“We’re doing it for a good cause, but we might say fuck it and turn all the way up on a Wednesday!”

-Grandtheft

The best nights are the spontaneous ones. Sure, it may throw you off the following morning, especially if you have to work since it’s only the middle of the week. However, at times it can be for a good cause, along with some of the best memories.

Grandtheft and Embrace had a massive turn-out at The Velvet Underground for their event, Relief – which was only announced a day in advance, and with very little promotion compared to other events going on in the city. Nonetheless, the venue was packed well before midnight, and there were really no set times – just upwards of 10 different artists, from Strangerman to Pusher to JayemKayem to Skratch Bastid to Keys N Krates‘ turntablist Jr Flo to Hunter Siegel to Shaun Frank to Grandtheft himself, between 4 CDJs and 2 turntables – spinning one after the other (sometimes together) for 4 straight hours as one crazy back-to-back-to-back-to-back, with free reign over what was played. There were also a few appearances by Delaney Jane, who was on the mic singing her collaborative songs with Grandtheft and Shaun. Overall, the party vibe very much resembled that of Hunter Siegel’s No Neon series.

The set starts off with some funky disco samples, to help groove/warm up the crowd as people were trickling in to the venue at a moderately fast pace. As the first hour progressed, the vibes already started getting much harder. We were bestowed with trap, hip-hop, future house and bass house alike, as well as classics like Daft Punk’s ‘Around the World‘. Whatever it was, it was always a song to ensure the energy was kept high until the very end. There was even a solid segment of dubstep, which caused the room to go absolutely bonkers for a solid 10-15 minutes.

At intermittent moments, Delaney would cause a break in the madness to spread some inspirational words to the crowd, which further lifted everyone’s spirits. At one point, she even admitted to having never crowdsurfed, and the crowd fully supported her and helped her float around the room.

There were some repeat tracks, as is to be expected in such an occurrence – A$AP Ferg & Future‘s ‘I’m on a New Level‘ played at least 3 times; Travis Scott‘s ‘Antidote‘ dropped a couple of times as well. More than once, I hollered out “BAYBEEEEEEEEEH” in unison with Ferg’s ‘Work REMIX’.

After the b2b concluded, a few artists and Delaney turned to the mic and gave praise to those who turned out, and took a moment to talk about the devastation left behind by Hurricane Maria, not too long ago. All the proceeds from that night went to Global Giving and International Relief Teams, to give aid to Puerto Rico.

The event left us all energized afterwards, which felt sort of weird, yet rejuvenating for a mid-week evening. Nonetheless, knowing that proceeds were going towards helping Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, we felt like it was very justified, helping out fellow human beings. If this were to happen again, or even become a series based on good intentions, I’m sure that the cityfolk would most definitely be down to help show some support once more.

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This event will take place at Velvet Underground (Queen St. W) on October 11th, and is set to help raise funds for two charities – Global Giving and International Relief Teams, who will be receiveing all proceeds. The roster consists of some local all-stars, including Grandtheft himself, Delaney Jane, Hunter Siegel, Skratch Bastid, Keys N Krates, and likely some special guests as well, for the perfect mid-week turn-up to help out a great cause. You can buy tickets via TicketWeb, and RSVP on Facebook. Join us for a night of good will and good times!

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Stream below and grab the free download.

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50. Brasstracks – Good Love (Ft. Jay Prince) 

2015 was a massive breakout year for Brasstracks. The Brooklyn duo’s blend of live horns and drums incorporated into their forward thinking production style made them a favourite online. With the release of their debut EP, Good Love, they cemented their status as one of the best new artists out.  And the project’s title track led the way. With UK emcee Jay Prince, they created a feel good anthem that effortlessly embodied a classic boom-bap sound with a modern leaning. This is what quality hip-hop sounds like in 2016.     

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49. Lotus – Eat the Light

Lotus released a very much anticipated album that shared the name with their single ‘Eat the Light’. This genre-bending band with robust electronic roots and dank jam band ancestors fulfilled the prophecies and produced a stellar addition to their discography. ‘Eat the Light’ is a great example of this instrumental focused jam-band, electro-menagerie and is a frisky boogie down. Being so experimental doesn’t comprise Lotus’s organic sound that seems to be ushering them into a secure future amongst both alternative and electronic music fans. You can see Lotus on tour through the end of this month, and the winter keeping it cozy through the Midwest of the USA, and then they will be coming in hot for Electric Forest in June 2017. Got all that?

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48. Bonzai – Where Are U Now

Bonzai’s ‘Where Are U Now’ is a masterclass in juxtaposition. The blend of deep and dark bass provide a perfect backdrop for Bonzai’s captivating vocals. The sirens in the background take you to a dreary street corner in London, but when the drop hits, it’s a completely 180. Magical flute sounds and majestic vocal chops transport you to a grassy meadow. As it drifts between these polar opposites, your emotions are flipped on their head several times over. ‘Where Are U Now’ is a bi-polar beauty.

47. 6LACK – PRBLMS

The R&B up and comer made a splash in 2016 with his LP Free 6LACK. The intoxicated and dark sound took listeners to familiar territories but 6LACK goes a little deeper with more trap heavy beats and darker stories from the street. The kid from Zone 6 (East Atlanta) released his album and immediately the people picked it up and showed love. PRBLMS is a dark, trap&b joint that has bear listing off his problems with women and his newfound fame. Produced by Nova, the beat weaves around 6LACK’s voice and you can tell the kid has some singing chops as he harmonizes the dark tale. Clearing the top 50, PRBLMS gets a well deserved #47.

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46. Flosstradamus, FKi 1st, graves – Came Up ft. Post Malone & Key!

Trap legends Flosstradamus connected with up and comers FKi 1st and graves and added in Post Malone & Key! for the celebratory anthem ‘Came Up’. If defied genres, killed crowds and served as the 2016 soundtrack to success. Backed by a video that showcased Flosstradamus come up, this record is their public statement and reminder that they made it. The hopeful sound also serves as reminder that you can to. Inspiring and turnt? Now that’s a combination we can get behind.  

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45. Dillon Francis x NGHTMRE – Need You

Every year there’s numerous articles written about why this year is the year that Moombahton will return. 2016 didn’t see the genre’s return as a whole, but ‘Need You’ put Moombahton back on every main stage and club. The tracks sees Dillon Francis departing from his recent EDM sound and taking it back to the midtempo range he built his name on. Connecting with one of the hottest producers of the year in NGHTMRE, they set this one on fire. This track served as the go to for any DJ who wanted to take things up a notch and reminded us how ill Dillon Francis can be.

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44. Joey Bada$$ – Devastated

Joey took some heat from fans of his gritty sound for this, but ‘Devastated’ is one of the best records Bada$$ has released in a minute. It’s a feel good summer tune that’s celebratory and uplifting. It’s the classic tale of overcoming self doubt and haters with a fresh sound. Plus it’s great to hear Joey return to the slightly smoother, less aggressive flow. This is top down cruising, pool parties and champagne toasts. Even if you aren’t living lavish ‘Devasted’ makes you feel that you are… or at least will be soon. Even if the feeling only lasts three and half minutes, you can always hit repeat.

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43. Bro Safari – Reality

‘Reality’ is a song that Bro Safari released fall of this year that demonstrated his style of trap that is heavily infused with darker elements of bass music. The plunging drops, and erotic thrashing synths keep this song smoldering while his choice in vocalist stay fairy-like. You may have been able to catch him on THE PRETTY GOOD TOUR which has new dates to be announced. Add in the visually stunning video and this was a clear standout, proving Bro Safari has still got it. 

42. Solange – Cranes in the Sky

Any younger siblings knows what it’s like to live in an older sibling’s shadow, but this is some other level type of stuff: Solange Knowles is Beyoncé’s baby sister. There must be a gene for being a serene songtress, and a knack for creating thought provoking lyrics in that family. ‘Cranes in the Sky’ is the first single off of Solange’s sophomore studio album A Seat at the Table. This track’s steady and wholesome percussion nourishes the delicate melody that is carried by Solange’s soft soprano tones. The harmonization of vocals gives off a soulful vibe, but still eerie and languishing. This quirky R&B gem is one of many off of her stunning visual album and will pull you in for the whole ride through. It has been well received and even peaking some mainstream interest after her performance on Saturday Night Live. In 2016 Solange finally stepped out from her sister’s shadow and wow’d the world.

41. Pusher – Clear (Featuring Mothica)

Pusher has been a local favourite for some time in Toronto. With the release of ‘Clear’ featuring Mothica, Pusher took his sound globally. The record has seen great success on Spotify, clocking over 7 million plays to date. It’s not just the popularity that lands it on the list but the overall quality. Pusher is an artist who spent the past few years experimenting across genres. With his New Laces EP he finally carved out his own sound and ‘Clear’ is the cornerstone. The combination of Mothica’s enticing vocals and Pusher’s twinkling synth plucks made this a record that defined summer.

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‘Start Up’ is a brief intro that pulls together a smattering of pop culture samples and computer sounds that includes everything from Pinky and Brain to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Tales From The Cryptkeeper, before ending with a dial-up tone. It’s an intro that has you feeling nostalgic before the music even starts. As the dial tone drifts into ‘Clear’ things truly get underway. Featuring gripping vocals from Mothica, it’s the standout smash that balances a summer-inspired feel with a fresh future bass sound. ‘Fences’ keeps the momentum going with Cappa’s vocals creating a cute, almost naively nice texture. As the vocals are bent, the bottom drops out into a powerful bass-heavy sound with sci-fi influence. Pulling from Pusher’s jazz background comes the irresistible hit ‘Tell You’. Hunnah dances around the twinkling keys creating a feeling of pure ingenuous love. It’s the audio equivalent of summer’s picnic with your first crush. ‘Somehow, Someway’ ventures into a new territory with an indie-electro sound largely thanks to Darren Ashley.That’s not say Pusher doesn’t make it his own with some hefty bass waves. “Shake Down, now shit’s getting shook up,” serves as the perfect description for ‘Shake Down’. It’s a stark contrast to the smooth and alluring sounds before it, but that just makes it even more interesting. With Pusher dubbing it his “personal bad bitch anthem” it’s hard not to love. The project closes with ‘Long Night,’ a strong future-inspired ballad that ties everything together perfectly. New Laces feels like a new chapter for Pusher and I can’t wait to keep reading. Stream it below and grab it on iTunes. For more on the project be sure to check out interview with Pusher below.

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How did you guys connect for ‘Shake Down’?

Push Push: This is why I love the internet. I thiiiiiiink it was Mothica who linked us via a tweet or something and then Marty sent me the track and it was go.

Pusher: I was looking for vocalists for the instrumentals that would become the other songs on New Laces and I came across Nicci on Soundcloud. The first thing that jumped out at me was her name, like “wouldn’t it be funny to have a Pusher ft. Push Push song” and so I checked out her stuff and I was blown away. On top of that I sent her page to some friends and one of them recognized Nicci’s song ‘Atom Bomb’ from an episode of Broad City and I was like “who is this person?! I need to work with her” and fortunately she was into the collaboration as well. Mothica was actually the one who connected us at first.

What were your thoughts when you first received the instrumental?

Push Push: I immediately thought “ok this kid is not fucking around” and sent him some stuff that I’d recorded at the DFA studios on West 13th Street last summer. It just went together really well and he sent me the track back almost like the next day I think.

Pusher what were your thoughts when you got the vocals back?

Pusher: After I initially messaged her and we talked about a song I sent her a demo and kind of didn’t talk again for months actually. I went back to the other tracks and finished them up and when the EP was looking complete I hit her up again and she sent me the vocals exactly the way they are now. I was starting to think maybe it wouldn’t happen (cause why would I be so lucky), but when I got the vocals I knew they were special. They were a complete song and I was so inspired I went back to the instrumental and basically completely changed it and within three or four hours finished it and got to enjoy a rare moment of “this is great, that went so smoothly and I think this is something really special for both of us”. I sent the track to my manager and Nicci and showed my partner Kim and they all seemed to feel the same about it. The only big change I made after that was to add the shaker in the chorus. You can’t have Shake Down without a shaker, right?

How would you describe ‘Shake Down’?

Push Push: I’ve tested it out in my set a couple of times and it’s definitely the song that gets people like, super wild and jumping up and down. It’s the song that gets my blood pumped (lol)

Pusher: It’s my personal bad bitch anthem of 2016. “Used to wait in line now I’m part of the lineup”?! Are you kidding me? That’s how I feel, all summed up in such a clever one-liner.

What do you want people to get out of ‘Shake Down’?

Push Push: I just want people to get hyped when they hear it!

Pusher: I want people to connect with the meaning of the song. I think the meaning is universal, like “I used to have to do all this garbage for other people, now look at where I am compared to that”. I definitely feel it in my career and personal life, and I hope it resonates with everybody out there killing it in their own way, and I hope it can motivate people to stick to whatever they’re working towards as a reminder of how sweet the payoff is when you work hard for something and you finally achieve it.

‘Shake Down’ is the most unique track on the EP. Did you set out to do this purposely?

I had a lot of instrumentals to shop around for the EP, but the one that turned into ‘Shake Down’ was written specifically for Push Push. I think it fits the EP amazingly well because it breaks up the otherwise left-field-pop-song centric arrangements, but it came about just as a way to work with Nicci, who I think has an exceptional personal style. Just being ready and open to the scenario of working with somebody cool is where it came from. Really, the whole EP took shape around the vocalists, even though I started things off with instrumentals. I didn’t want to be like “here’s the track, drop in some vocal and we’re done”, I wanted to shape the tracks around the vocals and create something involved. As they say, 100% of people get their shot, but 99% aren’t prepared to take it.

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