Fri, Aug 29
Not without my Calvins
Blog-house buzz boy Calvin Harris proved he’s more than just a MySpace sensation when the track he produced for Dizzee Rascal (Dance Wiv Me) rocketed to the top of the UK pop charts and stayed there for four weeks. His live show is top-notch, but for now we’ll have to content ourselves with his DJ set as part of Randomland, in the main room of Circa (126 John). $15 advance, more at the door. circatoronto.com.
Nonstop Joy
The Nonstop team welcome Chicago’s Willie Joy to the Drake (1150 Queen West) for this month’s edition of their sweaty monthly shindig. Joy does grindy 808-fuelled electro hip-hop, cheekily remixing well-known pop tunes into menacing club bangers. Some of it’s close to the Baltimore club that took over hipster clubs last year, but the dude has his own style that encompasses far more than the fast breaks and stuttered samples that sound is rooted in. $5 at the door. thedrakehotel.ca.
Sat, Aug 30
Âme-mazing
German tech-house duo Âme scored a massive cross-genre hit with their anthem Rej, which still gets play in clubs three years after its release. The boys at Milk are bringing them back to town for a DJ gig at Wrongbar (1279 Queen West), where they’re sure to take the crowd on a wild journey through the deeper side of electronic dance music. $15, advance $10. milkaudio.com.
Stairway to Seventh Heaven
Jaime Sin and Will Munro originally started their Seventh Heaven parties as a way to share their love of the strange outside edges of disco and punk-funk, but ended up bringing in so many big names from the nu-disco world that they’ve mostly been stuck opening up their own parties. For their second anniversary, they intend to correct this by taking the headlining slots themselves at the Beaver (1192 Queen West), with support from Andy Capp and Gary Abugan. jaime-sin.com.
Sun, Aug 31
Teenage trouble
Some of you are probably getting sick of French electro house, but if your appetite isn’t satiated yet, you’ll want to check out Parisian upstarts Teenage Bad Girl‘s Toronto debut at Revival (783 College), as part of Dopplehertz. Think more Boys Noize and less Justice and you’re getting close to what they sound like. $10 advance, more at the door. wanttickets.com.
Brothers with Karizma
The Boogie Inc team are throwing a hot deep house double bill, starting with a boat cruise on the Northern Spirit featuring Karizma, who proves that there’s much more to Baltimore than that Bmore club sound the indie kids love so much. The after-party takes over the Mod Club (722 College), featuring teenage house heads the Martinez Brothers, who often drop songs recorded long before they were even born. $35 for the boat cruise only, $25 for the after-party or $50 for both. wanttickets.com.
Loving Labour
Sure, it’s cheesy, but it’s also possibly the biggest party of the year, so if you’re in the mood, the Guvernment‘s (132 Queens Quay East) Labour Of Love event is a great way to wrap up the summer with a massive throwdown. Along with the usual trance and prog suspects, they’ve put together an electro tent featuring MSTRKRFT, Steve Aoki, Alan Braxe and more, as well as a drum ‘n’ bass party in the Orange Room headlined by Fabio. $40 for the first 500 tickets, $45 for the next 500, and $55 after, more at the door. If you’re a real high roller, $1,499 will get the VIP treatment for you and 10 of your friends. theguvernment.com.