Rating: NNNNN
1. harvest festival (Aldida Organic Farm, September 21)
A party experience in a class of its own, the annual event just keeps getting better. Why party in a club when you can be out on a farm, losing yourself to quality techno in a barn? A great friendly vibe, well-organized and -conceived venue, and great local DJs made for a memorable 24 hours.
2. twilight zone reunion (Studio 99, December 7)
An eye-opener for someone who was too young to experience the original Twilight Zone, this down and dirty warehouse party was a powerful testament to what it meant to those who came of age there.
3. steve bug (The Mockingbird, September 1)
This great back-to-basics techno party featured one of Germany’s best alongside some of Toronto’s favourites. Bug tore it up and the crowd loved every second of it, proving that you don’t need much more than a dark room, some big speakers and a good DJ.
4. om festival (Killaloe, June 21-23)
Whether you were feeling the hippy-raver vibe or not, it was nigh on impossible to have a bad time at the Om Festival. A refreshing slice of idealism and optimism at a time when those attributes are rare in the dance music world.
5. frankie knuckles and david morales (Kool Haus, June 8)
Two of house music’s biggest icons played together in the biggest room in the city to an extremely mixed crowd. The decorations and overall production were especially inspired, featuring hundreds of tiny candles suspended over the dance floor.
6. grandmaster flash (Roxy Blu, June 28)
Everybody came out of this party a few pounds lighter, having sweated out gallons to the extravaganza that is Grandmaster Flash live. Maybe he wasn’t underground enough for all the heads, but for everybody crammed into the main room he rocked the house.
7. sneak’s birthday beats (Kool Haus, November 2)
Featuring a who’s who of funky house music, DJ Sneak’s birthday party was a full-on affair. While the music was more than decent, this was one of those events where the vibe in the air was what made it so memorable.
8. tikiman & scion (The Mockingbird, May 11)
Inspired performance by digi-dub artists Tikiman & Scion. A collaboration between a Dominican reggae vocalist and a pair of Berlin laptop tweakers, it was definitely out of the ordinary.
9. the promise cherry beach soundsystem (Cherry Beach, Sunday afternoon all summer)
The weekly Sunday-afternoon beach party put together by the Promise team captured the hearts of many over the summer. Let’s hope the delightful tradition continues next year.
10. sven vath and richie hawtin (Turbo, November 21)
Toronto techno fans have had a long love affair with Richie Hawtin, for good reason. Few DJs can spin such strange, twisted tracks and not scare the party off the floor, and even fewer can keep a T.O. crowd out all night on a Thursday night.
benjamin.boles@sympatico.ca
