pipes of Abigail Wyles, goes on to hit you in the gut with two tonnes of emotion, introspection, and everything in between. Some of the heaviest ambient pads in memory, alongside vocals that literally melt from one syllable to the next. This piece presents a stark reminder of electronic music’s true potential.
Tight for time for this week, but nothing you’re not familiar with here. A solid selection, with legitimate headliners Thursday right through to Saturday, and strength in numbers for all your supplementary acts. Enjoy!
Moving right along on this prolific run of locally-sourced talent, our next vestige invokes the latest from local DJ/producer & friend, Michel Fournier, aka Meech, and his solo effort for Demento Mori. We should mention that the EP doesn’t officially drop for another 10 days, so consider this fair warning before the digital-distribution firestorm ensues.
Combining a classic house essence, with an even more groovy, lounge-inspired tech-house romanticism, the lone original on the release, I Want, presents a solid argument for classic, well-conceived, 4/4 dance music. Tasteful vocal and percussion samples bring this one to life from the very beginning, leaving you wanting more (pun whole-heartedly intended). From there, the remix efforts by D Fine, Raziek, Square Mode & Olibusta carry the original idea cross multi-dimensional terrains, touching on climates and attitudes both hostile and sensual.
A classic example of strength in numbers here, with Olibusta‘s rendition standing out as the sleek, slow-moving black Cadillac of the bunch, granted the others are certainly not far behind. Raziek recreates the piece with an entirely new set of R&B-drenched samples; D Fine keeps it sexy with a fun, free-wheeling house vibe; while Square Mode delves a little bit further into the shadows.
We’ll allow Crosstown Rebels to do the honors on this one; great stuff from the famed TO duo:
Art Department are back on the mothership Crosstown to kick off 2012 in lurid style with a slice of slow burning, chugging disco-tech and pendulum beats in new single ‘Touch You Gently’. The B-side is taken care of with a powerful Brenann Green rework of ‘Tell Me Why’, from the much lauded album ‘The Drawing Board’.
Fresh from topping the RA poll for best labels in 2011, Crosstown Rebels are launching the year with one of the finest duos to emerge out of the trailblazing Toronto scene, Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow aka Art Department. After two years of tearing up the global scene with their inimitable sound, one passionate debut album and stream of killer club tracks including ‘Living The Life feat. Seth Troxler’ and ‘We Call Love’, the duo earned a place as one of the years major success stories.
A-side ‘Touch You Gently’ is an embryonic blend of spooky synths, gliding, sexy basslines and futuristic bleeps offset with the ever-presence of Kenny’s hypnotic layered vox, as ever, a true testament to their individuality and off-kilter spirit. It’s deeper than deep and a sensual brainteaser that shifts up a gear with a floaty melodic breakdown in the final phase.
After attracting an impressive bag of remixers for 2011, including DJ Harvey, Daphi (aka Caribou), DBridge and TEED, It’s no surprise that Crosstown have matched one of the most well-respected disco dons in the game with this release. Unlocking deeper dancefloor potential for ‘Tell Me Why’, NYC DJ and producer Brennan Green delivers his timeless groove with arpeggiated synths, syncopated drums, lush balaeric piano licks and whistles to boot. This remix is simply fantastic… come to that this single is simply superb!!
Other Heights has been a label that we’ve been quietly yet incessantly keeping tabs on for about the last eight months, featuring artists like Ghostek, Kowton, Conforce & several others — and it’s now crystal clear that this once well-kept Belgian secret has been blown into techno taste-maker posterity. The reason for our sudden treatment today stems from this imprint’s latest offering, their eighth extended-player, featuring the masterful work of Toronto via Hong Kong DJ/Producer, Stuart Li, aka Basic Soul Unit, released earlier this week.
Adding to the well-documented fast & furious start to 2012 for Toronto-based electronic music artists, this one arguably represents the gold standard up to this point, offering two originals by Li himself, entitled “Come On” and “Growing Pains”, alongside two spaced-out renditions of each, by Unbroken Dub. The A-side begins with a lurching, and almost unorganized, kick, snare, clap ensemble that reluctantly makes its way toward a silent descension into the distorted, and much more aggressive lead, eventually layered with the mellifluous strings of a violin/cello. The B-side offers something much more in the direction of sultry house groove — ambient pads, pinhole synths, and charming wispy tech house percussion, all in a charmingly unconventional fold.
