Ultra is in Croatia this weekend and they've got the live stream happening tonight and for the next 3 nights available on Youtube. Don't miss Fedde Le Grand, W&W, and Axwell Λ Ingrosso tonight, tune in now:
Out of the 40 albums considered from the Polaris Music Prize long list, the Ottawa based group A Tribe Called Red had the honour of making the short list for "We Are The Halluci Nation". The accolades for A Tribe Called Red keeps on growing as they recently won a JUNO Award back in April. Only 10 albums are selected for the short list as they all chase the prize of $50,000 and more importantly the honour of being called a Polaris Music Prize winner.
The full short list nominees for 2017 are:
A Tribe Called Red – We Are The Halluci Nation
BADBADNOTGOOD – IV
Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker
Gord Downie – Secret Path
Feist – Pleasure
Lisa LeBlanc – Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?
Lido Pimienta – La Papessa
Tanya Tagaq – Retribution
Leif Vollebekk – Twin Solitude
Weaves – Weaves
The winner of the 2017 Polaris Music Prize will be announced on September 18th at a live ceremony in Toronto.
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!
Dillstradamus
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".
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.
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).
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".
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.
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.
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.
Above & Beyond have started their headlining performance at Dreams #dreamsfestival
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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
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 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.
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 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
