Rating: NNNNN
Blackout bonus
Thursday’s blackout caused some events to be postponed ( Dimitri From Paris at This Is London has been moved to Friday (August 22), and the annual Honey Jam at the Phoenix has been pushed back to Sunday (August 24), but the lack of electricity didn’t stop people from making the most of it. Kensington Market turned into a big street party when all the local bars lit candles and the police decided to overlook people drinking on the street.
At Queen and Spadina, the record store 2 the Beat rigged up a generator and turntables and threw a little street party as well. Those of us with barbecues found our decks full of friends following the smell of grilling meat.
Just walking through the streets of Toronto felt like a friendlier party than many club events in recent memory. It was almost disappointing to wake up to restored power on Friday morning.
Deep heat
The guys behind Solid Garage recently teamed up with Jason Ulrich of Clean and Adam Khan of Soulutions , and the result is a series called Deep . The latest instalment happened Saturday at Surface , drawing a decent-sized crowd up for some serious dancing. The sound at Deep, though less vocal-oriented than at Solid Garage, more housey than at Clean and a bit deeper than at Soulutions, is not drastically different from any of them. The focus is on local DJs, partially a result of the changing club economy but also a conscious attempt to put the spotlight on local heroes of the house scene. International guests have dominated for way too long.
Coke connection
Checked out the first night of a new event called Coke Rock at Club 56 last Friday. The concept focuses on glam rock and power pop of the 70s, but more than a few early-80s college rock favourites were dropped over the night. Not much of crowd out for opening night could be post-blackout exhaustion, could be a lack of aggressive promotion. The idea might have some legs, though, since guilty pleasures (musical ones at least) are quickly becoming simple pleasures as indie kids slowly let go of irony.
Classic case
Evidence of a renewed interest in the sounds of early house within the local deep house scene surfaced last Friday night at La Copa (formerly known as the Boom Boom Room, Fat City and the Volcano Room), where Aki , Anand (of the Groove Institute ) and Basic Soul Unit (aka DJ Stuart ) threw a classic house party called 4/4 Classics . This is either a sign that contemporary house is in a slump or simply that DJs are going through a phase of reflection and reinvention. Regardless, there is something vital in those early, raw classics, many of which sound more experimental and futuristic than much contemporary electronic music.
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com
