Rating: NNNNN
Aki and Kevin have been doing their series for a little while now, naming each party after a type of chewing gum, and in the case of their Big Red event at Volume last Saturday, making mock labels and wrapping sticks of gum in them instead of putting out a traditional flyer.
The inventive marketing is probably a factor in the party’s success, but the big attraction is the fun back-to-basics feel. Last Saturday they again packed the small club with partiers eager for their take on the 80s.
The music mixes genres from classic house and hiphop to R&B, funk and new wave, all cut up at a pretty quick pace. What makes this more interesting than the standard old-school night is that they can get away with playing fairly obscure classic anthems without losing the crowd.
On the other hand, this is also the kind of event where they feel comfortable dropping big hits of the 80s without worrying about the other DJs giving them dirty looks.
All in all a fun party, worth accepting candy from a stranger for.
low-key sydenham
Ibadan Records main man Jerome Sydenham was the guest last Friday at Roxy Blu for the Garage 416 party. Known for the deep, luxurious, organic dance music he releases on his label, Sydenham’s had a strong influence on producers looking to reintegrate live musicians into DJ culture.
He played well enough, aside from a few technical difficulties, but the atmosphere was a little too restrained, so it took a while before the dance floor loosened up.
Felix and Gani of Milk played in the small front room for most of the night and dropped some quality tracks, despite that fact that most of the crowd left for the main room once Sydenham took over the decks. The two of them have developed a unique sound over the past few years, one that would have been hard to predict if you’d gone to Milk parties when they first started.
images opens
Unlike most Wabi events these days, the opening gala they organized for the Images Festival at Tequila Lounge Thursday night featured only themselves DJing along with their trademark video installations.
Not that this was a problem. In fact, it would be nice if they threw some more smaller-scale Wabi-only parties once in a while. The club was full early since most people came directly from the opening screening at the Bloor Cinema, but it was an early-to-bed crowd. After a few hours of minimal techno, most of the attendees headed home.
benjamin.boles@sympatico.ca
