All good things in Toronto are revealed on Wednesday, at least if you’re an electronic music aficionado. Same old business on our side, documenting the long and winding agenda of nightlife events in our city, and conveying the research to you. Some of the undisputed highlights include appearances by Laidback Luke, Jacques Renault, DJ Rashad, as well as local faves Azari & III alongside Bordello and Charlton, all of whom will be gracing the hallowed Hoxton.
The holiday weekend has been aptly equipped with solid acts, beginning to end. Massive shouts must go to both the Thursday and Saturday headliners, both incredible opportunities to see some of the finest acts in house, techno and electro. Saturday’s loft initiative is some kind of european nightclub fairytale.
Some could certainly make the argument that this release may be the most sought after Crosstown Rebel cut since the catologue’s now infamous number sixty-four, which you’ll surely remember as the Vampire Nightclub / Without You 12″, produced by a little old Toronto duo, named Art Department. Yet another triumph for deep house. Others may continue their cynical stance on the continued over-glorification of the purported quasi-renaissance of undergound house, that the dance music world has all too willingly embraced, and openly consumed over past two years. Either way, it amounts to much more than a snobby conversation piece.
Naturally, both No.19 boss Jonny White & Kenny Glasgow have their hands in this most recent CRM release, spearheaded by label-master Jamie Jones. The title-track goes by “Our Time In Liberty”, an uncontested showstopper at this year’s Winter Music Conference, and an appropriate fixture as the lead single off of Jamie’s much anticipated second album, “Tracks From The Crypt” . The classic A/B is set for an April 16th release, with a smart remix by Brighton’s own Russ Yallop.
Jamie Jones & Art Department — Our Time In Liberty
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No post-WMC lull to speak of, as the weekend shaped up quite nicely. It starts off Thursday evening, when the pretty white walls of The Hoxton get trounced by heavy dollops of bass. Friday sees a massive local gathering at The Supermarket, with a Turbo tag-team of sorts, while Saturday is certainly the most densely packed evening of the three, with the likes of Aquarius Heaven, Guy Gerber, Vitalic & more, all making appearances.
Teetering the lines of sultry techno and deep house, this tune by French duo, Darabi for the Berlin-based Items & Things, is laced with throwback vibes, and identifiable salutations to the early 90s. Packaged with a single by Tim Paris, this EP which drops digitally later this week under the Various Items series, might be a worthy investment of a couple pesos.
A hefty serving of house music here from Alex Coulton‘s “Candy Flip” EP, for the Bristol-based imprint, Idle Hands. Mulling its way through subterranean chords, and infectious kicks & shakers, the lead track, entitled Brooklyn, does right by its name, starting off with some sassy jazz elements ripe for a dinner party, ultimately giving way to something much more suited to an abandoned warehouse.
What a couple of months it’s been for the proliferation of good music, both locally and internationally. Indeed, I’m willing to wager that forthcoming middle-school history books will soon tell tales of the first quarter of 2012, labeling it as an incredible one for all strands of dance music, and perhaps none more than this little ditty by Mr. Gerry Read, for folks at Delsin.
Certainly, one of our uncontested early favorites for top extended-player contention, this four track release is one of the shining examples of electronic music’s true virtue. As close to a five star rating as you like, the title track, Yeh Come Dance, is basically flawless, pristine, impeccable techno.
Pretty lucrative weekend for everyone who decided to stay in town, and not cruise down to the sun-soaked shores of Miami, for the annual Winter Music Conference. Special mention to the appearances by Dabrye, Jack Beats, Nico Jaar, Oliver Huntemann, and Machinedrum.
A refined serving of house groove from the Berlin-based Niall Mannion, whom you may know as Mano Le Tough. His latest, a three-track extended player for Permanent Vacation, which gets along quite nicely, starting with the title track “Mountains” — floating forward by way of a brash lead synth, an orb-like bell progression, and a yearning, zombie-like sigh layered on top.
Amidst the firestorm that has been the past month or so, we managed to somehow forget to share this with you, so, heartfelt apologies for the late pass if you’ve been bumping it for a minute already. The man responsible is our longtime amigo, whom you may know as Deebs. Mentioning our dude today is sorta convenient in any event, amidst some fat & juicy rumours that he’s going to be sharing a bit of free material in the very near future, so stay tuned for that.
