If there was one guy that could brave the Canadian cold and put on a show despite a blizzard, NYE hangover or any other January blahs excuse, it’s Eli Wilkie. And of course B.C. is always the perfect wingman. These two complete madmen put on a show for the EXPOSED hardcore with some kick ass comedy house.
It was a pretty interesting mix of people on the floor for this event. Many thanks to the bringthebeats following that came out to support. Our promotions group and of course our good friends Eli and Brad Copeland definitely appreciated the kick ass energy you all brought to the night.
I’d say the craziest aspect of the party had to be the girl on stage left. People on the stage have been a dilemma throughout our first six months, and to tell you the truth, we’d rather people not be up near the booth.
But this girl, who I’m sure you can all point out in the pics, was so over the top that we had to let her continue to do her thing. I’ll leave it at that because you really had to be there to believe what she was up to, but I will give her props for some absolutely uninhibited, funky ass moves.
Brad played a more up tempo opener than his December gig with Naveen G. He’s just so freaking versatile. Brad can play in any roll, across so many genres and make it flow like no other. Dude is awesome, no question.
In many senses, Eli was the night. His relentless enthusiasm and appreciation for being behind the decks was super satisfying for our team. He rocked it out especially hard for the EXPOSED faithful, but maintained his signature, light-hearted sound. Eli has serious skills, but his sets are far from that. How injected pure fun into the night was most refreshing for us.
Up until last Friday I had succumb to the fact that these kinds of parties just didn’t exist anymore, at least not close to us here in Toronto. But Montreal’s Tribe Hyperclub crew came through BIG TIME with this one, reconfirming that with the right talent and production, the underground scene is still alive and kicking in Canada.
Being an old, line-up weary crew, we arrived very early and were able to catch virtually all of Spooky’s opening set… which was absolutely fantastic! Digital progressive; bumpy yet methodical, Charlie May and Duncan Forbes were ultra impressive. One in our posse thought it was the best set of the night and in many senses, I can’t disagree.
I’d love to know what Spooky was doing up there. The “Live” label should come with a program at the front door describing exactly what the set-up is. Nevertheless, this was our second time hearing the duo in 2007 and this appearance was every bit as cool as their DJ set at the WMC Proton Party in Miami.
I thought Sasha and Digweed were equally spectacular. Sasha played the most unique music; twisted, techy and very industrial sounding. Digweed definitely played the dance music out of the two; deep, driving and extremely groovy selections. I agree with some in our crew that the back to back session became a little stop and go, but that comes with the territory when you’re sharing the decks…. and only spinning MEGA BOMBS!!!
For as much as I’ll always have a soft spot for Sander, I don’t think he scored many points with the music heads when he opened with a Prince remix. From what I heard of the first hour and a half of his set, he didn’t dig too deep into the commercial cheese. He continued to move the room and sounded a little closer to his old, more underground form.
Huge props to the Tribe crew for the production of this event. The party was further evidence that great big room memories can still be made in this scene. The sound, though a smidgen too loud, filled the room with crystal clear precision. The stage presentation was incredible and the light show breathe taking.
The whole event was fueled by the booking of two DJs that in my opinion remain head and shoulders above the rest. Sasha & Digweed play the allusive bombs that seem tailor made to their styles. I’m certain these tracks are produced with only each of them in mind. Their styles contrast but perfectly connect at the same time. They seem to be getting better with time… I absolutely love it.
This was an extremely inspiring night for a promoter who is doing his best to recapture the “wow” factor in his clubbing life. I dream of hosting an event of this magnitude and pray one day bringthebeats will because Toronto deserves a party that reaches the legendary status this one definitely achieved.
Luke Fair in Argentina, Sasha & Digweed boat cruises, the 2005 Bedrock party at the WMC, the Sander K’s and Tyrant at Stereo, Danny Howells at Breathe and even Mauro Picotto on Canada Day waaay back, all were amazing events. However for me, one most definitely stands out from the rest.
Of all the parties I’ve ever been to – all the dance floor “journeys” - only twice have I been completely and utterly under the control of the DJ in the booth from beginning to end.
The first was at one of Toronto’s most posh nightclubs ever, Meow. That was an incredible night, in probably the most gorgeous venue the city has seen. It was the first time I can honestly say that I experienced next level electronic music.
But for as great as Sasha was at Meow, it wasn’t “Sasha at Aria.” That party on October 18, 2002 remains my favourite of all time, no doubt.
In the early 2000’s you could find as many as 30 - 50 of our friends on any dance floor in Toronto or Montreal that was hosting a progressive house talent. Our Toronto crew was locked into a continuous groove born out of the legendary Friday nights of Breathe at System Soundbar. Add the throngs of locals and Americans that were also obsessed with the progressive sounds of the day, and each and every event we hit up in Montreal had the potential to be the “best ever.”
Every other disc, the entire ride from T.O. to Montreal, was Sasha’s most recent Kiss FM. With the Airdrawndagger tour in full swing, Sasha was only on top form and this set was a fine example of what we were about to hear at Aria.
We arrived at our most gracious francophone hosts, poured a few cocktails, cleaned up a little and then we were off to an event of a lifetime.
As always, Aria was rammed upon arrival. Chris Fortier was already on the decks and the phenomenal vibe that consistently encompassed Montreal dance floors was in full effect. We made our rounds but quickly settled into a spot at the front right of the magical Aria booth.
The anticipation for Sasha to hit the decks was almost unbearable, and the tension built by Fortier’s opener made the butterflies circle even faster. When the puppet master finally hit the decks I remember a feeling like I’ve never felt before. I was with my best friends, at one of the best clubs in the world, standing in front of who I still think is the best DJ in the world… this was absolute clubbing satisfaction.
There was a pink haze hovering over the room. The retractable lights filled the space with the most magnificent colour and the sound system, which always presented the highs with incredible brilliance - ideal for Sasha’s sound - was perfectly tuned.
From melodic to blazing, Sasha guided us through the whole spectrum of his musical genius. When on, he’s THE conductor of electronic sounds and on the floor stands a memorized audience in awe of a most efficient and magnificent one man orchestra. On this night Sasha was totally on!!
I’d say we spent half the night dancing and the other half jumping. Each build was across four or five tracks and all the selections melted one into the next. The breakdowns were MASSIVE! It was an emotional roller coaster ride of the greatest kind.
The encore track was Underworld’s “Cowgirl.” The remaining of the tight crew, which was about 20 at 10am, joined sweaty arms to form a circle right in front of the man himself. It sounds and really was cheesy, but the euphoria of the moment brought us all together to enjoy the final track as one.
As the build up climaxed, we all broke free and mayhem ensued. I don’t think I’ve ever come even close to feeling that good on a dance floor again.
The almost immediate ride home was one of the best we had throughout our over two-plus year run of monthly trips to Montreal. We continued to kill the Kiss FM and stepped back even five years earlier to Sasha & Digweed’s Northern Exposure Tour Triple J Mix Up from 1997; mind blowing music that has withstood the test of time even to this day.
The rest of the weekend included another Sasha experience at the Kool Haus and one of the craziest after parties we ever endured. It’s all just a blur really, as I was hanging onto the bliss of Saturday morning to get me through the next two days. However, I do know this time after the Aria trip helped enforce friendship bonds that will last forever… most definitely the best clubbing times of my life, for sure.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told the “Sasha at Aria” story. If you ask Adriana, waaaay too many. You can surely blame this night for much of the passion I still feel for the scene, the music and the people that put it all together.
It was like a gift from God that I came across these four videos from this most memorable event. I now have visual proof to accompany what many must regard as simply a tale and not a real life, larger than life experience… like it truly was.
What does an artist have to do to create a unique image in this ever growing music scene that is becoming more and more saturated with DJ’s? This is a question that Paulo Malde thought about in 2004 after DJing for only 3 years… and the answer was to produce. If you want to be successful as a DJ these days, producing tracks is a must.
Paulo has come a long way in only the two years since he started producing. Under the name Electrobios, Paulo has created tracks that have been played by Desyn Massielo, Luke Fair, Jody Wisternoff and Add2Basket, just to name a few. With a constantly growing portfolio of tracks being signed and played by some of the world’s best DJ’s, it’s safe to say the name Electrobios is quickly becoming known worldwide.
I first became aware of Electrobios only six months ago when Paulo found me on Myspace. It wasn’t until I Iooked at his photos from the past WMC that I realized we had been at many of the same parties.
When he later proposed that we do an interview together, I was certainly flattered. I gave a listen to his promo mix and instantly thought this is someone that I would like to hear more from. Plus, I’m always open for a chat with someone who can make such amazing music!
Buenos Aires, Argentina is where Paulo Malde calls home. Whenever I hear a DJ is from ‘Argentina’ I instantly think of the energetic funky house that has kept me so interested in the talent from this South American party land over the past few years.
Paulo is definitely in this category. His tracks are so smooth that the highs and lows keep pulling you in and out, always leaving you wanting more.
This In Demand not only has two fantastic productions from Electrobios but he has crafted it in such a way that I keep listening again and again, trying to catch all the layers that flow throughout the mix. Prepare to be thrust into a time warp because this two hour set, will go by in 2 seconds!
With a big commercial party going on at TIL and solid bookings at both Footwork and Revival just across the street, we knew we were facing a lot of challenges leading up to this night.
But its quality, not necessarily quantity that’s important and for this event we couldn’t have asked for a better group of people on the dance floor. And thankfully, the one thing we do have under our control, came through as always… absolutely fantastic underground house music.
It had been two months since Brad Copeland’s last EXPOSED appearance - two months waaaaay to long. He assumed the warm up duties for the first time at EXPOSED, a position in which our crew fell in love with him during the progressive glory days of Fridays at Stereo in Montreal. Though he’s moved on to become a world class headliner since then, he definitely hasn’t lost his touch in the set-up role.
Brad finds a way to combine pace with deep selections, warming the floor like only a few can. I’ve never met a DJ who didn’t appreciate the way Brad handed off the decks, and this event was no different. The entire floor was moving and in great spirits as he wrapped up. Naveen couldn’t have asked for a better vibe to be left with.
Fresh off some really cool gigs in South America, Naveen G made his first trip north and most definitely didn’t disappoint. Aware that there was a large bringthebeats crew on the floor, he started off on a housier tip which totally pleased the btb faithful. His selections showcased the highs and mids, a stark contrast from the bass heavy beats that have dominated the past few EXPOSED events.
Naveen literally bobbed and weaved through the entire progressive house genre with many unexpected turns and many, many uplifting moments. As a friend pointed out on the floor, you can tell he’s an intelligent person, as he’s extremely systematic at the decks. Like a surgeon of sorts… oh yeah he is an MD… go figure! It really was incredible to see and hear someone who understands the music and the importance of “playing it all” while maintaining a flow.
Though I wish we could have brought more people to the club to experience the overwhelming talent of this totally wicked dude, Naveen himself made this a night to remember. And in the end, that’s really what it’s all about; letting the DJ set the pace, establish the vibe and the rest of us just jump in and enjoy the ride.
For anyone who thinks trance is the only electronic music style coming out of Holland, they are so wrong! Although a few Dutch trance DJs are still incredibly famous for drawing massive crowds, what’s really going on in the nightclubs of Amsterdam is a sound very different.
It can be dark and techy, or it can be fun, funky and very fresh. The latter is the sound that is gracing the decks of one of our favorites, DJ Fountain, who I had the pleasure of interviewing for this latest installment of In Demand.
With a strong passion for every aspect of the music industry, DJ Fountain is creating his life’s work in ways that many only dream of. While continuing to DJ at some of Amsterdam’s best clubs, he also spends a lot of time producing music and working at his booking agency ‘Epiqurus.’ If you’ve ever had a passion, but didn’t follow through with it, DJ Fountain is a perfect example that you can make anything happen, if only you really try!
I met Jerone Fontein (DJ Fountain) last March at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. Being that we enjoy the same brand of house, we spent most of the week together traveling to the different events. One such traveling experience included Jerone and his Epiqurus partner Roger in the trunk of a jeep. It was a ride that I will always laugh at, but it was also when I first heard a sample of Fountain’s high quality production. The track was absolutely beautiful, one that always makes you smile.
The set that you are about to hear will do just that. Fountain put a lot of thought into each track he’s selected. A sexy smooth intro leads us into a very funky groove, laced with euphoria. I know this is a mix which you will play again and again and again, enjoy!
There is a huge amount of stress a promoter feels when he or she is bringing in an underground talent that may not be that well known by the T.O. clubbing masses. My worldwide contacts thought I was crazy; “Dude, its Neil Quigley?!” But I knew that even though Neil is supported by some of the most established brands in the business and is ultra popular in Europe, the majority of Toronto had yet to discover this incredibly talented DJ / producer.
My stress level was amplified ten-fold when Jeff Button’s car stalled on the highway in Mississauga just minutes before he was to open the room. Thanks to Manfred’s driving beats, a two track fill-in and an efficient cab driver, Jeff’s delay wasn’t an extended one and the night began with barely a hiccup.
Jeff spun his signature silky smooth and stylish opener and had the floor right into it when Neil walked on. To my very pleasant surprise there were a lot of Neil Quigley fans up front and centre when I walked him to the booth. Their excitement truly took the room’s energy to the next level and from track number one of Neil’s headline set the party was completely off the charts.
Neil’s opening track had this super sexy vocal sample. That track melted into another with a funky, funky Mediterranean vibe, highlighted by island drums and horns. Soon enough it got darker and deeper, with chuggy tribal baselines, and before you knew it, it had switched back to a driving progressive and then to a more melodic house feel.
All night Neil weaved in and out of genres, but it was always deep and the mixing was absolutely seamless. Rarely have I heard such an eclectic array of House music within one set, from one DJ. Neil is a class performer; no wonder Bedrock, Renaissance and Urbantorque have brought him on to their most prestigious stables.
In most respects this night was a success, but I have to tell you it’s still a struggle trying to get people off the name game and committed to a new fresher outlook on clubbing. Despite his vast experience within the UK club scene, Neil was and maybe still remains a relatively unknown talent within the Toronto market.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this night turned a lot of people on to Neil and the funkier, more light hearted and fun (imo) side of house, but we still have a long way to go before the city’s clubbing faithful put their complete trust back into the promoter and the venue and not just DJ Mag’s Top 100 list.
This is the way it was back in my early Breathe days and it’s that kind of attitude and booking that still has me completely addicted to the music many, many years later. This is what we’re trying to build with EXPOSED.
Last March was my first WMC experience and definitely not my last. One of the events I attended during our jam packed week was a Varsity All Stars party at the Clinton Hotel. This is where I met Naveen G. I had a great time talking to Naveen and afterwards he gave me his WMC promo. After giving it just one listen I discovered that Naveen has a style that is all his own. I knew immediately that Naveen would be a perfect In Demand choice.
This has been a big year for Naveen. He joined the Varsity All Stars team and became a member of Feedback Bookings and he also continues to do his weekly radio show ‘Darker Shades’ on Proton Radio. To top it off he is putting in long hours at the Harlem Hospital in NY where he is doing his residency in radiology. A DJ, a producer, and a MD…he is quite an impressive guy all round!
Naveen has no boundaries in his music. He likes to incorporate all genres of electronic music into his mixes. In his four-hour In Demand mix Naveen takes you on a smoothly mixed journey from a more housey beat (which is fitting for an early evening warm up), into a much darker, trippy mish mash of house infused with electro, minimal, tech-house and just pure dirty beats (of course suited for a dark dingy dance floor around 6am where you can find Naveen on any given Saturday).
The journey for me felt like I was being lead down a dimly lit corridor until I ended up in total darkness…scary, no, exciting, yes! No matter what your preferred style is, this mix has a little bit of everything for everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed my travels down the Naveen G mind tunnel; have a listen and let us know if you did as well!
I can’t believe it’s been five years since we first put bringthebeats online. The btb concept has always been from a “dance floor” perspective; even our parties have remained relatively small, more intimate affairs. Until now… until EXPOSED.
I also can’t believe we’ve finally found a Toronto DJ that likes it as deep and funky as we do. Jeff Button is a serious breath of fresh air for us new school House lovers. To be able to walk into the room and not be immediately blown back on our heels by big banging beats is a dream for our crew. J Butts keeps it smooth and groovy and that’s exactly what we ordered for this very special night for bringthebeats.
The absolute bliss that came over all of us when Jeff handed the decks over to Ricky Ryan is almost indescribable. It’s not only about the beautiful music and high level skill that this South American wonder-boy possesses; it’s his purest of attitudes that makes him such a special person. He embraces all aspects of the scene and cherishes every moment he’s a part of it. In our opinion, he’s most definitely a cut above the rest and we were completely overjoyed to finally have him in a proper club atmosphere in Toronto.
I’ll steal a description of Ricky’s EXPOSED appearance from Andy Reid of NocturnalMagazine.net, because his 11 plus years in the biz and skills as a DJ / producer hold a whole hell of a lot of credibility.
“EXPOSED continues it’s reign as the king of fresh and rising global talent as this week none other Ricky Ryan aka Can Costa touched down all the way from Argentina for his Toronto debut. This much anticipated appearance didn’t disappoint as Ricky drove through his trademark funky progressive sounds with dashes of dark tribal and crunchy tech-house thrown in for good measure…”
Really I couldn’t have said it any better, so I won’t. I’ll simply mention that this is surely not the last we’ll hear of this amazing talent in Toronto and expect even more from Ricky when he touches down on Canadian soil once again.
Brad Copeland closed out the night and totally put together the perfect set following Ricky. He started off on a funky tip, but with a noticeable increase in pace for the late night floor dwellers. It quickly became super clubby and the hardcores totally ate it up.
I totally became overwhelmed by his versatility, as Brad transitioned into gritty Progressive and back to more melodic House. Maybe it was the harmony of the entire event that brought on such feelings, as I’ve always known Brad is a DJ that can play it all. But on this night there was something different, what he was doing up there seemed absolutely extraordinary to me.
We’ve yet to give Brad his full due at EXPOSED. With so many sounds and so many DJs lined up to play for the night, we haven’t had the chance to get Brad in the headline spotlight. But when we do, in January, expect some real floor filling stuff.
Labour Day weekend is by far the year’s busiest time for clubbing in Toronto. With so many events - all featuring recognizable international talent - going down throughout the city, the pressure was on EXPOSED to put something together memorable.
EXPOSED’s experienced promo team of NocturnalMagazine.net and Till the AM came through in fine style by booking one of the hottest, young producers / DJs in the game, the UK’s James Talk.
Andy Reid opened the night showcasing his versatility with a wicked dirty House and Electro set. To me Andy is one of the purest House DJs in the city. His slick adaptation of the classic sounds of NYC and the soulfulness of the originators of that scene is what I’ve always known him for, but tonight he really got filthy with some bumpy, groovy beats. He totally got the super hot dance floor prepared for the madness of James Talk.
James took over and proceeded to set his own tone. He started off with some down tempo (definitely not minimal) tech-house to build tension. It was a contrast to what Andy had been playing, but at the same time the transition was perfect.
I bailed outside for a quick breath of fresh air just as the pace was picking up and by the time I returned the space was locked in another dimension. Pryda like bombs were being unleashed from the booth at a furious rate; however, instead of retreating, the crowd was hovering over the front of the stage in an absolute frenzy.
This was a prime example of a DJ taking over the room with tight mixing, programming and stellar track selection. The intensity was next level but it wasn’t exhausting. Actually, it was the most exhilarating dance floor experience I’ve had in Toronto this year. Huge props to James Talk.
Simon Jain had the unenviable task of following up the Talk barrage and had no problem picking up on the vibe. He dropped big room stuff right from the beginning and had The Mod Club hardcores jumping for the rest of the night; great stuff from a really great EXPOSED asset.
Luke Morrison, who resides in Edmonton, has been virtually running shit out west and in the process has developed a sound that he can truly call his own. I learned tonight that not only is he only 25 years of age, but he’s also knee deep in his academics… law school at that. Apparently him and Brad Copeland have had some pretty insane nights together both in Alberta and Ontario, and tonight held true to that trend.
I was slotted to play the opening role and I couldn’t have been happier. There’s nothing more rewarding than to lay down a set and have the headliner thank me for setting the table for him/her to do their thing. I had picked up a lot of nice groovy tech gems, and just wanted to set a constant pace to build some momentum for Luke and Brad to take over and deliver the goods. At around 12:30, I dropped my last track, and the boys took over to unleash a solid back to back session.
Brad started things out as he usually does - steady, pumping Progressive, that instantly got the crowd moving. No longer than two tracks in, Luke plugs in his headphones and drops two of his own. This continued for a good hour or so, just constantly feeding off of each others tracks while maintaining a constant flow throughout. They had the crowd drooling the entire time.
The thing I liked best about the chemistry between these two was the fact that they played the crowd to a tee. When it seemed the crowd was slowing down, a melodic track would be dropped. When the crowd was ready for something a bit more pumping - one of them would answer the call. This back to back set was the most consistent display of tag team DJing I have ever seen live… seriously.
As the place thinned out towards the end of the night it left a really wicked group of ‘heads’ to rip up the floor. Luke played a beautiful encore and the crowd responded with a warm, sincere applause of approval.
A lot of people said it reminded them of Sonic. There were also quite a few people who said it reminded them of System. It reminded me that there is still a large demand for the Progressive genre in the city, and that this will be the type of quality night people will come to expect at The Mod Club on Fridays.
This was an excellent way to start off our guest appearances for EXPOSED. Despite some untimely bad weather The Mod Club dance floor was busy all night and the vibe was really fresh and full of energy. Jeff Button played a fantastic deep Progressive opener. He’s not afraid to play the warm-up role and properly set the tone for the headliners to come. We all really appreciate this patience and love hearing this dude’s overall DJ skills develop.
Brad Copeland stepped up earlier than intended and was forced to jump right off a plane and directly into the booth, something that’s never easy to do. Brad pulled it off like a complete professional and totally got the floor moving. All summer long he’s been blazing dance floors and this night was absolutely no different.
Our headliners NYC’s HOLOSOUND (Alex Fish and Noah Becker) had one hell of a trip to get Toronto. A three hour delay inside JFK and almost another two on the runway waiting to take off had the duo a little on edge as they made their way into the city. However, as soon as they walked into The Mod Club and took in the very comfortable EXPOSED atmosphere, they settled in and proceeded to drop the trademark ‘Illectro’ we’ve waited two years to hear live.
The set was a hybrid of all things House, Electro and Progressive; there were even some melodic Trance-like segments. It was definitely a much different composition than we’ve been hearing in Toronto clubs in recent months. I love the confidence they have in their selections; Alex and Noah’s enthusiasm behind the decks is proof to how comfortable they are when rocking the big room. We couldn’t have asked for a better premiere guest appearance.