Today marks the notable release of the JOT5 EP, on A-Trak’s renowned Fools Gold record label, for the Toronto-based duo of DJ Booth & Chameleonic aka Jokers of the Scene. Cleverly delivering on the prophetic number five which graces the EP title, this pentagon of production does well to explore the very broad terrain of dance music — no track more indicative of this than “In Order to Trance”. Touching on some really convincing techno to begin the eight and a half minute voyage, the piece proceeds with a series of delicate ambient notes, only to be shattered by shredding electro-esque distortion, resounding cymbals & “hoo-hah’s” from the one and only Lyn Collins. A real coalescence of musical style that comes together quite seamlessly, a theme pervasive throughout the entire release, with harder vestiges by way of “Black Mountie”, alongside epic low-bpm vestiges in “Killing Jokes II”.

All in all, nothing too ground-breaking here to be fair, but the JOT5 record is a thoughtful and well-produced number from a pair that have certainly withstood the test of time, improving & evolving in a punctual fashion. Sure, their moniker isn’t mysterious and/or understated, nor is their label astonishingly sexy, but these renowned purveyors of conscious techno make good on some quality dance music, emblematic of some of their most iconic peers.

Jokers of the Scene “J0T5″ EP

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Two of this page’s most seasoned veterans, in Poupon & Prince Club return, this time in a collaborative capacity, on the silver jubilee release for Riva Star’s Snatch Records. A solid triumvirate of tech house production showcasing some well-balanced, cleverly-conceived grooves & an unmistakable appearance by Christopher Wallace aka The Black Frank White aka Biggie Smalls. The EP includes two collective efforts, entitled Platinum and La Nuit, as well as one solo effort by the Montreal-duo alone, entitled Everybody. The release marks a big win for the Toronto-based Faceless Management, the first of many exciting prospects in 2012, including releases by Urulu, forthcoming on Exploited, in addition to Meech’s much anticipated I Want extended-player, coming out on Demento Mori.

SNATCH! 025: Prince Club & Poupon EP

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The fifth release off of London-based imprint, Orca, (released earlier this week) features Toronto-native, XI. Two tracks showcasing the broad scope of garage music, and XI’s malleable, dynamic approach production. We’ve had the pleasure of catching him play a number of times, whether it’s funky, d&b, whatever really, it’s always conscious, and always educational. Yet another concrete example of Toronto’s sparkling start to 2012.

XI – Immunity

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As you might have noticed, we were a tad busy earlier this week, putting together those tiresome top-20 lists, so we unfortunately had to neglect a rather important announcement from the Get Flavor Records camp. Indeed, this past Tuesday, our good friend Todd Douglas aka Meati released his long-anticipated Air Jamaica EP, one that we’ve been squawking about for quite some time now, probably ever since we played it on etoLIVE, way way back. The EP comes loaded with remix support from John Roman, Ardalan, and several others. Needless to say, it’s been a busy couple months for Meati, fresh off his mix for AO-AO, not to mention some exciting new material with Deebs, and now this, so do your thing, and support the full thing right here.

Meati-Air Jamaica (Original Mix)

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