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Major Lazer

What’s Good Wednesday!?

April 21, 2010

For our new readers…

What’s Good Wednesday!? (–proper noun) pronounced: whats – good – wednesday
1. A very useful and reliable resource that proceeds to document Toronto’s electronic music events each and every weekend, 2. A weekly post that can be found exclusively on electroTO, 3. The highlight of many people’s Wednesday afternoon/evening.

On to the good stuff…

As if the incredible emergence of warmer climes isn’t enough, the city is featuring a very nice assembly of events this weekend which will allow you to take full advantage. Quite frankly, this weekend is one of this weekends where it’s oh-so-easy to gloat about the city of Toronto (and it’s on-point promoting). There really is no soft spot, with massive line-ups throughout, including House legend Funkagenda on Thursday, a late-night Rave on Friday with Dinamo Azari & Friends, and of course Saturday, the Diplo & Switch collabo of Major Lazer invade Sound Academy. Add to that a very healthy helping of local talent in clubs across the city, and there is all-of-a-sudden a flavour for everybody’s fancy.

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Thursday

The Headliner: Funkagenda — Thursday @ Cobra
Click here for more details.

The Opener: Johnny Hockin & Lucie Tic — Thursday @ Andy Poolhall
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The Opener: DJ Matt Medley — Thursday @ StrangeLove
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The Opener: Dick Diamonds, Paul Beazy & More — Thursday @ Sutra
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The Opener: DJ Jedi — Thursday @ Nyood
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Friday

The Headliner: Jaques Renault, Dinamo Azari, Mikey Apples, B Sek — Fri. @ TBA
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The Opener: Nacho Lovers & Dirty Dale — Friday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Henry Cullen, Jelo, Riviera, FranDiscos & More — Friday @ TBA
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The Opener: Goofee & DJ Eck — Friday @ Shallow Groove
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The Opener: Arthur Oskin, Jamie Kidd & More — Friday @ Nocturne
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The Opener: Le Freak C’est Keek & Lucie Tic — Friday @ The Beaver
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The Opener: DJ Medley, Deanious & More — Friday @ Mod Club
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Saturday

The Headliner: Major Lazer, Drop The Lime & Sinden — Saturday @ Sound Academy
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The Opener: Azari & III — Saturday @ Wrongbar
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The Opener: Minor Modes, Brandon Sek, DMT — Saturday @ The Social
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The Opener: Sylvermayne & Paul Revered — Saturday @ Blondie’s
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The Closer: Ahmet Sendil, Subfractal & More — Saturday @FootWork
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The Major Leagues

April 15, 2010

It was in the excitement of preparing musically for the Major Lazer show next weekend that I stumbled upon something quite tantalizing. What I stumbled upon was the Tony Senghore remix of Major Lazer’s when you hear the bassline, disguised by some obscure title on my computer but instantly recognizable. Dance Area (the prototype of the Erol Alkan / Boys Noize collaborative project) remixed this almost a whole year ago and set the bar high enough that only someone as brilliant as Senghore could reach and surpass it.

Senghore is a bottomless pit of creativity and technical know how – a dangerous combination that comes along with his 13+ years of experience. He’s been around long enough to inspire the likes of Style of Eye among others, which means that I already have an instant bias in favor of his output but I think this remix more than warrants the praise that I give it. Quite far removed from the basis of the original song, Senghore’s slight contortion of the vocals alone is enough to make me melt into the tune which simply can’t be defined in any one genre. In my opinion it’s much more of an interpretation than a remix, which will probably leave many die hard Major Lazer fans on the fence about this one. Enjoy.

Major Lazer – When You Hear The Bassline (Tony Senghore Remix)

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Tony Senghore | myspace | beatport

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Musica Boriqua

December 19, 2009

Dancehall

There is a certain vibe that is spreading across electroTO-land, much like the plague. It takes the name of several 25-cent monikers, but needs to be felt rather than superficially classified. It embodies a number of essential house elements, but fuses this sound with an idea that is far more exotic — far more tropical. The sound was almost shoved into the mainstream with the Diplo & Switch collabo known as Major Lazer, and has proceeded to evolve into a number of variations.

The Philip Bader remix (and Renaissance Man edit) of Nur Mal Kurz was a track that we kinda stumbled upon, much more than were seeking out, and serves as an important example of this trending form of house music. The tribal bongos, authentic claps, and soothing conga rhythm that settles in is truly foreign, and will do wonders for your musical collection.

Nicone and Sascha Braemer – Nur Mal Kurz (Philip Bader Remix) [RM Edit]

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TheVamp

Philip Bader | myspace

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What’s Good Wednesday!?

October 7, 2009

Crookers

The Thanksgiving edition of What’s Good Wednesday gives us plenty to be thankful for in the world of electronic music. Peep the top-notch event list below, and be sure to enjoy the fruits of electronic labour, in addition to the heaps of turkey and stuffing. Much Love.

The Headliner: Crookers & Major Lazer — Sunday @ Guvernment

On my 13th birthday, my folks were gracious enough to plan a surprise party for me, where they invited a whole group of my closest friends, and we jammed out until about 11:30pm. When the Guvernment Nightclub turns 13 this upcoming Sunday, they too will invite their closest friends (all 5000 of them), and jam out — to both the Crookers, and Major Lazer — arguably the two biggest DJ duos in dance music today. This is an absolutely world class bill, an opportunity to see two of the most skilled tandems in the industry, and would be well worth the relatively steep investment.

Click here for more details.

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The Opener: In Flagranti — Friday @ The Social

In a huge event that flew somewhat under the radar, The Social welcomes the New York City duo, In Flagranti, a personal favorite of us here at electroTO. Thanks to Night Track & Undiscovery for this — “The duo have recorded, remixed and edited some of the most fucked-up, amazing dance releases on their own Codek Records label, as well as DFA, Rong, Kitsune, RVNG, Mindless Boogie, and the list goes on and on. In Flagranti have just released their second album Brash & Vulgar which can only be described as an irreverent balance of disco, sex, dirt, distortion and tounge-in-cheek humor, all wrapped up in a gritty 70’s aesthetic.” — This is going to be massive.

Click here for more details.

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The Opener: Rusko w/ Bombaman & More — Friday @ The Mod Club

Christopher Mercer aka Rusko, a production ace for Mad Decent, Downtown, Fabric, among many others will be featured in the latest installment of Arcade Friday’s at The Mod Club. Rusko has been described as, “Dr Dre, Timbaland and Switch all rolled into one with a serious overdose of bass.” Boom. Add to this, that there will be an afterparty at the Factory Loft, hosted by our good friends at The Factory — prepare to get slapped in the face with bass.

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The Opener: Meech w/ Golden Gloves, Bordello & More — Sat. @ The Social

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Mee-eeeech. Happy Birthday to you. How better to celebrate the day of birth of Mr. Michel Fournier, than by reaching The Social, and checking out some of the city’s finest talent. With our homies Bordello, Golden Gloves, and the man himself, all set to hit the decks — this one will get outta control in a hurry. Get there early to witness all the action.

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The Opener: Barletta — Saturday @ Wrongbar

Thanks FAK for this — “Barletta’s latest EP, Whisper is coming out on Tremendous Records/Last Gang on September 29th as a Beatport Exclusive before it goes to the rest of the planet on Oct 20, 2009.” — Reach Wrongbar on your Saturday night for the exclusive drops from the man himself.

Click here for more details.

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The Closer: Harvard Bass — Sunday @ Drake Underground

In our humble opinion, bearing in mind that the Crookers and Major Lazer are in town, this could well be the biggest event of the weekend. Harvard Bass, of the widely celebrated Sound Pellegrino Recording label will grace the Drake Underground, and treat the people to some of the most epic pieces of aural stimulation that we have heard in quite some time. The sheer quality of everything this dude touches is beyond remarkable, and we are giddy over the opportunity to see him live. Scour our blog for some sample work, as he has been featured on this space more than once.

Click here for more details.

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Much Love and Happy TG,

TheVamp

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Lazer Quest

June 18, 2009

Major Lazer

In mid-April, when Laidback Luke was in town, he dropped a track that made the crowd erupt in a way that is seldom seen in North America, let alone Toronto. Being in attendance, we quickly huddled and established that we had heard the track in a few very rare instances. We eventually concluded that it was a product of the Diplo and Switch collabo, which is now widely known as “Major Lazer”.

The track we heard that day was “Pon De Floor”, and it officially appeared on Major Lazer’s full length album that dropped earlier this week, by the name of “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do”. Pon De Floor is the ideal summer ‘jam-out’ track, and should be firmly slotted near the top of every playlist you and yours listen to. Enjoy.

Major Lazer- Pon De Floor (Feat. Vybz Kartel)

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The Vamp

Major Lazer | myspace | facebook | turntable lab

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If The Glove Don’t Fit

June 15, 2009

Golden Gloves
Photo: Ryan Cohen

We can count ourselves lucky for two reasons. First, we are lucky because home-grown electronic talent from the Toronto area is expanding far beyond the shadow cast by MSTRKRFT, and these DJ/Producers are making their names heard through their quality work. Second, we are lucky because these up-and-coming producers are willing to show love to independent blogs from the GTA, so that their fans can truly embrace their music.

There is no better example of this than Toronto’s own Golden Gloves– the duo of Benny Bumpdatsh*t! and Cowiebunga.  Though they come from diverse musical backgrounds, they have come together to create a dominant DJ/production team that has catapulted onto the electro scene.

It would seem that this duo have locked themselves in the studio as of late, and it has paid off large dividends. Here at ElectroTO, we’ve been blown away by GG’s collaboration with John Roman (posted a while back),  as well as their remix of Major Lazer’s “Hold The Line” (which might be the best of the batch so far). So you can imagine how excited we were to find their newest production Pick Up The Slack in our drop box today.

The track has been described as having a “Dutch house” feel, and we can honestly say we’re feeling it 100%. Simply put, the track is massive. The catchy harmony, the bouncy bassline, and the well-timed drops have all the makings of a d-floor smasher.

Also, you can check out GG at the Time Festival in Toronto on July 25th alongside Canadian talents like A-Trak, Felix Cartal, Barletta etc. We will be in attendance– losing our minds, of course. If you want to join us, check out the line up and grab tickets HERE. Without further adieu, straight from Golden Gloves, here it is:

Golden Gloves – Pick Up The Slack (Original Mix)

Golden Gloves | myspace | facebook

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