I can tell you, I FUXWITHIT. I plan to road trip down from Toronto and “bass bathe” to the incredible lineup.

Some acts that stand out this year are Flying Lotus, Ritchie Hawtin, Chris Lake, ANNA, Claude Vonstroke, GriZ, Maceo Plex, Gorgon City, Dom Dolla, and Joe Kay. 2 Chainz is headlining, which speaks to the hip hop culture of Detroit; I wonder what ‘most expensivest’ shenanigans he’ll get up to. There’s also a buffet of local underground Detroit DJs that are worth a deep dive.

Curious about the music that will be bumping the soundsystems of this year’s cream of the crop? Check out our Movement 2022 FUXWITHIT playlist to catch the vibe.

The post Bump These Beats: Our Movement 2022 Playlist appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Food, art, and vibes were the hook that drew an eclectic and harmonious mix of people – artists and insiders, hardcore partiers, weekend warriors, and curious adventurers. Tasteful decoration and unique artistic touches made it an immersive experience (as Summerdaze is known to do).

The music was consistently banging and by the time night fell the place was packed with people getting down for the last – or for some, the first – time that weekend.

We’ll keep you posted on the next one, in case you decide over brunch that you’re not finished just yet.

Enjoy the photos below, and follow Summerdaze on Facebook for the first look at new info.

The post We kicked off the party season with Summerdaze (and it rocked) appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

… or you could slip in a cheeky afternoon session of house, techno, and live disco courtesy of the party masters at Summerdaze.

They’re decking out the wicked event space at Steam Whistle and curating grooves that’ll give the streaming sunshine just a little extra “oomph”.

A preview of the space

In the mix are Burning Man vets Bedouin (U.S.A.), techno hippie Oliver Dollar (Berlin) , deep house OG Marques Wyatt (U.S.A.) and some live mother-lovin disco from local 7-piece act Mainline.

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The thang starts at 2pm and ends in time to get a decent night’s sleep.

Tickets start at $20 and you can snap ’em up here. See you there.

The post Your Grown-Up Party Option This Weekend is Summerdaze appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Aldous Huxley famously described the brain’s function as that of a reducing valve, and on entering the massive space one’s mind had to do an awful lot of reducing to process what it was seeing. Lavish, splashy lasers illuminating the building’s vertigo-inducing size. Light sculptures and live art lending a festival vibe to the mix. And freaking mini-pong. Cmon. All this centered around a heat-generating dance floor with booming vibes provided by Dirty Decibels and Desert Hearts.  [PICS BELOW]

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It’s hard to fathom the immense scale of planning that goes into an event like this – everything from accessible washrooms to city permits have to be arranged and negotiated. Extra-big ups are due here to Summerdaze and their incontrovertible commitment to pushing the boundaries of a good party; they have the good habit of teaming up with other promoters to make sure the scale of their events reaches beyond expectations (we’ve been to a few of their events before and each time it’s a new sensory experience). It’s likely that this was a once-in-a-decade event; the building is slated to become Bellwoods Brewery’s second brew spot in the spring.

That’s sad news for the 500+ people, present company included, who had a freaking good time whooping it up late into the chilly night at 950 Dupont St.

Keep in touch with other dope events from these fine party purveyors at the links below.

SummerDaze | Dirty Decibels | Desert Hearts

Photos below taken by the talented Neil Austen for FUXWITHIT.

*Statistically likely data inferred from Toronto’s Neighbourhood Profile data

Dirty Decibels

Dirty D's

We <3 light sculptures

mini PONG

Deep Jesus

Warm enough..

Live painting by Chris TQT

There's always room

big big big

Photo by Neil Austen for FUXWITHIT

Photo by Neil Austen for FUXWITHIT

Photo by Neil Austen for FUXWITHIT

The post Cool Space, Warm Vibes: City Hearts Warehouse Party a Nice Surprise appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Without question, plenty of minimal, progressive music can be found in so-called ‘underground’ scenes around the world, but often overlooked are producers who touch on all the right elements, composing and producing music that is undeniably for dancing but reaches far past the usual confines of typical EDM crowds, appealing to lovers of music in general. Music that provides familiarity for fans of more typical dance music styles while achieving uniqueness in its explorative nature and composition, lifting it above similar styles that would otherwise be considered its peers and widening the breadth of our collective expectations when we consider what ‘good’ music should sounds like.

In any conversation about beautiful, explorative electronic music, Bonobo is a name that must be mentioned.

Simon Green, aka Bonobo is an English-born multi-instrumentalist, producer and performer. He has released 5 full-length studio albums on the well known UK label Ninja Tune (with a 6th album just announced to be released in 2016), and continues to develop his truly unique, lush sound with each new offering. While many producers find a specific niche or scene to create within, Bonobo is an artist that is constantly pushing boundaries and finding new and creative ways to keep evolving his unmistakeable sound. At his core, Bonobo is a talented composer with a great ear for unique tone and arrangement who utilizes digital production technology to take his music to the next level. While some producers rely on digital production to create any sound at all, Bonobo uses it to further push and develop music that often finds its beginning in the natural world.

Because the energy created on his five official releases ranges from chill, slow and sombre to upbeat and bass-weighty, there is surely something here that any music lover will enjoy; And this is not to mention his countless EP’s, remix albums (featuring a litany of talented producers from all corners of the dance music world, many of which are his Ninja Tune brethren) and live performance DVD’s, featuring his (extremely talented) live-band reproducing, and in some cases reinterpreting many of his compositions.

Music like this is a shining example of the possibilities created by electronic music production, and can serve as a welcomed reminder that ‘dance’ music isn’t all womp’s and wub’s and endless 4-to-the-floor beats. In all music, creating, building and controlling intensity and energy is the key to captivating an audience. Bonobo’s music serves as proof that there is no single way to accomplish this, and that much of the beauty created is found in the pursuit itself.

Check out a few of Bonobo’s legendary Boiler Room Sets HERE and HERE.

The post Bass Boost v.6 – Bonobo appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

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 on padded white couches under fancy coloured lighting? Go right ahead. Want to clear your mind and breathe deep for a bit? Show up for the guided sound therapy session. Is reclining in a reserved booth something you want to do? Do it. Feeling tight in the muscles or the spirit? Pop into a massage or reiki healing booth. Wanna lose yourself in the ritual of dance under a jungle canopy surrounded by pseudo-nude simians? That’s there for you. Feel like pissing in a porta-potty? Knock yourself out. (Warehouse logistics: The mind reels..)

The two huge rooms in the ex-furniture warehouse space were bumping a wicked mash of tunes until sunrise. The back room had house and techno and tribal rhythms in steady rotation, and the main room provided a much-needed break from four-to-the-floor styles with funky bass house, future bass, hip hop and even live rap.

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LOVE IS A PLACE YOU GO TOGETHER

The organizers seemed to have a grander theme in mind than cut-loose solipsistic debauchery. When you get the right people together and headed in the same direction, you go somewhere. The ‘Place’ I’m talking about was most clear during and immediately after what was billed as ‘sound therapy’; a combination of group meditation and free-association sound wall.

Hundreds of people participated under the jungle canopy, seated at first as soaring voices, trilling chants, drums and fire all wove together in unison. The thing swelled into a fierce drum-driven dance, and the audio transmorphed into a swilling, ethereal electronic soundscape that lasted the better part of half an hour.

Just listen to ^this^ recording right here. I mean, jesus… this chord progression was going on for at least eight minutes on end, just pouring and pouring out of a dozen speakers at a volume that disabled cogent thought and left you with no other feasible option but to hug someone – anyone – while you daisy-skip in a psychedelic place of peace and serenity.

And that’s the crux of it: This party was not meant to be taken at face value. It was designed from the ground-up to bridge regular and open-minded people to inspiration, uplift, catharsis through experience; not just indulgent distraction. The jungle theme, the sounds, the voices, the art… it all pointed towards something, and not just to the music or dancing; those things pointed, too.

In the wild, love is free. The nature of real love is self-generating surplus: you give it out and it comes right back to you. It’s in the air, and it comes in through the ears then out through the body – I think that’s what Michael from Lovelution meant about dance being a pure expression of love. It makes you feel good on a macro level – about who you’ve been, who you are, who you want to be.

LOVELUTION: ROLE MODELS FOR LOVE

In a time where music and the rituals around it are muddled by metaphor and doublespeak and presumption, Lovelution cuts to the chase. They strike right at the heart of it (pun intended). There’s no insinuation or bullshittery, just straight up love.

Lovelution seems to be made up of people with fewer layers between their selves and the cosmic. Unburnished by mundanity, these people are leading a growing tribe of like-hearted people to better and more peaceful places. They are, frankly, much-needed role models for love.

A funny thing happens when good role models are around: people pick up on it. They shape up. Mirror neurons are activated and they learn by watching. Monkey see, monkey love. This changes the vibe of things in a foundational way: There’s still dancing and smiling and catching people’s eye, but the interactions that spring from there are more authentic and open and, dare I say it, human.

Ego dismantles and shame dissolves and you find yourself speaking sentences that begin with “I feel” and “I learned” and “I love”.

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THE COMPLICATED DICHOTOMY BETWEEN CLUB TYPES AND HIPPIES

Ultimately, not everybody can feel liberated by demonstrations of love. Some brief words need to be said about the barometric pressure change from between 11pm-1am with the influx and subsequent outflow of what one could oversimplify as Club Types.

As the rooms became diluted with newcomers who hadn’t yet absorbed the themes of the night, there were more than a few funny faces.

Don’t get me wrong – this wasn’t some Warriors-style rivalry or anything, but the tension was palpable and one cringes at the idea of the vitriolic self-protective judgment that comes from across the dividing line of lifestyle choices between these two camps (from one side maybe more than the other).

What FIVE+ was getting up to there, in the warehouse’s back space, was a clearly-advertised attempt at united celebration, which makes the disdain even more unfounded. Berating peoples’ honest effort at loving togetherness with no further claim to superiority than the fact that you tied your own wingtips and used your pinkie to swipe yourself a surge-price Uber is adolescent in an unsettling way. Self-respect is a fickle thing…

LOVE IS A SMALL SPACE BETWEEN SURRENDER AND FEAR

In all, FIVE+ NYE was a peacock-feathered success, and introduced a lot of people to the awesome vibery combo of Lovelution, Summerdaze, Provoke, Bespoke.Experience, and Way of Acting.

It also set the tone for an inspired leap across calendar years, even if it culminated in the sad but entertaining scene of seething clubbers bitching about Hippies through gritted teeth while paying for armloads of Lays and Gatorade by credit card at one of the few convenience stores still open late into the night.

Here’s to 2016, and a new normal.

The post FIVE+ NYE: The Party So Fun It Didn’t Feel Like New Year’s appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

“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 whole thing’s become an addiction now – hosting these events, having performers in from all over the world. It’d be really tough to give it up.”

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“It starts with the artist…”
HouseAddict has a reputation of authenticity, and Chris says that starts with the talent they book: “It just so happens a lot of the performers that play that style of music are really genuine people – they really are artists. When you bring them to the jam and people come, it’s reflected in the music and their personalities.”

Then, it’s up to HouseAddict to add the local vibe; “We try to provide that blend, that duct to translate it to the Toronto underground.”

“…then you bring it to the right venue…” 
Once you pass the usual siren-and-ambulance-laden ruckus outside Sneaky Dees at the corner of College and Bathurst, you reach The Den, ground floor of Nest. Coloured uplighting and eclectic decor beckon you in to further explore the 50’s era jukebox, ornate chairs, faux-Persian rugs, and the stray (or is it hip?) ladder leaning against the exposed brick intersecting the dance floor.

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“…and the right people.”
A quick scan of the crowd at any moment is a picture of diversity: Early-twenties hip kids, pushing-forty weekend warriors, and all manner of hipster, artist, entrepreneur and social butterfly in between. This kind of gumbo soup is a tribute to the broad appeal of house music and its many sub-genres. “It makes for an interesting party, that’s for sure.”

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The equation works, and HouseAddict doesn’t show any signs of kicking the habit anytime soon.

And now, the story of the night from a house beginner’s perspective.

City Kid Soul & the Initiation of the Dance Floor

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The in-crowd was still mingling over cask beer and meat skewers when City Kid Soul began preheating the dance floor around 10pm. While it’s nice that sometimes the dance floor’s not the center of the universe, a party’s not really a party till the dancing starts (in my opinion, at least). Gradually the music got deeper and harder, until the pure power of dance rose up and drove a handful of people to catalyze the use of hardwood real estate.

Being the first person on the dance floor “feels amazing,” said a tall chocolate man named Christian (of Salacious Sound) during a water break from his dexterous dancing. “You get to be the soul of it, and you just get out there and have people feel it.” He was all smiles, all night as people percolated to the floor alongside him to communicate joy with their legs.

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A post shared by HouseAddict (@imahouseaddict)

Simon Jain & The Rock Star

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Simon Jain slid onto the decks not long after 11. He kept up the smooth, rolling vibes for a minute and then steered things downwards in altitude towards the deepest of deep. I mean submarine deep. The persistent thump-thump-thump-ing swelled and surrounded the floor in a self-consciousness-disabling muck, resembling big deep footsteps through giant wet puddles.

Directionally the music again went up, up, and barrel-rolled downwards into a synth-and-bleep-laden land I’ll call Adventure House – it’s what you hear on a dance adventure, a march into the Magic Music Forest of the Future, where huge shadow creatures chop lumber and time lasers ahead in a jetstream.

Or maybe it’s just called Tech-House. I don’t know.

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Tube and/or Berger

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At 1 am a guy got on the decks and people cheered. This subtle entry is typical of house events, I’m learning – and very much the opposite of bass shows where brash emcees holler “WHAT THE FUCK IS UP, TORONTO?!” into the microphone as a zany neon name flashes on a projection screen behind them. A quick poll of the crowd sussed out that this was, indeed, the currently-touring half of Tube & Berger. But which one was it: Tube, or Berger? Nobody knew. But on we danced.

Days of dogged research later turned up the fact that the person on stage was ‘Tube’ (AKA Arndt Rörig), though by that point it didn’t matter: Whoever was playing on Saturday, the place was packed. At full volume, the man in the booth had people on lock, tapped into the music and cheering often. He was conversing with the waving masses through the music, and catered to the diverse crowd with what I’m told is ‘old-school’ house. All of it was cool, groovy, and uplifting.

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A Long Night, A Burger

I was pooped from being early to the dance floor, so I hung around till this song then took my tired ass out of there at 2am.

All that talk of ‘Berger’ had made me hungry.

The post Music, People, Dance: Celebrating HouseAddict’s 12th Birthday appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

The post Refresh Your Feels This Saturday w/ Tube & Berger appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

What follows here is a photographic journey through the City Hearts Toronto, hosted by the gregarious Desert Hearts collective.

There was loads of lounging and chattering outside when I arrived at 28 Logan Ave just before midnight. The building was not obvious to navigate – I waited in a non-line for 10 minutes next to the smoker’s door before finding a real entrance. The Cop Game across the street looked more like a skater posse than a mob of authority; they eyed partygoers the way Coyote would eye Roadrunner. Meep.

Entering the funky space, there were funky people and funky things to do. You could feel and hear the vibrant thumping of the AlienInFlux sound system in the main room next door.

The Main Room: Space to dance and swing and lounge and chat and connect and contemplate art. The walls themselves seemed to say, ‘This is a place where it’s Free to Be, to open your minds and get absolutely freaked.’

Most people weren’t in costume so much as wearing ‘expressive clothing’… except for Wonder Woman, who doubled as a masseuse for the night.

“We gotta spread the message – Love. It’s all about that.” Desert Hearts co-founder Mikey Lion said on the dance floor after he carooned some fluttery four-to-the-floor on the decks.
“True. So do you like dubstep?” I ventured.
“Not really. We’re pretty strict – militant – house and techno heads. We throw a festival in the desert every year and it’s 100 hours of house and techno. It’s all one stage, one crowd, one vibe.”

Thank god for coppers. It’s my publicly stated opinion that whoever’s taking a dip, dap or dab to ratchet themselves into consciousness-expanding bliss is a sordid, guilty fuck and should be tackled immediately and incarcerated to the maximum. (My private opinion is the opposite.)

Shortly after Italian tech-house duo Nice7 took the reins, the crowd was a growing frenzy of whoops and cheers. “What are we cheering for?” my brother Rob shouted. “Life!” was the reply. The sound swelled over a buildup and by the time it dropped we were all already off our heads.

“When beautiful girls are dancing, everything changes for a DJ. We try to make the girls a-happy, because when the girls is happy the mans is happy, and everyone’s happy!” – Cesare Marocco, Nice7

LEFT – Mikey Lion: “That’s my little brother up there – Pork Chop”.
Me: “Oh really?” (fumbling to get my phone out and correct the Instagram post in which I declared that it was Deep Jesus ‘keeping things noisy’.) “He’s nailing it. Must be nice to roll with family.”
ML: “Yeah man.”
RIGHT – The only known photo of Marbs, due to the fact that anybody holding a camera is faced with the affliction of being tacked to the dance floor by dirty techno beats.

The crowd was a tangled blur of limb and shadow, moving in ecstatic syncopated rhythm.

Music and love inspires art and movement. (You can see the result of this live painting here)

As Lee Reynolds closed out the night, I realized that what makes the Desert Hearts message of Love so convincing is that they actually live it – it’s a rare moment when somebody’s not hugging, high fiving, sharing ecstatic conversations, amping each other up, chatting with guests and asking peoples’ names… in short, they are using their friendship, music, and charming personalities as a platform to demonstrate – literally teach – people how to be loving.

This was the last stop for the Desert Hearts crew before they flew out to Burning Man the next day. The collective feedback on the city reads like an eBay review: Toronto was fucking awesome. A++. Will come again.   

City Hearts on Facebook
Desert Hearts on Soundcloud
SummerDaze on Facebook

All photos by Kevin G for FUXWITHIT

The post Toronto Loves City Hearts (And Vice Versa) appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

However familiar you are with the first two terms, no doubt you are very much so with the third: It’s this universal theme that is the backbone of California-grown collective Desert Hearts’ growth and evolution over the last three years, and it’s certainly what’s taking them to District 28 in Toronto on Saturday Aug 29th as the last leg – and only Canadian stop – on their City Hearts tour. The vibes go till 5am – late enough to be called Sunday morning, no? Music will be handcrafted by the Desert Hearts crew as well as Italian headliners Nice7.

Desert Hearts was born to fulfill the desire of founder Mikey Lion to spread love and positive energy through music after being inspired by an innocent trip to the renowned and notorious Burning Man … and thusly was a three-day desert festival born in the burgeoning San Diego music scene, and subsequently grown up to tour the love vibe in between bigger events: Toronto is their last stop before, fittingly, venturing on to Burning Man.

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What is Love, you ask? And how do I Bring it? It’s simple: Show up and be your best and most wildest self, fly your freak flag proudly (costuming is encouraged), and smile a lot. And hug people. Basically feel free to have a good fucking time and be up for helping others do the same. Is that too much to ask? Don’t come if it is. 

And this is the point of curating vibes: Attracting the right people is key, community is key. Gag all you want at House and Techno – some music’s not for everybody, so don’t show up… But if you like the music and bristle at the word ‘Love’, then stay home too — lest you show up and be met with Radical Acceptance and get smothered with hugs and enchanting smiles. Could there be a worse thing? (For a love-hating miser, yeah, but we won’t get into that here…)

The signs are obvious, people – There’s a wild thing happening on Saturday and if you’re at all inclined to the festival world or feel a bit freaky at all, then turn your shit up to a peacock feathered 11 and cop a ticket. If you’ve read this far, you know you want to.

Get a sampling of the vibes by checking out the short recap video from the City Hearts SF event.

The Facebook event is here, with tons of positivity and links to buy tickets.

FYI, The outdoor SummerDaze portion starts at 2pm, for you marathoners of the sun-soaked soundwaves.

See you there, freaky people.

The post Curated Vibes at City Hearts this Saturday appeared first on FUXWITHIT.