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Azari & III

Can’t Leave

September 8, 2011

Whether you refer to him primarily as Maceo Plex, or as Maetrik, there is no denying that the Spanish-born Eric Estornel packs a punch behind both of his respective aliases. You may know that the one title is allocated to his deep, seductive RA house music sympathies, while the latter leans toward a much more raw, hostile brand of techno. In either capacity, this man is a musical genius.

The alias that has seen the most activity as of late has certainly been the Maceo Plex monicker, with a massive remix for Azari & III on Turbo, and now, the latest release on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels imprint. The 82nd installment of the Crosstown Rebel catalogue is indeed Estornel’s Sweating Tears EP, which features one of the most talked-about songs of this past year’s Miami Music Week, Can’t Leave You. You can view a clip of the track’s live interpretation, with Maceo Plex on vocals, shot live from the Get Lost Miami party, way back in March. And for some reason, even six months later, the tune is still as charming as ever, with one the darkest synth growls I’ve ever heard, and an impetuous disco bounce that we can guarantee will forever be an instant d-floor incubator.

Maceo Plex – Can’t Leave You

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

August 24, 2011

Fairly average weekend until you arrive at Saturday evening, with the most notable exchange being a live performance by Mathew Johnson at Footwork, alongside Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts, and of course, a very special Jamie Kidd vs. Noah Pred set. Other options on Saturday include a performance by the now reunited kings progressive house, Josh Gabriel & Dave Dresden at Guvernment’s main room, Bicep at Drake Underground, and the valiant return of Azari & III, at Wrongbar.

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Thursday

THE HEADLINER: TRIBE CALLED RED, TORRO TORRO — THURS. @ THE DRAKE
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The Opener: Filthy Gorgeous, Mandy and Hawri, & More — Thursday @ Augusta House
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The Opener: Alex Brooks, Young Lord & More — Thursday @ Bread & Circus
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The Opener: Dick Diamonds, Boots Boogie & More — Thursday @ Bunda
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The Closer: Pleasurekraft, Jed Harper & More — Thursday @ Cobra
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Friday

The Opener: Sean Roman, Dick Diamonds & More — Friday @ Augusta House
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The Opener: Pho, Tom Wrecks & More — Friday @ Drake Underground
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The Opener: Big Chocolate, Conway & Nights — Friday @ Wrongbar
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The Closer: Addy, Jay Force, Joee Cons & More — Friday @ Footwork
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Saturday

THE HEADLINER: MATHEW JONSON — SATURDAY @ FOOTWORK
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The Opener: Gabriel & Dresden — Saturday @ Guvernment
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The Opener: Bicep w/ Members Only — Saturday @ Drake Underground
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The Opener: Talal & Zoi, Ana+One, Riviera & More — Saturday @ TBA
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The Closer: Azari & III — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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Manic

July 12, 2011

Larger than life quartet, Azari & III’s latest single Manic is on the cusp of being released, August seventh by way of friends at Turbo Recordings. The EP will of course feature the original work, set to appear on the group’s album (releasing this fall), alongside some top notch remix efforts by names like Maceo Plex, as well as two different renditions by one of our favorite producers, The Finger Prince.

Lucky for anyone with the ability to hear, just hours ago, Azari & III decided to upload both Finger Prince’s Static Situation Mix, and the Faded Sensation Dub to their Soundcloud page. Now, without going to hyperbolistic on you, we’ll just say we’d being doing a disservice to our own musical sympathies if we didn’t pass them your way.

Both remixes are brilliant, with the Faded Sensation approach going more in the direction of eery warehouse acid, while the Static Sensation approach maintains a much more brute techno approach, giving way to some rigid acid elements, and those ever-s0-charming vocals. The jury’s out on which of the two is better — we love ‘em both. Oh, and before you go, check out this montage of the crew doing their live performance in Lisbon, Portugal.

Azari & III – Manic (The Finger Prince Static Situation Mix)

Azari & III – Manic (The Finger Prince Faded Sensation Dub)

Azari & III | Facebook | Soundcloud

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Album Onslaught

June 29, 2011

It’s only the tail-end of June, and the docket already seems full for 2011 album contenders, especially considering Azari & III’s album, as well as Proxy’s album are on the horizon. I thought I’d take a moment just to run down a couple of the latest LPs that have made their way to market, and have stayed in heavy rotation here at electroTO.

The one that several local connoisseurs are talking about is the self-titled album from SBTRKT, coming out on the hugely popular UK label, Young Turks, just two days ago. Really can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this fresh approach to future/UK funky. The production is nothing short of brilliant, taking tribal elements to totally new bpms, blending them with perfect leads, startling percussion, and a whole array of talented vocalists.

SBTRKT – Trials Of The Past

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Perhaps the one that has stolen our hearts completely and sits as one of the frontrunners for top-5 contention is Parabolas by John Tejada, coming from the always on-point Kompakt Records family. Psychedelic melodies are the clincher here, with each space-bound vestige taking you to some next unexplored planet of experimental techno. No question some will be left scratching their heads, but for everyone of those, there will be someone clutching both sides of their cranium, overwhelmed by the brilliance.

John Tejada – A Flexible Plan

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Another album that has flown somewhat under the radar is the funkified 11-track effort by French electronic juggernaut, Para One, under his Slice & Soda project, featuring American vocalist San Serac. This one is all things French chic house, with alluring disco grooves the whole way through, coming together seamlessly with Serac’s voice on almost every exchange. This retro-fit journey is an unofficial homage to the disco fever days of the 1970s, borrowing from the proven formula discovered by Chromeo.

Slice & Soda – More Crazy

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The last of the albums we’ll address today is the collaboration between two of the most brilliant men in UK electronic production at the moment, that being Damon Kirkham & Alex Green (aka Jon Convex & Boddika). These two, you may know, are the duo behind Instra:Mental, who happened to have released their debut album entitled Resolution 653 under their own Nonplus+ imprint, with recent and upcoming drops from Lol, Actress, Skream, Lowtec and Martyn. This album represents the pinnacle for the year so far, and effectively stands as the standard upon which forthcoming albums will be measured.

Instra:Mental – 8

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

January 26, 2011

It’s a relatively quiet weekend in terms of five-figure bookings, but that’s not to say there aren’t a tonne of talented bills at your finger-tips. Our WGW selections of the week include a Friday affair in Kensington Market with the ever-sketchy Dinamo Azari, as well as a Grizzly-style UK-funky Saturday evening at The Social.

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Thursday

The Opener: Mutt w/ Hydra & More — Thursday @ Augusta House
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The Opener: Bangers and Mash & More — Thursday @ The Social
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The Opener: Jonesian w/ Twono & More — Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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Friday

THE HEADLINER: Dinamo Azari w/ Ali Black & More — Friday @ Supermarket
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The Opener: Torro Torro w/ DJ Cal & More — Friday @ Mod Club
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The Closer: Junkies, Rafwat and Chorniy & More — Friday @ Footwork
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Saturday

THE HEADLINER: SBTRKT w/ XI & More — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: Moguai w/ Simon Jain & More — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Meati & Meech w/ Zubi — Saturday @ Velvet (MTL)
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The Opener: Nick Curly w/ Nitin & More — Saturday @ Footwork
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Pianoman

November 20, 2010

After being forced into taking piano lessons for over a decade as a little bugger, I can truly appreciate a fancy lick on the ivory keys. It just so happens that the piano often makes a lot of sense in house music, bringing my appreciation and empathy to another level. New York producer (by way of Chile), Nicolas Jaar, has seemingly unlocked this combination in his production time and time again, with his latest remix of Toronto house-music-moguls Azari & III on that precise wavelength. The remix appears on yet another ambitious electronic release from Japanese car-makers Scion, and their relentless attempt to infiltrate the hipster/EDM demographic.

The remix itself is vintage Jaar, laying down a very simple yet impactful piano loop over a slow-to-develop groove. Add to that, the haunting vocals of Cedric aka Starving Yet Full, then soonafter, a thick bassline around the 4 minute 20 second mark, suddenly you have something special. This is slow-burn house at its finest.

Thanks to Scion A/V for this whole package.

Azari & III – Into The Night (Nicolas Jaar Remix)

Nicolas Jaar | website

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

November 3, 2010

With everyone and their mothers talking about the valiant return of the Crookers and the absolute shit-show set to go down at Sound Academy on Saturday, there are a number of notable acts that are flying under the radar. Take for example local kids Talal and Zoi (Dirtybird Records), two cousins who have absolutely mastered house music, playing on Thursday at Augusta House. Also, your Saturday evening includes sleepers such as Prince Language (The Social), as well as Azari & III (Wrongbar). Choose wisely my friends.

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Thursday

THE HEADLINER: Talal & Zoi, Lucie Tic & More — Thursday @ Augusta House
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The Opener: Max Alexander, Barletta & More — Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Closer: Cedric Gervais & More — Thursday @ Cobra
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Friday

THE HEADLINER: Shuttle (Passion Pit) & More — Friday @ Mod Club
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The Opener: Simon Dunmore & More — Friday @ Roosevelt Room
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The Opener: Deko Ze, JayForce & More — Friday @ Footwork
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The Opener: Paul Revered & Ghaleon — Friday @ Bloc22
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The Opener: The FranDiscos & More — Friday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Opener: Boots Boogie & Kromar — Friday @ Voglie
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The Closer: Ricardo Villalobos & More — Friday @ Maison
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Saturday

THE HEADLINER: Crookers, AC Slater, LVIS1990 — Saturday @ Sound Academy
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The Opener: Prince Language & Members Only — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: Azari & III, James Teej, Jamie Kidd — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: J-Lah, Mr. Mandelephant & More — Saturday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Closer: Paco Osuna & More — Saturday @ Footwork
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Treasure Sells

October 12, 2010

Last Thursday, Toronto was treated to a pretty interesting pro-bono mini-festival, hosted at the infamous warehouse venue, 99 Sudbury. The Scion sanctioned event featured the likes of LA Riots, Azari & III, Classixx, as well as Treasure Fingers — an intriguing line-up that certainly left us with mixed emotions. Regardless, the event was widely deemed a success, and we’re just happy to see the steady flow of musical talent trot through the 416 area-code.

One of the bonafied crowd-pleasers that evening was a cut by Treasure Fingers, off his latest EP entitled Lift Me, which was released on Defected. The tune has some serious throwback 90′s jive, with piano riffs and bouncy rhythms that remind me a lot of the Real McCoy‘s finest. It’s a real feel-good tune, with catchy vocals, and some explicit mainstream appeal. We’ve actually had a number of personal requests for this track, so if it’s not quite your cup of tea, please take solace in the fact that you are indeed a music snob, and we think you’re very cool.

Treasure Fingers – It’s Love (Original Mix)

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Treasure Fingers | myspace

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

July 21, 2010

The Time Festival Edition of What’s Good Wednesday!? — Of course, Toronto’s Third Annual star-studded electronic music event is going down Friday @ Sound Academy. It features the likes of mainstream icon, Diplo, alongside a pair of dubstep pioneers in Skream & Benga, atop the bill. Some more careful inquiry into the line-up, and you’ll find some very good sleeper talent playing as well — with names like Kingdom, Azari & III, Milano and Konrad Black. But don’t exert all your energy on the Friday, because Saturday night features another really good booking by our friends at The Faktory — Nadastrom, in addition to our boy Meech’s follow up appearance at Guvernment.

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Thursday

The Headliner:  Rynecologist — Thursday @ Rockwood
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The Opener:  Lucie Tic, Pammm, Jamie Sin — Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Opener:  O-God, Kowall & Pdub — Thursday @ Sutra
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Friday

The Headliner: Konrad Black, Kingdom, Milano & More — Friday @ Sound Academy
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The Opener:  Brandon Sek & Minor Moders  (Pre-Party) — Friday @ 545 King St. W (Alley)
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The Opener:  Nathan Barato, Jayforce & More— Friday @ FootWork
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The Opener:  Nave C & Kay Gee — Friday @ The Social
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The Opener: Dirty Dale, Mr. Mandelephant & More — Friday @ Supermarket
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Saturday/Sunday

The Headliner: Nadastrom & Nautiluss — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: Meech — Saturday @ Guvernment (The Gallery)
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The Opener: Grum, The Jackals & TapeDeck Bros — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Silvermayne & Paul Revered — Saturday @ Blondie’s
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The Closer: Nadastrom, Golden Gloves & More — Sunday @ Wetbar
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Summer Sessions Live: MAY

June 2, 2010

There were very few who believed that we could follow up our inaugural Summer Session event with a second dose on a similar level; but, just one week ago at Riva Supper Club, we did just that. We managed to enlist local DJ/Producer, now of international fame for his collaboration with Alixander III, namely Dinamo Azari, and he did not disappoint. As always, we positioned Dinamo with incomparable opening acts by the ever-so-talented boys from Faceless Management, and the rest is, as they say, history.

As was the case for the first edition of our Summer Sessions event, we will once again be uploading the top-notch live-mix recordings from each and every DJ act that performed. The live-mix recordings will drop every Wednesday, so as to commemorate our monthly Summer Session night (which goes down on the last Wednesday of every month this summer). The Summer Session for May featured the likes of  Meech, Golden Gloves, Bordello and Dinamo Azari — so be sure to tune in to this space every Wednesday for the latest set release.

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DINAMO AZARI | electroTO Summer Session: May

The set itself is sheer brilliance, plain and simple. It begins with some of the most subtle grooves I’ve ever heard, eventually giving way to a number of the biggest acid techno cuts known to music aficionados. This one is as advertised; one of rarest examples of unbridled mixing talent and impeccable song selection.

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BORDELLO | electroTO Summer Session: May

This week’s edition of the Summer Session mix series features the virtually flawless track selection and steadfast ear-to-ear mixing of eTO fan-favorite, Bordello. Although this latest set is, to paraphrase his own suggestion, a tad saturated with above-the-surface material; in actuality, it’s textbook peak-hour work that balances the always conflicting realms of obscurity and mass appeal. What we mean is, Bordello consults the most trusted names in house & techno, from the highest ranks in electronic production, and does so in a way that really works for the average listener.

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GOLDEN GLOVES | electroTO Summer Session: May

If you were lucky enough to know of Golden Gloves during their thrashing electro days, you will certainly know that the duo have seemingly transformed their sound as of late into something far more seasoned, yet equally enthralling. The duo of Ben and Kev now make a habit of descending into the depths of tech house & deep house, often being sought out as the local leaders in this lucrative genre. This live mix from our last Summer Session event is a testament to their blooming sound, and draws the tangent for their craft.

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MEECH | electroTO Summer Session: May

The May edition of electroTO’s Summer Sessions was kicked off by Venezuelan-born Michel Fournier, a local favorite who has seen his musical sympathies evolve significantly over the past year. The following set speaks to Meech’s maturation as a DJ, combining unassuming groovy house vibes, with his vintage dance-floor incubators. This one is diverse, with unique low-bpm selections, so burn it on a CD-R, and bring it along for wherever life takes you.

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