Sex, Alcohol, and EDM

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This is according to Wolfgang Gartner's AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit when asked about what life is like behind the scenes in the EDM world:

"Not as much drug use as people think. It's like everybody thinks DJs are flying around doing blow and pills every night, and there are a few who do, but the vast majority don't. You can't sustain this lifestyle like that. But sex? Yeah, there's a lot of that. I think sex and alcohol are the 2 vices of the DJs these days. But drugs have really become the audience's thing, most DJs who make it to the top wouldn't be there if they were doing loads of drugs."

Read the entire AMA on Reddit now because there are a lot of fascinating replies.

CNTRL: Beyond EDM Review (Montreal - November 5th, 2012)

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Fresh from attending the Sonar Festival in Toronto last Friday, EDM Canada went on another road trip to Montreal last Monday to attend 'CNTRL: Beyond EDM' tour led by Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice at SAT. The first surprise of the night was at how absolutely packed the venue was even though it was a Monday. The demographic were mostly males in their early twenties which is exactly the kind of age group that Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice wanted to play to when devising this tour. But this is Montreal, where electronic dance music has become a staple among young people here for some time thanks to two active afterhours clubs and being host to major EDM events such as Bal en Blanc, Piknic, Resolution, and Black and Blue. That being said, the  crowd were young were more than ready to listen to what Loco Dice and Richie Hawtin were ready to deliver to them that night.

It was the first time that I attended an event at SAT (Societe Des Arts Technologique) in Montreal and I quite liked the experience overall. The entrance area is wide and airy; the bathrooms are big and well situated downstairs; there is a huge bar and sitting area at the front of the venue; and the stage and dancing area was well proportioned.

There were a few minor drawbacks though. The coat check became a major bottleneck for fans as I waited 30 minutes in line to simply check my coat. There were only 4 people working the coat check area and I would have gladly paid an extra dollar per coat if that meant more people hired and less waiting. The other minus was the lack of bar staff as I counted only 4 bartenders working the front bar with around 25-30 patrons waiting to order. Maybe because it was a Monday night and that the management couldn't have predicted the popularity of the event was the leading reason why the venue was so short staffed.

Loco Dice

I had arrived late to Montreal and after braving the lines of the coat check I managed to catch the first half of Loco Dice's set. To my ears Loco Dice played some straight up tech house with plenty of variety within the tracks as he slowly built up the pace, then bringing them down, then up again to the delight of the young crowd. The fans relished every moment as they quickly raised their hands whenever Loco Dice pounded the dance floor with a heavier beat. The vocal elements were kept to a minimum and it seemed Loco Dice loved teasing the crowd with his variety and quick on-the-fly mixing. The last 20 minutes were my favourite as I heard some Latin inspired house beats and horn elements that really accentuated the dramatic flair that this style of EDM can bring.

Richie Hawtin

Once Richie Hawtin started his set the dance floor was rushed by hipsters of all variety as many wanted a piece of the Windsor native who has become a global phenomena in dance music. Richie Hawtin treated the crowd to a peak time set with higher BPMs and a relentless thumping beat from start to finish. Even though I had wished  a little more variety like I heard from Loco Dice in the previous set, Hawtin pleased the crowded dance floor as it plunged into a hot and sweaty mess. According to one of Richie Hawtin's Twitter accounts (@rhawtin_live), here was his playlist from that night:

Biella & Astrall - Colombian (Kenny Ground Dub Edit)
Gitech - What Is House What Is Techno (Original Mix)
Boris - Give Yourself (Danny Serrano Remix
Anil Chawla - Three
Jayoza_-_Zig_Zag
MiniCoolBoyz - Dirty MASTER
OZ Artists - Old Concepts - Original Mix
A++ - Upon You (Original Mix)
fASTER - Fatima (Original Mix)
3687020_Memories_Original_Mix 1
Pig & Dan - Mooshi (Original Mix)
Nsound - NSOUND trou
Technasia - Heart Of Flesh (Original Mix)
CLICK_BOX_BODY_FALL_16bit_master
Adam Beyer - Dot
Ambivalent - Snowblind_m01
Youri Donatz, Bjorn Wolf - Fiction (Original Mix)
Johann Smog - Start Poker Black (Original Mix)
Hellomonkey - Sleeping (Original Mix)
Recondite - B - Wist 365 (Precise Master)
Enfants Malins & Haze-M - Sweet Heart
Matthew Freedz - Stems Kids
B2 - DCNT - Komakim (PLATTE005) - B2 - DCNT - Komakim (PLATTE005)
Tale Of Us - Another Earth
Exos - Many Meters Work - Original Mix
Dexter Ford - Our Sun
Encore - Plastikman - Spastik [Dubfire ReWork].aif - 1A

(Source: @hawtin_live)

The event ended at 1:30 am, 30 minutes longer as advertised which was a perfect length for a Monday night event. The 'CNTRL: Beyond EDM' tour had a successful night in Montreal which showcased their distinct style of electronic dance music. It's clear that this tour had a mission and that was to introduce what these artists have been doing in underground clubs for nearly 20 years to potentially newer fans who may have been first introduced to EDM via acts such as Avicii, Tiesto, or David Guetta. In that respect the CNTRL tour has succeeded but only time will tell whether they will be able to successfully lift this style of EDM out from the underground scene to a wider audience in North America.

TATW is reborn into 'Group Therapy Radio'

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I'm glad I didn't post anything about the whole TATW news from last week because I just knew something like this would be announced soon after. The new Above & Beyond's 'Group Therapy Radio', which takes the place of the old TATW show, will remain a weekly radio show comprising mostly of the best in Trance and Progressive music (with a 30 minute guest mix).

I'm really happy the way TATW has progressed in the last 6 months thanks to their risk taking by playing tracks from non-Trance producers such as Seven Lions, Sasha, and Deadmau5. Whereas some Trance shows have decided to really embrace more progressive house mainstream trends, Above & Beyond have stayed true to the course while making the right adjustments the served to enhance and not detract from the radio show. The new name merely reflects this change and that's why I am very happy to embrace the Group Therapy Radio show.

Enter to win 2 tickets to see Big Gigantic on Wednesday, November 7th at Wrongbar in Toronto!

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The Big Gigantic have entered the second half of the Uprising Tour 2012 in support of their latest album 'Nocturnal' released earlier this year. Here are two stand out tracks:

If you live in the Toronto area and would like a chance to win 2 tickets to see Big Gigantic this Wednesday at Wrongbar then this contest is for you. The rules couldn't be simpler:

1. Follow @edmtoronto on twitter.
2. Simply tweet: "Just entered to win 2 tickets to see Big Gigantic at Wrongbar on Nov 7th. Follow @edmtoronto and retweet this to enter!"

That's it. The contest opens today and ends on Tuesday, November 6th at NOON. The winner will be announced on @edmtoronto at 4 pm on the same day. The winner of two free tickets will be chosen at random.

Enter to win and good luck!

My special thanks to the Big G Street Team and Big Gigantic for making this contest happen. Please follow Big Gigantic (@BigGigantic) on Twitter!

 

Location: WRONGBAR 1279 Queen Street West Toronto ON M6K 1L6

DJs: Foreign Beggars, Big Gigantic, Dafusia, Kid MK (DJ Set)

Time: 10:00 pm – 4:00 am

Tickets: $15. Click here to purchase.