Drezo proves his prowess & Rezz solidifies her main stage status

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By Ryan Hayes

Selling out the PNE Forum's roughly 4,000 strong capacity Vancouver was ready for a night of dark bass heavy music. Thematically all three acts tied perfectly together for one happy gathering of the Cult of Rezz. By the time 1788-L took the stage the Forum was already full. By far the most volcanic set of the night 1788-L kept headbangers busy while setting the stage for Drezo.

A personal highlight, Drezo' set was foreboding while remaining melodic. His dark take on rhythmic house was instantly approachable and unique. Regardless if you could pick out his original productions—Guap, Malice, Night, & his remix for Nas' Made You Look—everyone was drawn in because his tracks all have a natural groove to them. From start to finish his set remained artistically identifiable solidifying a trend on the fringes of dance music; keep your set full of originals and cultivate a faction of die-hard fans who live and breathe your sound. It's about more than creating a party atmosphere stacked with recognizable bangers, its about carving a space in the electronic scene's overcrowded landscape. Drezo met my lofty expectations and I am ready for whatever he has in store next.

Rezz took the stage to thousands of rabid fans chanting her name, cementing her status as a vanguard of dance music; one of the next generation's most important main stage headliners. As wave after wave of grinding bass washed over elated headbangers and die hard fans chanted along to ever twist and turn Rezz powered through a mixture of her latest LP Certain Kind of Magic, her Halloween mixtape Nightmare on Rezz Street, and slew of fan favourites. The set was expected—but on a tour of this magnitude that's unavoidable—the visuals were spot on, and the audience went hard until the last note. Tenacious D's infamous battle cry, 'you can't kill the metal' rang true throughout the night's festivities. Rezz has repackaged the heavy drive of rock for a new era of listeners and fostered the sounds evolution within the realm of dance music. Rock will never stop transforming, and no matter where Rezz' career takes her; 'the metal will live on.'

Loud Luxury to Perform at the 2019 JUNO Awards on CBC!

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By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

This past Thursday, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and CBC announced the first of the many performers set out to perform at the annual JUNO Awards. The announcement was special not only because it was the first act announced, but also special for us here at EDM Canada because the announcement of Loud Luxury's performance showcases the JUNOs commitment to supporting Canadian Electronic Music Artists!

The duo excitedly announced their performance on Twitter yesterday and we are looking forward to seeing what they will do live on the JUNOs stage. 

The 2019 JUNO awards will be held in London Ontario on Sunday, March 17 and broadcasted live on CBC. For more information visit https://junoawards.ca/ 

album1 of many… San Holo's Toronto Concert Review

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By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

Toronto fans had the pleasure of escaping the cold to enjoy an evening with San Holo and friends on his 'Album 1’ tour this past Wednesday at The Danforth Music Hall. The evening started with three acts: Eastghost, Taska Black and BAYNK, each bringing their own unique energy to DMH. What was most interesting, however, was the serious shift in energy from the moment San Holo took the stage. It wasn’t your classic uproar that you commonly expect from the crowd welcoming a headliner, it felt more like a huge shift in energy and attention, almost like re-awakening that was extremely welcoming and free. Within minutes, we would find out why and how this happened. 

If you are a fan of San Holo’s music, you will know that he loves to combine organic sounds/live instrumentals as well as the electronic elements to create his dreamy soundscapes. 'album1' is a great example of his innovative sound that clearly stands out within the electronic music world today. In my opinion, the Album 1 tour echoed this theme and showcased his signature sound very well. 

There were many elements that made this show successful and memorable. The main one being San himself. Anyone who has been able to witness him on this tour thus far, can easily agree with the fact that the energy he brings to the stage is not like any other. The room was in a bit of a meditative/trance-like state from the moment he started performing and later, after the show was over, and I was able to review what just happened and snap out of my own trance, I was able to understand that it was mainly due to his energy. 

His genuine personality, which has made his fans fall in love with him and his music, easily comes across while watching him on stage. Given the same setup and songs, I don’t think that another musician could have been able to replicate such a performance. He was not just "in the moment" in the sense of seeing how the crowd reacts and having the typical back and forth that happens between an artist and audience. The fact that he is the person who knows the ins and outs because he has worked so hard and put so much energy into creating the music is one thing.  Seeing him experience the music so deeply and feeling like he was genuinely inviting us to be in that moment with him was a different and refreshing feeling.  

Even though the room was full of people, because of this feeling, his planned and rehearsed set seemed almost like it wasn’t planned or perfected at all. It actually felt very organic, as if we were almost getting an exclusive sneak-peek of San prepping for this tour. Everyone was in their own world, having a one-on-one experience with San-you could tell by the smiles on their faces! 

His 1.5-hour set was full of highs and lows that were impactful, while the transitions between songs were fluid. It felt like we were almost following a storyline from start to finish, but it was overall quite mellow and enjoyable and it really kept us in the moment. The crowd grooved along with him as he played guitar live, singing melodic lines in his songs, jumping and dancing to the explosive drops, erupting in spontaneous clapping and chanting the lyrics. San didn’t stop moving for a moment, he was expressive on the guitar and the mic, the quick changes to and from the live instruments and the electronic control instruments were well executed. 

We were able to hear a great mix of hits and tracks from 'Album 1'. It all seemed to fit in very cohesively, which reminds us that he really has established a clear revolutionary sound of his own within the electronic music community. The combination of the cinematic sounds and other elements such as lyrics that resemble catchy pop hooks really captivate his audience. His fans seem to be a growing niche of individuals who welcome a more complex new sound in electronic music that’s building a bridge between many other genres. 

All of these vibes were accompanied by an awesome light show and great visuals, which many electronic music fans are very used to. I think his team did a great job at utilizing the stage at Danforth Music Hall and incorporating various elements without making it seem like the main attraction and allowing the live and musical elements to shine. 

Judging by their reactions, his fans would definitely want to see him perform again in Toronto and look forward to seeing bigger and more from him in the future. He made what could have been a very standard, dry performance that was super laid out and planned, into something that was individual and unique: definitely something you had to be there for to truly understand- which I think is a true sign of a great live performance. Looks like this is Album 1 of many to tour for San Holo.