ART DEPARTMENT with AUDIOFLY at Paaeez, Monday (July 1). Rating: NNNN
You don’t see Toronto house music duo Art Department around town much anymore, as both Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow are now based overseas where most of their gigs are. But they were hanging out locally this week, thanks to their gig at the massive Digital Dreams festival, which provided the opportunity for the pair to revisit their roots at the closing party for College Street bar Paaeez, where they once had a Friday night DJ residency before becoming international stars. (The space will be reopening soon as a lounge called Weldon Park.)
UK DJ/production duo Audiofly opened (they were in town playing the Electric Island picnic that afternoon), but it was obvious Art Department were the reason the small bar was more packed last night than ever before during its 12-year run. Playing for an intimate room full of old friends brought out the best in the pair, who kept it deep and soulful without ever losing the dance floor. The place was still going off when we left around 4 am.
As the city considers whether areas like College Street have too much nightlife, it’s worth remembering that bars like this are a vital part of our cultural infrastructure, and essential for nurturing emerging talent. It’s bad enough that most of our biggest names in electronic music have to move overseas once they blow up, but it’d be worse if they didn’t have the venues to cut their teeth and hone their craft before taking on the rest of the world.
