Monday, February 29, 2016

My Musical March Madness

What I'm going to look like March 26
After a February free of shows, each of my weekends in March is fully booked with events, setting the stage for my craziest month ever. Starting this coming Saturday (5th), I'll finally be back in the club and out of the basement, losing my hearing, enjoying Chet Porter, Sigala and Autograf. If you've ever heard any of my Bump In The Hump episodes it's highly likely that you're familiar with my passion for Chet Porter's productions, so it should be no surprise that my musical hiatus comes to a screeching halt when he returns home to play the Hoxton. Whether it's his originals (Aluko River, Awakening or tbh ily) or his remixes (Over U, It's Strange or Do You Remember) his library is full of simply sparkling magical music that is sure to invoke euphoria. He's easily my most anticipated set of the whole month; what a way to start the madness that is my March. Expect his set to sound something like his mix for Too Future, below. CLICK HERE FOR THE FACEBOOK EVENT. The fact that Chet isn't the headliner makes the 5th that much more exciting. While I can't say I'm that familiar with Sigala, it's quite clear that love is their main inspiration for their music; 4 of the 5 tracks on their soundcloud account include love in the name. The only track that doesn't, is their forthcoming single with Imani and DJ Fresh, "Say You Do."  The headliner, Autograf, has been on my radar since early 2014, when they began dropping remixes of classics like Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and Swedish House Mafia's "One." Since then, they've captured worldwide attention with their futuristic productions with massive originals "Dream" and "Running." They've even released the first two tracks from their forthcoming EP, Future Soup.  The following weekend (11th-13th), is the CDJ Show at The Hilton. While I'm still unsure about many of the details. I do know that it will feature seminars, roundtables and VIP style events. It will undoubtedly be a great opportunity to mingle with many of the elite DJs and behind the scenes brains. So far the highlights as I see them include Vekked and Brace's live turntable seminar, a massive exhibit hall with booths from Ableton to GoPro and KRK to zipDJ. CLICK HERE FOR THE FACEBOOK EVENT.
While the CDJ Show is going to be a busy weekend, it might not be as busy as the double dose of debauchery due for the 18th and 19th. Firstly the Friday night kicks off with Haywyre, San Holo and Grabbitz at the Hoxton. Monstercat's Grabbitz is slated to open up the night in the middle of his spring tour supporting his December album, Better With Time
The second part of this three-headed Monstercat beast is San Holo, who will be making his Toronto debut. Expect to hear a full compliment of his now infamous Don't Touch The Classics series, which features "The Next Episode," "Lose Yourself" and "In Da Club." Combined with his swirling and sparkling originals and his bitbird label, there aught to be no shortage of awesomeness in his time on the decks. I can only hope that it somewhat resembles his mix for Annie Nightingale. Finally, the headliner, Haywyre hits the Hoxton stage in support of his masterpiece, Two Fold Pt. 2. Expect his unique live performance to showcase his unbelievable artistic ability. EVENT INFO HERE.While following up that finely curated lineup is incredibly difficult, Hunter Siegel's No Neon night is set to return the following night (19th) complete with locals Booshay, RYME and Autoerotique with the deep and dark Drezo making his No Neon debut. Booshay is quickly making a name for himself with his ever growing list of free downloads, including his latest "Rave Weapon." Veteran duo RYME are always primed and ready to go. Their vast musical knowledge and mixing skill make them some of the best opening acts you could ask for. Expect them to have their set loaded with exclusives from their BADLQQK label. As a matter of fact they just released their own remix to Sinden's "Step Back." There is no one out there that can rival the sheer amount of new bass blasting tracks that Autoerotique is pumping out. It seems like he's been dropping at least one new track per week for months now. Fresh off his Kids Don't Care EP release, you can expect to hear those and more exclusive new content, including his forthcoming collab with Hunter Siegel "On The Floor."  The only out of town DJ, Drezo, has been busting his way into playlists and mixes alike, with remixes of Snails, Jackal, Lil Wayne and Dr. Dre and massive originals "Guap" and "Heaven." Expect the No Neon aesthetic to reach its darkest when Drezo drops his Drowning Pools, "Bodies" remix. Tickets are sure to go fast for this fan favourite, find the link and more on the Facebook event page The last weekend, is the one that I've had tickets the longest for. Keys N Krates make their triumphant return to their hometown following the massive Midnite Mass tour. The energy of their live show is incredibly infectious. Each time I've seen them they've impressed me more and more. There's no doubt in my mind that their homecoming performance will amaze. Expect some special surprises in store as the trio have been tight-lipped and have yet to announce any supporting acts. Once again expect tickets to go quickly as the appetite for Keys N Krates always seems to be at an unbelievable level. Tickets and more at the Facebook event here.