What to do this weekend (July 14th - 16th)
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If you want to keep track with what's going on electronic dance music wise in your city, then check out this weekend guide. Just click below and start planning!
7 impressions from day 2 of Bud Light Dreams Festival
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Dillstradamus
Bondax
Day 2 started and ended with perfect weather and hearing the smooth sounds of Bondax was the perfect way to begin Saturday's packed lineup. The British duo were bobbed their heads and grooved to their own beat which the crowd fed off on Echo Beach. Fans took advantage of the extra room available to dance and made their enthusiasm known whenever a track came on and made them happy. Notable tracks included Joe Goddard's remix of "Giving It All" by Bondax, and Mall Grab's "I Just Wanna".
Anna Lunoe
The good vibes continued on as soon as Anna Lunoe took the stage. Seeing so many people grooving on Echo Beach shows that we're returning to a spot where the word dance in electronic dance music is now being emphasized. If we get to a place where DJs try to outdo each other by dropping more danceable tracks than others, then EDM will be in a really good place. Anna Lunoe brought that ethos for her Dreams set and it was a delight to watch.
Jax Jones
The Waterfront stage had amazing energy all day long thanks to the big crowds that filled up the area by 4 pm and kept it going until Malaa past 10 pm. Jax Jones played driving house music that had the crowd lifting their arms, and cheering the entire set. A common theme for day 2 was how the artists got the crowd dancing and smiling, and Jax Jones delivered on all fronts. Notable tracks included Jax Jones "House Work", Offaiah's "Run" (Club Mix), and Format B "Chunky" (Club Mix).
Orjan Nilsen
The trance tent was buzzing all day and especially during Orjan Nilsen's massive afternoon set. He didn't hesitate to unleash his biggest tracks at 5:20 pm and the crowd loved him for it. Orjan was highly animated behind the decks as his gestures could be a compared to a hybrid mix of Dash Berlin and Armin's emotion filled arm raising during euphoric moments. Without a doubt, Orjan's own productions were biggest crowd favourites including "The Late Anthem", "Los Capos"(With KhoMha), "Iconic", "Fair Game" (With Cosmic Gate), and one of his last tracks of the set, "Kilowatts".
Malaa
The enigmatic French artist known as Malaa followed up DJ Hanzel and immediately drew the crowd into his own version of going one deeper with his blistering future house style. The set was a mix of his own tracks, selections from the Confessions label like Dateless's "Hit Em With The Hardcore", and recent favourite "I Want You" by Chris Lake. The front row had a few fans with sky mask Malaa fans who headbanged to the hardest parts of his set.
DJ Hanzel
One of the most anticipated sets of day 2 Dreams Festival was DJ Hanzel's set. The entire stage area was packed including the green hill area in the back as the Toronto crowd knew that Dillon Francis only drops his DJ Hanzel alternate ego once in a blue moon. Besides a few mic cameos of "going one deeper", Dillon Francis let the music do the talking. The vibe was deep as "DJ Hanzel" played recent releases like Aabel's "I Go Deep", the Drezo/Hanzel remix of "Need You", Gorgon City's remix of "Say Less", and Damien N-Drix & STV's "Let It Ring". The crowd came for the curiosity of it all, and stayed for the entire set. People enjoyed themselves as fans knew that they were witnessing a rare set by their favourite techno meme.
Dillstradamus
Dillon Francis had the honour to close down the mainstage and the festival as part of Dillstradamus (Dillon + Flosstradamus). The set started off with all of the pyrotechnics as flames were pulsating from the stage to set the tone of what was to come. The mixing was fast and furious as both Dillon and Floss wanted to give a crowd a bit of everything. Overall the set was a mix of bass, trap, and hip hop with a few notable exceptions. At times you'd head weird combinations like T Pain's "Buy U a Drank" followed up by Flume"s remix of Disclosure's "You & Me". The crowd heard Kendrick Lamar but also Blink 182 and even "Waiting for Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez. followed up by "Deep Down Low". The unpredictability of the set made it especially fun and the crowd loved every minute of it.
5 impressions from day 1 of Bud Light Dreams Festival
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Above & Beyond
The British trio (Paavo and Jono behind the decks) made a triumphant return to Toronto to a crowd that was eager to let loose and get back the festival on track following the rain delay. The vibe at Above & Beyond performances are unique as there is a special sense of euphoria that is created between A&B and the crowd. An Anjuna crowd are the nicest and happiest fans within the scene and they showed their enthusiasm for the entire set.
Above & Beyond showcased a mix of their own tracks (usually the club mix versions) with tunes from others within the Anjunabeats roster like "Endorphin" by Oliver Smith. Paavo and Jono made sure to remind the audience that they are able to bring the heat as the driving beat from Fatum's "Pharaoh" filled that need perfectly.
What So Not
What So Not
The Australian artist Emoh Instead (Chris Emerson) of What So Not got his set to a quick start with an ID that led into a remix of the intro of "Stranger Things" from the hit Netlix show. The early time slot was ideal as he got to showcase his growing repertoire of chiller tracks, including many from his Divide & Conquer EP. When he wanted the crowd to move he dropped classic Baauer edit of "Tell Me" by RL Grime/What So Not or "Waiting", his collab with Skrillex and RL Grime to great effect. Since the end of the partnership with Flume, Emoh Instead has made What So Not into his own and has successfully given it a fresh direction.
Green Velvet
Green Velvet
Green Velvet was relentless as he brought driving beats and kept up the tempo throughout the set following the rain delay. The waterfront stage is covered in greenery and is one of the most intimate stage at a festival that I've ever seen while sporting a powerful sound system. Fans were eager to dance after been held up due to the weather. The atmosphere was electric.
Bass Tent
If you went on the search for the most enthusiastic crowd for day 1, you would find them all at the bass tent. The shufflers, the ragers, the headbangers, and the bass heads were there in full force to show every DJ love from the beginning to the end. When the rain poured down, the tent's vibe got even more heavy as both the DJ and the crowd doubled down on getting even crazier. Whether it was drum and bass, dubstep, hip hop remixes, or bass being played - the crowd loved every moment.
Rain
Rain continues to plague our beloved summer festival season as it rained down hard midway through day 1 of Dreams Festival. Some lucky fans managed to seek shelter within the bass tent as the crowd raged hard to TrollPhace and Delta Heavy. With reports of golf sized hail and severe thunderstorms threatening to rain down at Echo Beach, organizers decided to temporarily shut down the festival. Fans sought shelter at the adjacent Budweiser stage, and after about an hour, Dreams Festival was back on as the storm never came. Thankfully for day 2 the weather promises clear skies, so at least we have that to look forward to.
Day 2 starts at 2 pm today, make sure to follow the live coverage on Twitter by following https://twitter.com/edmtoronto and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/edm_canada/
Ekali
5 must-see artists at Bud Light Dreams Festival
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Bud Light Dreams Festival is coming up fast as Echo Beach will feature 3 stages and a whole host of artists for this 2-day festival. It's easy to recommend the festival headliners as a must-see act but this post is taking the hard road as it finds the gems in the lineup that you may not have thought of checking out. Some of these names are newer faces like Ekali, while others have been around the scene for a long time and deserve a bigger spotlight. While you're making your final personal set schedule amongst your friends, consider making room for these 5 fantastic artists below.
Ekali (Friday, Echo Beach: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm)
Via FB
Ekali, a Vancouver based artist who has been making waves thanks to his strong productions and mixes that have been played millions of times on Soundcloud. Known for his future bass tunes, Ekali is currently much bigger in the States than in his own country as he's about to make his Eastern Canadian festival debut at Dreams. If you like your mixes to feature bass, future bass, and a bit of trap - seeing Ekali is a must.
Anna Lunoe (Saturday, Echo Beach: 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm)
Photo by Jasmine Safaeian
Anna Lunoe is well known amongst electronic dance music connoisseurs but is quickly getting her name out there as one of the premiere live performers in the scene. Her performance at this year's Coachella was one of the highlights of the festival as she puts genres aside and mixes a multitude of different tracks into her sets. Expect a dynamic, fun, and light hearted set to kick off the evening portion of Saturday's festival lineup.
Orjan Nilsen (Saturday, Dream House: 5:20 pm - 6:35 pm)
Via FB
He is well known within the trance community and is a monster in the studio as he's been responsible for creating the most heart pounding trance records. He's been skirting at the edges of trance by pushing the boundaries between that sound and big room without it sounding trashy. Even though he's playing at an early time slot, I can guarantee that Orjan Nilsen will be giving fans a set worth coming in early for.
DJ Hanzel (Saturday, Waterfront Stage: 7:55 pm - 9:00 pm)
Photo by Rukes
DJ Hanzel is Dillon Francis' techno meme alternative personality that somehow managed to snag a primo time slot at this year's Dreams Festival. I predict this set to be one of the more popular ones as curious fans will pack the waterfront stage just to see what "DJ Hanzel" will do. Will he pull a reverse Deadmau5 and try to troll the underground scene? Will Hanzel give the crowd a diva moment or two at any point during his set? Or will he simply smash the festival crowd with the hottest tracks? Who knows what will happen, and that's why you have to be there.
Malaa (Saturday, Waterfront Stage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm)
Via FB
Ever since the mysterious French artist known as Malaa made his big festival debut at Ultra Miami back in 2016, the buzz has been full on. Fans have been looking for something fresh to experience since big room has taken a sudden downturn. Artists like Malaa have given these crowds exactly what they needed by showcasing the new wave of future house sounds. The new French wave of talent have taken that sound to new heights and has made Malaa a must-see at any festival as a result. Being given a headlining slot on the Waterfront Stage is a big honour, and Malaa is ready to deliver.
For all information regarding Bud Light Dreams Festival including set times, afterparties, and ticket information - click here.
Dzeko talks about his new solo career, latest track, and his VIP living room experience at Dreams Festival (Interview)
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Dzeko, formerly of the Toronto duo Dzeko & Torres, is quickly establishing a name for himself in his new solo career. With Tiesto as a mentor, this Canadian artist has maintained a strong Las Vegas presence with regular sets at the hottest clubs like Hakkasan and Wet Republic. This weekend at Dreams, in association with Bud Light, Dzeko will be hosting a special VIP area that includes a "live like a headliner" experience. In this interview Dzeko talks about his future creative path as a solo artist, what he's up to at Dreams, and more.
EDM Canada: “California” is a huge track – how did it come about?
Dzeko: I started working on a remix in LA, but that remix never was released. We liked the instrumentals of the track so much that we had to get lyrics for it. We reached out to Delay Jane and Shaun Frank who helped with the lyrics for the song. We played it for Tiesto and the song came alive from there. He loved it so much and ended up signing it to his label.
Does “California” represent a new artistic direction for you?
Not a change in a direction, but this is one of the many styles of music that you’ll be seeing from me in the future
Will we see more chillwave tracks like “California” or “Liberty” from Dzeko?
Yes, I am planning to put out similar tracks – watch out for more in September.
It's been about 9 months since your split with Torres – does this new solo direction feel like a fresh start for you?
It is, and it isn’t. I came from a duo, so starting out a new act on my own feels like I’m starting from the bottom again. I have to work harder now that it’s just my name.
You have a huge presence in Las Vegas, do you owe a lot of that success to Tiesto?
Of course – I have always wanted to DJ in Vegas and after becoming friends with Tiesto, he has helped me build my name there and I am so grateful.
You're doing something special for Dreams Festival with Bud Light – what's happening?
Yes – I am giving music fans the chance to live like a headliner at my Bud Light Living Room at Dreams Festival. As someone who travels around the world and performs at some of the world’s largest festivals, I’m taking music lovers behind the scenes with an all access experience that’s once-in-a-lifetime.
Music fans can still attend – there are just a few spots left! Book your spot at Budlightliving.ca
What's next for Dzeko? Any new releases that you can reveal?
I have a lot on the go - some new tracks, a brand new EP and even a collaboration with Tiesto is coming soon. I am so excited for what’s to come in 2017.
Dzeko will be hosting a special "live like a headliner" VIP package on Friday and Saturday at Bud Light Dreams Festival. The package includes VIP transportation, an opportunity to chill with Dzeko, elevated lounge seating overlooking the main stage, and transportation + special space for the Dreams Afterparty. Limited tickets are available, click here for more information.
For set times, afterparty information, and everything else Bud Light Dreams Festival related - click here.