Rating: NNNNN
Williams eclipses Fossati
Stopped by the Solid Garage party Saturday at Surface for their special Winter Music Conference edition. Switzerland’s Michael Fossati was the special guest, bringing along all the newest house cuts that premiered at the Miami conference over the last week. Unfortunately, most of the crowd didn’t seem that interested in hearing a set of brand new tunes, congregating instead in the front room for local guest Frank Williams . Williams, the backroom resident at System Soundbar’s Saturday night for a few years, doesn’t DJ in the garage scene very often. Nevertheless, he pulled it off with style, keeping the crowd on their feet and clearly enjoying himself.
Hush shifts gears
Andy Roberts ‘s Hard And Soul Sunday-night party, an institution at the now defunct Living Room, has been revived as a monthly at Hush/Underbar , run by the same people. Hush/Underbar has gone through some changes in the past few months, shedding its upscale lounge atmosphere and shifting to more of an underground club vibe. The sound has been beefed up and more floor space made available.
Good choice. There’s no need for any more chi-chi lounges in this area.
Last Sunday the club brought in NYC’s DJ Romaine , fresh from the WMC in Miami with a box full of brand new promos. Not a huge crowd out, but those who made it were definitely up for a good time. The new tracks didn’t get that much of a response, but that’s not surprising since it takes time for anthems to emerge and new tunes to break. Smartly, Romaine mixed up the promos with established cuts to keep the crowd interested.
Deeper? deepens
Checked out the monthly Deeper? party at Andy Poolhall Saturday and found a packed club going off to the sounds of Abacus and Lupo . Billed as an open-format, anything-goes party, the vibe is still rooted in deep house, with some broken beat and other complementary flavours thrown in. It’s interesting to see how this bar has gone from being a low-key pool hall/lounge to a pretty happening little dance club. The dance floor was packed at a fairly early hour, and by 1 am the significant lineup outside moved slowly since the club was at capacity.
Reggae night rescued
Club 56 is closed for a month due to a liquor licence suspension, so the monthly SuperheavyREGGAE party had to find a new home. Luckily, a reggae bar called Thymeless with a massive sound system in the corner is just up the street. (See Spotlight, page 60.) As usual, the party was packed Saturday and the dance floor hopping. This is probably the first time Thymeless has been this busy, but the staff handled it well and kept the beer flowing.
Should Club 56 not reopen, this may become the SuperheavyREGGAE boys’ new home. In many ways, it’s more appropriate: instead of shrink-wrapped mystery sandwiches at the bar, this place will serve you some curry, and the back patio provides a welcome escape from the heat inside. benjaminb@nowtoronto.com
