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I grew up in Toronto during my teenage years, and knowing what I know now about its dance scene in that period � late 90s � I missed out on a lot of dope music and experiences. At the time, I was heavy into hip hop.
Anyways, coming back to the city that raised me and attending an event at one of its most revered clubs was a must. I couldn�t have had worse timing as far as my choice of events, as Canadian Thanksgiving was the preceding Monday and there wasn�t much happening. That made picking which venue and which event I�d attend easy.
Matt Sassari wasn�t a name I had recognized before. When I saw that Coda, a new club in the old location of the famous Footwork, had booked him, I decided this was where I would check out the city�s dance club culture during my stint in Toronto. And after briefly listening to some of his stuff, it didn�t deter me from that plan.
After a few pints at Pauper�s Pub nearby, I walked out into the unusually cold � even for October � night and crossed the street to Coda. I made sure to arrive early, as I wanted to hear the openers throw down and see what Toronto had to offer as far as local talent. After a pat down at the door, something that still alarms me when going to a dance club, I stepped up the steep staircase in unison with the thumping beat.
As I passed a hallway to the right atop the stairs � with a coat check on the left side of it and bathrooms on the right � I walked through double doors into a large and welcoming room. I was essentially standing at the corner of a large square, with booths scaling back on the wall to the left of me, a long bar to the right, and the spacious dance floor straight ahead. The red strobe lights on the ceiling whisked me in.
The two things that stood out to me right away was how spacious the floor plan was and how cool the room (as in temperature). Honestly, at the end of the night, both of these worked so well in a packed yet properly streamlined club that wasn�t sweating profusely or congested at every turn. Kudos to the design.
My first gripe of the night came at the bar. I was greeted by the bartender and told I had to run a tab of at least $50 if I wanted to use my American credit card. And that they would have to hold my passport, as well. No way the latter was happening, so I ended up using the ATM instead and accruing a resulting fee. No big deal really, as I spent more than that throughout the night and the cash came in handy if you know what I mean, but it�s something worth mentioning of the service. Everything else throughout the night was fast and friendly.
Now to the music. When I came in, a young local by the name of Deniero was manning the decks. Honestly, I was expecting a more seasoned DJ � even in the first slot of the night � for a supposedly class club in Toronto. Although I was hype and didn�t care much about it in the moment, besides making a mental note, it didn�t seem like Den was aware of his slot position or who he was building the night for. He did win me over with his in-the-booth charisma. So hey, fun was definitely in the air, and I can respect a club for giving a young guy a shot considering the young headliner himself.
Next up was Addy. As soon as he came on, I knew I was listening to a local veteran. And after asking around and talking to a few heads, that�s exactly who it turned out to be. Although he didn�t sweep me off my feet, he definitely had a part in getting the party moving in a somewhat synchronized direction. Good job for setting the tone.
Finally, Sassari hopped on the decks and stayed there for two short hours. And by short, I mean short. I thought he would be up there for four, as he came on at 1 in the morning and the party was scheduled until 5. But that didn�t happen. I came into the night impressed with the 23-year-old�s productions but was equally as skeptical about his DJing abilities. Boy was I wrong to doubt him! As you can hear in his tracks, he has a distinct banging tech sound that translates well to the dance floor. The Frenchman�s set had the entire crowd moving � from the front of the dance floor, to the strategically placed and elevated booths along both sides of it, to the back at the bar. I saw nothing but a sea of hands and torsos driven by the sounds of someone I think more people will hear about in the years to come. If I to describe his set in two words: banging and structured. Good rave music.
Moving on. Jeremy Scott, another local, ended the night with a two-hour set himself. He did a decent job following Sassari, but I still wanted more from Matt, and I couldn�t help but feel a tad bit disappointed that both of their slots were the same length.
All in all, I had a good night at Coda. My expectations were rather high to begin with, for a variety of reasons, so the club ultimately did a great job of not letting me down. Would I call it a class club? Not yet. I still felt like the �it� was missing. But it definitely feels like this club has the potential to become as iconic as the club it replaced. If you�re in the city, I definitely recommend checking it out.
As for Sassari, I expect to run into him again. The talent and potential is there for sure. Look forward to seeing his growth both as a DJ and a producer.
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