For more than a decade before Valentine’s Day 2016, the 1,500 square foot glass-walled warehouse at the corner of Dupont and Dovercourt occupied its quiet place in the world as a furniture warehouse. Then, for one night only, it took on a new role: party central for City Hearts Toronto. Aldous Huxley famously described the brain’s function as that of a…
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As the musicking arm of the multidisciplinary Stööki art collective, Stööki Sound’s tight branding and meticulously crafted sound are delivering an immersive experience to every face their bass blows off. Jelacee and DJ Lukey, the lads that comprise the London-based production & DJ duo, pride themselves on their ability to read a room. They know the ins and outs of…
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FIVE+ NYE was a fresh scene for Toronto’s West end: a gathering of people unweighted by the usual shame and stress that underpin the keep-up cultures of fashion, capital-a Art, and club land. Five organizing groups collaborated on the Amazon-themed event, and the result was an eclectic fusion of white collar club and underground bohemian. Feel like eating gourmet dishes…
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The New Year’s Eve Decision is a gong show. Toronto doesn’t know how many bars and clubs it has until the NYE party lists come out. Lucky for you, we have a simple decision-making test for at least one of them: FIVE+ NYE, a forward-thinking music experience from the hearts and minds of SummerDaze, Lovelution, and Bespoke.Experience. FIVE+ NYE MIGHT BE…
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When was the last time your Sunday sounded like this? (click the text) It was 8pm and I had just checked my expectations at the door at SummerDaze’s festive HoliDaze charity event. Almost immediately I found myself staring with growing awe at a thrush of shadowy bodies gyrating to a rhythmic beat in the dimly lit warehouse space; eventually I…
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A Dozen Years of House Addiction “The key to longevity is good relationships.” This is according to Chris McKean, co-founder, and in recent times the sole torchbearer of, Toronto’s party-producing HouseAddict. The obviously house-focused outfit celebrated a dozen years of throwing events with a well-attended bash at The Den last Saturday. After all this time, Chris’ drive comes from more than the music: “The…
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A note before we talk about this event: Primarily I’m a bass head and hip-hop fan, but I believe in house music. There’s a special mental (and emotional) state you get into after an hour and a half of bobbing your head to what feels like the same f-ing beat.. It’s called clarity, and in it you appreciate the subtleties…
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First, Drake made it okay to feel. His embrace of emotion as subject matter made it a relief to listen to songs like ‘Lord Knows‘ off 2011’s Take Care (“I know that showin’ emotion don’t ever mean I’m a pussy“). He’s always held a reasonable standard of raw honesty in his tracks, and this made him a relatable human. Now…
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Hip-hop and dubstep have threads in common: Boom-bap rhythm, prominent basslines, and an inherent “up yours” attitude. You might even bring the same things to a show: Bandanas, earplugs, sleeveless shirts, cash, a notebook for all those phone numbers you’ll get for wearing a Toronto Is Everything tee. Shucks, you might even remember the last time you scrambled into (or out of)…
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A house in the hills, bottles in the club, booty on a yacht – if you want it, you just gotta ask. That’s what the Pennsylvania native comedian-cum-rapper Lil Dicky proves in his video for the appropriately titled track “$ave Dat Money” (featuring Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan) off his 2015 release Professional Rapper. At a time when rappers…
